Podcasts about god isa

Below are some of Satan's strategies that will disrupt the Christian's spiritual walk with the Lord. Satan promotes sinful pride. Sinful pride tempts us to think we don't need God, believing we can operate independently of the Lord, not obeying His Word or seeking Him in prayer. God hates pride. Pride was the sin that brought Lucifer down, as we are told of him, “Your heart was proud because of your beauty; and you corrupted your wisdom on account of your splendor” (Ezek 28:17 NET). The angel, Lucifer, became Satan when he set his will against the will of God (Isa 14:12-14). Satan takes every opportunity he can to promote sinful pride in others. Solomon wrote, “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD” (Prov 16:5a), and “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling” (Prov 16:18). Uzziah was king of Judah and God had blessed him greatly. But Scripture tells us, “when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God” (2 Ch 26:16a). When David was king, we are told, “Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel” (1 Ch 21:1).[1] From the divine perspective, we know God was angry with Israel because of some unnamed sin (2 Sam 24:1), and He permitted Satan to have his way so that the nation might be judged and humbled. Satan was glad to initiate this attack, and David's pride was the open door for national disaster (1 Ch 21:2-7). Afterwards, David humbled himself before the Lord (1 Ch 21:8-15), demonstrating humility by obedience and sacrifice (1 Ch 21:16-30). Another example of pride is seen in Nebuchadnezzar, who was a great king, but like others, sought to live independently of God. God came to him in a dream (Dan 4:1-18), which Daniel interpreted as a revelation about the king's downfall if he did not humble himself (Dan 4:19-27). The dream was intended to help Nebuchadnezzar realize “that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes” (Dan 4:25; cf. Dan 2:21). God's revelation was a warning not to steal His glory. But Nebuchadnezzar's pride kept him from accepting God's message, and twelve months later (Dan 4:29), the king said to himself, “Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Dan 4:30). Afterwards, God judged him with a mental disorder that drove him to live like an animal for seven years (Dan 4:31-33). After his period of suffering, Nebuchadnezzar obtained humility and recognized God's sovereignty, and he praised Him as He deserved (Dan 4:34-37). Unfortunately, not everyone responds to God's corrective suffering, and there are many who die in their pride (Rev 9:20-21; 16:9-11). Humility is what God wants in His people. Humility is a lowliness of mind in which we realize our impoverished condition to function apart from God, His provision and His power (2 Cor 12:7-10). The humble person seeks God and His will above all else and relies on Him in everything, praising Him for His goodness. Satan is a liar. Jesus said of Satan, “Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44b). Satan's lying influence is so great that he “deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9). People lie for various reasons (i.e., to avoid conflict, avoid consequences, to promote self, etc.). Satan, like many people, lies as a means of controlling others and circumstances. The lie is a powerplay. It also destroys trust. Satan lied to Eve and deceived her to eat the forbidden fruit, and she gave some to Adam as well (Gen 3:1-7). Satan's lie allowed him to gain control of the world (Luke 4:6; 1 John 5:19). Satan tried his lies with Jesus and failed (Matt 4:1-11). Satan sends false teachers into churches to cause deception and disruption (Matt 13:38-39; Acts 20:29-30; 2 Cor 11:4, 12-15; 2 Pet 2:1). John tells us, “Many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Through his false teachers Satan introduces “doctrines of demons” among God's people (1 Tim 4:1). Paul was concerned about the Christians at Corinth that they would fall prey to Satan's falsehoods and wrote to them, saying, “I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Cor 11:3). Several things are noteworthy about Paul's statement. First, he treats the account between Satan and Eve as an actual historical event, not myth (as liberal theologians do). Second, he shows the mind is the battleground where Satan often attacks. Third, Satan's intention was to lead the Christians away from “the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” The immediate danger in Corinth was the Satan-supported false teachers who came with false messages (2 Cor 11:4; 12-15). Satan will use anything as an allurement to draw us away from our devotion to Christ, even things such as family, friends, a career, an education, entertainment, suffering, prosperity, etc. Satan's lies are intended to warp our perception of reality and get us to turn from God and His will. Knowing God's Word helps us identify Satan's lies. Applying God's Word by faith enables us to resist Satan's attacks. The Christian mind is the battleground, and “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Taking a census was permitted under the Mosaic Law (Ex 30:12); but God did not instruct David to do this thing, and David's motivation was pride, so that he would have an idea about the military strength of his kingdom (1 Ch 21:5).

     The Bible reveals that Satan is the enemy of God and he attacks His people. Peter warns us, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8). In his efforts, Satan has strategies he sets forth to accomplish his purposes. A strategy is a plan of action one creates and employs in order to achieve an objective. Satan's major objective is to make himself like God and rule in His place (Isa 14:12-14). But there is only one sovereign God (Isa 45:5-6), and He advances His own agenda, which cannot fail because He cannot fail. However, Satan's desire, like his reasoning, has been corrupted by his pride (Ezek 28:17). Satan has been advancing his agenda for millennia and has become very knowledgeable and skilled in what works. Ryrie states: "By his very longevity Satan has acquired a breadth and depth of experience which he matches against the limited knowledge of man. He has observed other believers in every conceivable situation, thus enabling him to predict with accuracy how we will respond to circumstances. Although Satan is not omniscient, his wide experience and observation of man throughout his entire history on earth give him knowledge which is far superior to anything any man could have."[1]      Satan attacks God's people in order to hinder spiritual growth and ministry. Christians who are advancing spiritually and engaging in effective ministry pose a threat to Satan's agenda. Naturally, he will oppose our efforts and try to hinder us. Because Satan cannot touch God Himself, he goes after His people, seeking to frustrate our efforts as best he can. Sometimes he's permitted to have his way. For example, Paul wrote, “But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while—in person, not in spirit—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us” (1 Th 2:17-18). We're not sure why Satan was permitted to hinder Paul and his companions. Though frustrated, Paul continued to seek the Lord and to minister where an open door presented itself (Acts 14:27; Rev 3:8). But an open door of ministry does not mean there will be no opposition. In fact, Christian ministry often means there will adversaries, as Paul wrote, “I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor 16:8-9). Constable states: "We know that Satan is behind all of our temptations having received permission to assail us from God (e.g., Job 1–2). He uses the world system and our flesh (sinful nature) as his tools. He also attacks us directly himself and through his angelic emissaries. God has given us specific instruction in Scripture about how to combat these attacks. We are to resist the devil (1 Pet 5:8–9), flee the temptations of the world system (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; 1 John 2:15–17), and deny the flesh (Rom 6:12–13; 7:18–24; 8:13)...Satan has consistently aimed his personal attacks at getting people to doubt, to deny, to disregard, and to disobey the revealed will of God (cf. Gen 3:1-7; Matt 4:1-11). The world system seeks to get people to believe that they do not need God but can get along very well without Him. The flesh tempts us to think that we can find satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment on the physical, material level of life alone."[2]      Spiritual advance means opposition, but nothing more or beyond what God permits. The Christian who learns God's Word and lives by faith will have the greatest impact for God in this world. Living by faith means we learn God's Word and consciously trust Him as we apply it to our lives (Rom 10:17; Heb 10:38; 11:6). God's Word is powerful (Isa 55:7-11; Jer 23:29; Heb 4:12), transformative (Psa 119:9-11; John 17:17), and moves the hearts of those who are positive to God (Luke 24:27, 32). Living by faith is the basis for renovating our thinking (Rom 12:1-2; 2 Cor 10:3-5), and advancing to spiritual maturity (Eph 4:11-15; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Charles C. Ryrie, Balancing the Christian life (Chicago Ill., Moody Press, 1994), 130. [2] Tom Constable, Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Eph 6:11.

     As Christians, the Bible reveals we live in a fallen world and face attacks on three fronts. These include Satan, the world, and the flesh. First, Satan is a fallen angel who rules and leads other fallen angels to rebel against God. Fallen angels are also referred to as evil spirits, unclean spirits, and demons. Second, Satan and his demonic forces have created a world-system that is wholly opposed to God and His will. Satan's world-system is a realm of spiritual darkness that envelops lost humanity—and carnal Christians—and consists of those philosophies, values, and practices that appeal to pride and the flesh. Third, the flesh refers to the fallen sinful nature that every person possesses (including Christians), which constantly entices us to act contrary to God and His Word. These three spiritual dangers threaten the Christian's spiritual life and effectiveness in the world. Though eternal salvation cannot be lost, the Christian can become a casualty of war and traitor to God's cause. Our Enemy the Devil      Many think of Satan as the counterpart of God; but this is wrong. God is the Creator, whereas Satan is merely a creature. God is infinitely and eternally good, whereas Satan was created good, but then turned away in rebellion, leading others to follow, both angels and people. Satan is not the counterpart of God; rather, he is the counterpart of those angels who maintained their allegiance to God. To understand this is to contrast Satan with good angels where, as a creature, he properly belongs.      The Bible reveals Satan was originally created a holy angel of the class of cherubim; however, because of pride (Ezek 28:11-18), he rebelled against God (Isa 14:12-14), and convinced many angels to follow him (Rev 12:4, 7). The name Satan is derived from the Hebrew שָׂטָן Satan which means “adversary, opponent, accuser, opposing party…[or] the one who hinders a purpose”[1] The Greek Σατανᾶς Satanas carries the same meaning and is used “in a very special sense of the enemy of God and all of those who belong to God.”[2] Other names for Satan include the shining one, or Lucifer (Isa 14:12), the evil one (1 John 5:19), the tempter (1 Th 3:5), the devil (Matt 4:1), the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4), the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10), the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2), the serpent (Rev 12:9), and the great red dragon (Rev 12:3). Further, Satan is a murderer and liar (John 8:44), is compared to a lion that prowls about, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8), and one who disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14).      Lucifer became Satan at the time of his rebellion when he declared, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”  (Isa 14:13-14). Pentecost states, “The desire of Satan was to move in and occupy the throne of God, exercise absolute independent authority over the angelic creation, bring the earth and all the universe under his authority, cover himself with the glory that belongs to God alone, and then be responsible to no one but himself.”[3] Satan seeks to operate independently of God's plan for him, and he leads others, both saved and unsaved, to do the same. Lucifer introduced sin and death to the first humans when he convinced them to turn from God and eat the forbidden fruit (Gen 2:16-17; 3:1-7). At the time of the fall, Adam handed his kingdom over to Satan, who has been ruling this world since (Luke 4:5-6).      Satan is permitted, for a time, to rule over the majority in this world. When Jesus began His public ministry, He faced a series of tests from Satan, one of which was an offer to receive the kingdoms of the world without going to the cross. Satan told Jesus, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish” (Luke 4:6). Satan took possession of “this domain and its glory” by God's permission and man's sin, presumably, when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and follow Satan (Gen 3:1-8). Satan said to Jesus, “Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours” (Luke 4:7). Satan's offer had to be true in order for the temptation to be real. At some time in the future, Satan will share his authority with the Antichrist, because he advances his agenda (Rev 13:1-2). Three times Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Other passages of Scripture call Satan “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), and “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), informing us “that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Satan rules as a tyrant who has “weakened the nations” (Isa 14:12), and currently “deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9). He personally attacked Adam and Eve (Gen 3:1-7), Job (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-13), David, (1 Chr 21:1), Joshua the high priest (Zec 3:1-2), Jesus (Matt 4:1-11), Judas (John 13:27), and Peter (Luke 22:31-32). He continues to attack God's people today (1 Pet 5:8), practices deception (2 Cor 11:13-15), and has well developed strategies of warfare (Eph 6:10-12). Furthermore, humanity is living in an “evil age” (Gal 1:4), under “the dominion of Satan” (Acts 26:18), whose sphere of influence is called “the domain of darkness” (Col 1:13). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 1317. [2] William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 916. [3] J. Dwight Pentecost, Your Adversary the Devil (Grand Rapids, Mich., Zondervan Publishing, 1969), 25-26.

Salvation of the Chosen (audio) David Eells, 2/16/25 I have declared the former things from old; yea, they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them: suddenly I did them, and they came to pass (Isa.48:3). Predict means to tell the future in advance. What the world calls predictions rarely come to pass. It seems they have a warped idea of what a prediction is. When God predicts the future, He declares it and then does it. Not only does God's Word show the future but also it brings it to pass. The worlds (Greek: “ages”) have been framed by the word of God (Heb.11:3). The word “framed” in this verse means “to make complete.” The history (or His-story) of all ages was completed before the beginning. (Isa.48:4) Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; (5) therefore I have declared it to thee from of old; before it came to pass I showed it thee; lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. He is a jealous God (Exo.20:5). He will not share His glory with the idol of self or an idol of man's creation (Isa.42:8). God receives glory from telling of His works hundreds or thousands of years beforehand. His works were finished from the foundation of the world (Heb.4:3). Because His works were finished from the foundation of the world, no one can say, “My might, my power, my god has done this.” It is important to God that we know He is sovereign. Our God has done something that no other “god” has done; He accurately tells the future long before it comes to pass. It is hard to live the Christian life without knowing that God is sovereign. Without this knowledge, we will not have the peace, rest, and the fear of God that we need in the midst of trials. We will always be wrestling with people and circumstances and trusting in our own strength, instead of seeing God's hand and trusting in His strength. (Hos.4:6) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge… (Isa.46:8) Remember this, and show yourselves men; bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. (9) Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I [am] God, and there is none like me; (10) declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not [yet] done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. God does all of His pleasure so that only His counsel comes to pass. The proof, that God is the only God, is that He declares the end from the beginning. All the prognosticators, psychics, seers, and stargazers of the devil have only come up with slightly better than random accuracy on the future because their lord is not sovereign. The devil does have an edge. He knows the prophetic Word better than we do, and he predicts what he plans to do, but God is sovereign and often overrules him. (Isa.46:11)… I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it. God is very self-willed. He has a right to be. His self is not corrupt, but ours is. He brings to pass what He desires because it is right. In the text, God is speaking of Cyrus, the pagan king of the Media-Persian Empire. God raised up Cyrus to destroy Babylon in order to set His people free from bondage. At that time, Cyrus had no idea that the Lord had put the desire in him to do exactly what He wanted. (Isa.44:28) That saith of Cyrus, [He is] my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built; and of the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. How can God be so sure that a man who has been a pagan all his life will do everything that will please Him? We see here that nothing or no one can resist God's good purpose for His people. God is sovereign over the future of the great empires of the world in order to deliver and prepare His people. (Isa.45:1) Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him, and I will loose the loins of kings; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut: (2) I will go before thee, and make the rough places smooth; I will break in pieces the doors of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron; (3) and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that it is I, the Lord, who call thee by thy name, even the God of Israel. (4) For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel my chosen, I have called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. The Euphrates River passed through the city of Babylon. One of the gates spoken of here crossed in the Euphrates River to keep the enemy out. Cyrus by the help of God performed a monumental feat in diverting the Euphrates so that his army could enter the city beneath this gate. After they had entered the city, they discovered that the gates on either bank leading into the city had been left unlocked (by God, verses 1 and 2), which was strange, considering that the Babylonians were at war. After Cyrus conquered Babylon, the high priest showed him these prophecies and more that were written about him hundreds of years before he was born. The Jews say Cyrus was very impressed to see his name and works written in prophecy before the fact and became a believer in the God of Israel. God stated clearly that He was going to open those gates for Cyrus to do His Will. After hearing these revelations, Cyrus knew that God had empowered, planned, and made his way. Christian leaders have turned God into a mere prophet, claiming God sees into the future and then reveals it. Every type and shadow in the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament to prove that God sits on the throne and One Mind rules over time and the future. One loose canon, would change everything. According to the law of geometric progression, one change at the beginning makes an immense change at the end. Chance or more than one in control could not possibly bring to pass what we see. The Armenian thinkers teach that God predestines and predicts by seeing into the future then tells us how the dice rolled. “Predestine” means “to determine destiny before it happens.” “Foreordain,” which is the same Greek word, means “to ordain an event before it takes place.” (Eph.1:4) Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love: (5) having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. You who are manifesting sonship by bearing fruit have been chosen and are being drawn by God. (Rom.8:29) For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained (predestined) [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. God foreknew and decreed all who come to the likeness of Jesus, but not the apostate. “Foreknew” here does not mean He looked into the future and saw what would be. “Foreknew” here means, “to know before” and is not connected with actions or events, but persons. God knew these people before the foundation of the world because He does not dwell in time. God knows what He creates before He speaks it into existence just as we conceive and design something first in our mind before we make it. “Knew” speaks of intimate knowledge, for instance, Adam knew Eve. Jesus will say to those who called Him Lord but do not do the Will of the Father, (Mat.7:23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you (meaning, from the foundation of the world): depart from me, ye that work iniquity. To the foolish virgins without the oil of the Spirit, Jesus said, “I know you not.” The ones that God intimately knew He “foreordained” before the creation to be conformed to the image of Jesus. God creates us through His gift of faith and the Word in us; His people who are on the narrow road. This is grace. (Rom.8:30) And whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. This says all who are foreordained will be called, justified, and glorified. They will not fall away but will bear the fruit of Christ. Are there others who are called but not foreordained? (2Ti.1:9) Who saved us, and called us with a holy calling… Notice that only the saved are called. Called is from the Greek word kaleo, which means, “to invite.” Called is an invitation given only to God's people (more proof: Heb.3:1; Hos.11:1; 1Ti.6:11-12; Mat.25:14; Rom.1:6-7) to partake of his heavenly benefits in Christ in order to bear fruit. Those who bear fruit 30, 60, or 100-fold will be proven to be the chosen or picked. If at harvest time you have no fruit, rotten fruit, or unripe fruit, you will not be picked. The called are the vineyard of God (Isa.5:7). The chosen are the smaller percentage who bear fruit (Isa.5:10). (Mat.22:14) For many are called, but few chosen (Greek: eklektos, “elect”). The called can fall, but the elect or chosen will not. (Hos.11:1) When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. (2) The more [the prophets] called them, the more they went from them…The Lord saved those that ate the lamb and were baptized in the Red Sea. He then tried them in the wilderness to see who would be a believer in the midst of trials, and only those entered the Promised Land. Jude warned the called of this very thing. (Jud.1:1) Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are called… (5) Now I desire to put you in remembrance, though ye know all things once for all, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. Notice that the called were saved, but some did not continue in faith and were destroyed. Friends, God is not looking for what we loosely call “Christians,” but believers or disciples, as they were called. Jesus gave us very clear examples of His servants who are called but do not come and partake in order to bear fruit. Jesus shared a parable in which a king made a marriage feast for His son. (Mat.22:3) And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden (Greek: “called”) to the marriage feast: and they would not come. They were full of excuses (a farm, merchandise, etc.). (Mat.22:8) Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. Even one who appeared to come did not have on a wedding garment which implies putting on Christ (Rom.13:14) or putting on righteousness (Rev.19:8). (Mat.22:13) Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him out into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. (14) For many are called, but few chosen. A few of the called are chosen or elect because they bear fruit. (Mat.25:14) For [it is] as [when] a man, going into another country, called his own servants (Greek: “bondservants”), and delivered unto them his goods. (15) And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey. Obviously, the man who went away was the Lord, and His bondservants are His people. Two of these example servants brought forth fruit of the talent given them (Mat.25:20-22), but one buried his in the earth (used his talent for the earthly, Mat.25:24-25). When our Lord returns, He will say, And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth (Mat.25:30). The apostle Paul, who said of himself that he was called in Galatians 1:15, also said, But I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected (Greek: “reprobated”) (1Co.9:27). There is much more proof that the saved and the called can fall (2Pe.1:9-11; 1Ti.6:11-12; Heb.3:1,6,12,14; Rom.11:1-7,19-23). Friend, you probably know if you are called, but are you chosen? You must be diligent in your walk of faith to prove this. (2Pe.1:10) Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election (choosing) sure: for if ye do these things (the attributes of Christ, verses 5-7), ye shall never stumble: (11) for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. God at the cross has already given us everything that we need to bear fruit through faith. (2Pe.1:3) seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue. Faith in the promises in the midst of trials will give us the fruit. (2Pe.1:4) Whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. The called have the power and the opportunity. The called and the chosen, or foreordained, use the power by faith and take the opportunity. The only ones who will ultimately be with the Lord are identified in this verse. (Rev.17:14) These shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they [also shall overcome] that arewith him, called and chosen and faithful. Notice that the called that are chosen will be faithful. I did not make these verses up; they are the Word of God. Those who have eyes and ears will see and understand, but the rest will justify their religion and ignore the Scriptures. Before time and the future, God sovereignly spoke the end from the beginning, bringing these things into existence in time. Some would argue, “How could God make a promise to all of His called and then not keep it for those who do not bear fruit?” Every promise in the Bible is useless until someone walks by faith in it. Our part of the covenant is faith; God's part is power and salvation. We can break the covenant through unbelief. (Num.14:11) And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them? (12) I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they. Notice that God is saying to His own people who did not believe that He would disinherit them. Lest any believe that God cannot make a promise and then take it back when they do not walk in faith, pay attention to this: (Num.14:23) Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that despised me see it. (30) surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. (34)… and ye shall know my alienation (Hebrew: “revoking of my promise”). Unless we mix faith with God's promises, they are void. (Heb.4:2) For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they (God's people): but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. The Israelites who walked in sin were disinherited and blotted out of God's book. (Exo.32:33) And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. The same is true of the Christians who do not overcome sin. Notice what the Lord said to the Church. (Rev.3:5) He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life…Those who do not overcome will be rejected from the body of Christ. (Rev.3:16) So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth. God's people Israel were broken off because of unbelief, and Christians who were grafted in but do not walk by faith will be, too. (Rom.11:20) Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear: (21) for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee. (22) Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. Those who are still grafted in at the end are called “all Israel.” (Rom.11:26) and so all Israel shall be saved… Those who are still in the book of life, still grafted in, are the elect (Greek: “chosen”). (Rom.11:2) God did not cast off his people which he foreknew… (5) Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election (chosen) of grace. A remnant is those who are left. Notice they are foreknown and chosen. Sovereign God will have those who are truly His. Abiding in Christ is where salvation is. Some say God gave us the gift of eternal life so He cannot take it back. In Galatians 3:16, we are told, To Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. So the promises were given to Christ, not to us individually. The only way the promises are ours is if we abide in Christ. Abiding in Christ is bearing fruit (Joh.15:1-6), walking as He walked (1Jn.2:3-6), believing the same teachings given by Jesus and the apostles (1Jn.2:24; Jud.1:3; Mat.28:20), not adding to or subtracting from the Word (Rev.22:18-19), not walking in sin (1Jn.3:5-6), and keeping His commandments (1Jn.3:24). In Christ is the only place we can claim the gift of eternal life. (1Jn.5:11)… God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. God does not have to take His gift back; His people walk out of it. (1Co.6:18)… Every sin that a man doeth is without the body…When you walk in willful sin, you are not abiding in His body for in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: (1Jn.3:5-6). For instance, fornication, spiritual or physical, takes away the members of Christ and makes them members of a harlot (1Co.6:15,18). Only Christ and those abiding in Him are chosen. (Eph. 1:4) Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world… Only Christ and those abiding in Him are going to heaven. (Joh.3:13) And no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven…The manna from heaven, the Word Jesus Christ, who takes up residence in those who love Him, is the fruit that God is coming to choose. By this time, I am sure some are thinking that they do not measure up. We must first abide in Christ by faith accepting the Gospel report that I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that [life] which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, [the faith] which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me (Gal.2:20). Those who walk by faith that they are dead to sin and Christ now lives in them are accounted as righteous until God uses that faith to manifest righteousness in them. (Gal. 3:6) Even as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. God does not dwell in time, but eternity. He sees the beginning and the end at the same time, therefore, He can answer a prayer before we pray. We do not have to worry that we have waited too late to pray because He can have the answer coming long before we ask. (Isa.65:24) And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. I had a friend, who went to the local trade school, offer to take my broken washer for the students to work on. It was only going to cost me for parts. By faith, I told him to go ahead. He called back in a couple of days to say that he would be bringing it back and the cost was $90. My wife and I accounted that we only had $40. In a moment of inspiration, I pointed my finger at the mailbox and said, “$50 is coming in that box today.” In the mail that day was a letter from a brother in Maryland. (I had absolutely no foreknowledge of this incident.) He wrote, “It is after midnight, and I just cannot get to sleep until I obey God and write this check for $50.” I looked at the post date on the letter and discovered it had been lost in the mail for a whole month! Obviously, God had it found at just the right moment. He had it coming a month before I spoke those words of faith. He merely used me to bring to pass what He had already planned. I asked God to do something that I believe He may have changed time to accomplish. Many years ago, this very young girl made a mistake and tested pregnant. As I prayed about her situation, a thought came into my head and right out of my mouth. I asked the Lord to make this girl as though she were never pregnant. I believe that this did not come from my mind, but God's Spirit. Because of the way this prayer came, I received it as a confirmation from the Lord that it was the Will of God. Later, tests proved that she was not pregnant. I do not know what God did with the baby, but I am sure He is taking better care of it than that girl would have. Nothing is beyond God's ability to help us, unless it is beyond our faith. How can God change His mind when He knows and speaks the end in the beginning? Then changing your mind makes you a liar. (Isa.46:10) Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not [yet] done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. If He sees all from the beginning, why would He ever need to change His mind? God will not change what is written in His Word. (Psa.119:89) For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven. His Word is likened unto a rock, immovable and unchangeable. However, God can change or delay what He speaks to you personally as a warning through prophets, dreams, visions, or His Spirit. When the Word ultimately comes to pass, it will be fulfilled as the Bible says it will. God gave us an example of this in the book of Jonah. Jonah cried and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown (Jon.3:4). God told Jonah to preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee (Jon.3:2), so he did. He was not a false prophet. God spared Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, because they repented. This angered Jonah because Assyria was the mortal enemy of Israel and the prophets had already been prophesying that Assyria would conquer rebellious Israel. He wanted them to be destroyed for what he perceived was Israel's sake. Jonah knew that if he preached to Nineveh and they repented, God would not destroy them, so he fled. (Jon.4:1) But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. (2) And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of the evil. God spared Nineveh around 752 B.C. so that Assyria could conquer the northern ten tribes of Israel around 720 B.C. and then Judah around 701 B.C. Nineveh ultimately did fall around 612 B.C. God knew before He threatened Nineveh that He was going to spare them for the purpose of using them to chasten Israel. From Nineveh's perspective, they changed God's mind by repenting, but from God's perspective, He changed Nineveh's mind and fulfilled His plan from the beginning for them, which was to chasten Israel! Jonah's Hebrew word for “repentest” here is nacham meaning “to sigh” and by implication “to be sorry.” In itself, nacham does not admit evil doing, or even a change of mind, only sorrow. As Father, God must do many things that He sorrows over. When the Scriptures speak of God repenting, it is for our perspective because it appears to us that He changed His mind and did not do what He threatened. As a parent five times over, I have done this many times. The difference between God and us is, He plans and sees the delays and repentances from the beginning. (Num.23:19) God is not a man, that he should lie, Neither the son of man, that he should repent. (1Sa.15:29) And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent. Here is another thing that proves the sovereignty of God in time and the future, and that God plans delays or “repentances” beforehand. Israel and the United States share a unique identity. Each was entrusted with the Gospel in their respective time. From 887 B.C., Israel was at war every seventeen years for a period of fifteen cycles until 631 B.C. The United States also has been in a war every seventeen years for a period of fifteen cycles from the forming of the thirteen original states to Grenada in l983-l984. For both nations, in the sixth and tenth cycle there was no war. The only possible exceptions to the parallel are that Israel appears to have had a devastating famine in the forth cycle instead of a war and there seems to be no record for a war in their thirteenth cycle. The cycles could be more exact than our knowledge, but no sane person could think that this is chance. The repetitions of history clearly show that one mind is in control of past and future. Stay with me because I would like to encourage you about your family and loved ones who may be running after worldly desires and not yet saved. No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day (Joh.6:44). Some parents feel very guilty that, though they did the best they could, their children seem to be going the wrong way. The following teaching is not against those who have faithfully served the Lord from their youth but rather for those who feel that the Lord has passed them or their children by. Walk by faith for those wayward children, not sight. Believe in your prayers, expect miracles, but be patient. God has a plan that starts for them long before their salvation. Give some deep thought to this. It will free you from worry, strife, condemnation and self-effort to bring about God's will in them. They will have to be saved after tribulation and failure of their worldly expectations, as we were. Children who are raised knowing about the Lord are sometimes very self-righteous. They think they deserve what they have and do not understand grace. They will also have to see themselves as sinners in order to be the dirt that can receive the Word and bear the fruit of Jesus. God only saves sinners. We have all been one. This is a necessary revelation in order to appreciate the great value of salvation and to be saved by unmerited favor. I remember my oldest daughter when she was three years old going around our lost friends and relatives saying, “God does not like that.” She was quickly deflecting what we had taught her. We thought, “You little Pharisee.” Our heavenly Father has had many prodigal sons just as Jesus' parable shows, but that does not make Him a bad Father (Luk.15:11-32). In this parable, the “good” son who never left home was self-righteous, judgmental, and merciless. On the other hand, the younger son, who spent his inheritance on riotous living, realized his low estate and came to his father very humbly saying, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son. (Luk.15:21). The once rebellious son now understood mercy and grace and was a much better man for it. Prophetically, the firstborn son who never left the Father was the righteous among Israel, but they did not understand grace. The younger, second son of the Father who fell away through the dark ages for 2,000 years is the Church, who is returning in these days to understand the grace of God. The Father said to these, Bring forth quickly the best robe (the robe of righteousness [Isa.61:10]), and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand (symbol of authority and of the Bride), and shoes on his feet (the walk of separation from the world) (Luk.15:22). The prodigal son will have more of everything than the first son. Those who have been sinners know their need of God, but many times, those who are raised as God's people do not. (Mat.21:28) But what think ye? A man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to-day in the vineyard. (29) And he answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented himself, and went. (30) And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I [go], sir: and went not. (31) Which of the two did the will of his father? They say, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. (32) For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye saw it, did not even repent yourselves afterward, that ye might believe him. Many times, it is not the son who says he will go to work in the Father's vineyard who actually goes, but the son whose first inclination is to rebel. This rebel who comes to see himself as a sinner goes while the other son who feigns righteousness does not. Many career Christians are bored with the work of God and are distracted by the allure of the world. The publicans and harlots are so appreciative of a place in the kingdom that they throw their whole heart into it, willing to be servants rather than be served. They understand the great value of the gift of grace that is given them and their own unworthiness. In the last days of the Gentiles, it will be the same as it was in the last days of the Jews. There are many self-righteous “Christians” today who are not the creation that the Father desires. Those who have been raised in the church should humble themselves to the Word of God and not religion so that no man takes their crown (Rev.3:11). It appears Jesus had this in mind when He shared this parable. (Luk.18:9) And he spake also this parable unto certain who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and set all others at nought: (10) Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. (11) The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. (12) I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I get. (13) But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be thou merciful to me a sinner. (14) I say unto you, This man went down to his house justified (Greek: “accounted righteous”) rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. The self-righteous child who kept all the religious traditions was not accounted righteous while the poor sinner who was repenting of his unworthiness was. Jesus told the Pharisees that He had not come to call the righteous but the sinners. He was after those who knew they had been sinners to be His children. Look at the following verse carefully. (Rom.11:32) For God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all. God has designed that forgiven sinners become His sons. Those who have been disobedient have a great appreciation for mercy and grace and do not offend God quickly. God has subjected us to this fallen creation for the purpose of a higher creation. (Rom.8:20) For the creation was subjected to vanity (the fall and corruption), not of its own will, but by reason of him (God) who subjected it, in hope (Greek: “firm expectation”) (21) that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. He wants those who have been corrupt, as good soil is, to be delivered to appreciate Him. The children of God can only be created from the fallen creation, and God is the one who subjected them to it to humble them. The Scriptures show us our unfaithfulness and unworthiness so that we might have a reason to truly repent. (Gal.3:22) But the scriptures shut up all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. God chose us to be saved in Christ before Adam even fell. (Eph.1:4) Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love. He knew we would need a savior before the world was made and Adam fell. He knew the fall would happen, and He went ahead with the creation anyway. From this you can see that the fall was in His plan. Children who are raised with Christ many times take Him for granted and do not really understand grace as unmerited favor. God has a plan for them that may involve the temporary lifting of His grace that has been taken for granted. Do not fear this, or walk by sight, but continue to believe God for them. Peter was Jesus' little one whom He raised up to be a disciple. He self-confidently declared to the Lord that he would never be offended and deny Him but would go with Him to death in (Mat.26:33-35). God hates self-confidence but loves God-confidence. So how does God deal with this sin? (1Co.10:12) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. Failure is the best treatment for self-confidence. (Luk.22:31) Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat: (32) but I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren. (33) And he said unto him, Lord, with thee I am ready to go both to prison and to death. (34) And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, until thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. Jesus prophesied failure for this proud man. Jesus, who had authority over Satan, did not forbid him from sifting Peter. Satan sifts to get what belongs to him. In this case, it was Peter's pride, self-righteousness, and self-confidence. What fell through the sieve was what God wanted, the humbled Peter. The sifted Peter who had “turned again” or been converted, could now establish the brethren. Before this failure, he would have been a good Pharisee. (Luk.7:40) And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon (the Pharisee, not Peter), I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Teacher, say on. (41) A certain lender had two debtors: the one owed five hundred shillings, and the other fifty. (42) When they had not [wherewith] to pay, he forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him most? (43) Simon answered and said, He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. (44) And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath wetted my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. (45) Thou gavest me no kiss: but she, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. (46) My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but she hath anointed my feet with ointment. (47) Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, [the same] loveth little. Big sinners make big saints, for they know the value of grace. According to the previous verses, God wants people who are forgiven of their many sins and saved by grace so that they love and appreciate Him much. This is the creation that He wants, not Adam before the fall. The creation that springs from the last Adam, Jesus Christ, is the ones who have fallen and then are saved by grace through faith. We need not worry about our children or loved ones becoming sinners, just “hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised.” We must gracefully sow seeds of truth, as we can, without frustrating them. They cannot be convinced without grace. God “worketh all things after the counsel of His will” and “a man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven,” and “no one comes unto the Son except the Father draw him.” God will do it when the time is right, and He will use our faith because “faith is the substance of things hoped for” (KJV). We can see why sometimes God does not save people until they are a little older and have tried the world and found it wanting. However, if you have faithfully served the Lord from your youth, you have a great reward. God can save anyone anytime He desires. It is important that we not try with our own works to save the lost but first honor God's sovereignty with our faith for Him to do it. (Joh.6:37) All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me… (44) No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him… Father will draw everyone that He chooses to Christ. God chooses us and gives us a desire to come to Him and only then do we choose Him. (Psa.65:4) Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach [unto thee], That he may dwell in thy courts… God sometimes chooses the worst in our estimation. If God can save Paul or Mary Magdalene, who had seven demons, he can save those we believe for. Do you remember the conversion of Saul who persecuted the saints with a vengeance? (Act.9:3)… And suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven: (4) and he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (5) And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he [said], I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. A monkey would get saved with such an experience, which was totally at the discretion of God. This same omnipotent God says, All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive (Mat.21:22). God uses His gift of faith in us to manifest the salvation of those He has chosen from the foundation of the world. Pray and thank God for those salvations. I can hear someone say, “Goody, we will believe God to save the devil; that will solve a lot of problems.” I do not think such faith would endure to the end since faith is a gift from God (Eph.2:8), to give or to take, and there is no precedent in the Scriptures for such a request. Besides that, the devil is needed in his job for which he would be totally unfit if he got saved. There is precedent for household salvation though (Act.11:14; 18:8). Paul and Silas offered this to the jailer. (Act.16:31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. They believed and were saved. (34)… with all his house, having believed in God. Peter preached this, too. (Act.2:39) For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him. In Exodus 12:3, the lamb was slain for a household. Unbelieving family members are sanctified by our faith. (1Co.7:14) For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. Some object that God would be unrighteous to choose some and not others. We are too late for He has done just that. (Psa.147:19) He showeth his word unto Jacob, His statutes and his ordinances unto Israel. (20) He hath not dealt so with any nation; And as for his ordinances, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord. God did not attempt to share His first covenant with any of the world but Israel. The New Testament He shares only with spiritual Israel. (Deu.7:6) For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God: The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. (7) The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples. God is not worried about multitudes, for He has chosen the least. He still only chooses little spiritual Israel on the narrow road. Abraham is the father of spiritual Israel, the Church: those who walk in the same gift of faith that Abraham walked in. (Gal.3:7) Know therefore that they that are of faith, the same are sons of Abraham. Paul told the Gentile church at Rome that the people of all nations who believe the promise were Abraham's children in (Rom.4:16) For this cause [it is] of faith, that [it may be] according to grace; to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law (natural Israel), but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (17) (as it is written, A father of many nations [the Gentiles] have I made thee)… True, spiritual Israel believes the promises even now. (Rom.9:6)… For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel: (7) neither, because they are Abraham's seed (naturally or physically), are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. (8) That is, it is not the children of the flesh (natural Israel) that are children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed. Those who believe the promises are born again children of the promises. These are Abraham's seed. A New Testament spiritual Jew is circumcised in heart, not flesh. (Rom.2:28) For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly (physical); neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: (29) but he is a Jew who is one inwardly (spiritual); and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter… Notice that a Jew now is not a physical Jew. A Jew now has the flesh cut off from his heart through the new birth. (Gal.6:15) For neither is circumcision (in the flesh) anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. (16) And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace [be] upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. The Israel of God are they who walk as new creatures. The unregenerate physical Jews who worship in synagogues are not Jews until they are born again through the New Testament. (Rev.2:9) I know thy tribulation, and thy poverty (but thou art rich), and the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews, and they art not, but are a synagogue of Satan (the same in Rev.3:9). We were not Jews but now are in Spirit. (Rom.9:25) As he saith also in Hosea, I will call that my people, which was not my people; And her beloved, that was not beloved. (26) And it shall be, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, There shall they be called sons of the living God. We were not His people but are now beloved sons of God. (Rom.9:27) And Isaiah crieth concerning Israel (natural or physical), If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved. A remnant of natural Israel will be born again mostly after the elect Gentiles have been saved. (Rom.11:25)… A hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. “In part” here means that the line between Gentiles and Jews is not a sharp demarcation. Neither was it in the book of Acts. Jews are even now being saved more than ever. This is a sign that we are nearing the end of the times of the Gentiles. Most of the physical Jews will come in after the Gentiles. We who sought not after God were given the gift of faith to be spiritual New Testament Israel when natural Israel turned her back on God. (Rom.10:20) And Isaiah is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I became manifest unto them that asked not of me. God revealed himself to the Church who on their own neither knew nor sought Him. (21) But as to Israel he saith, All the day long did I spread out my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. (Rom.11:7)…That which Israel (physical) seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election (chosen) obtained it, and the rest were hardened: (We see here that only the few chosen among the many called of Israel accepted Christ and the New Testament. The rest were reprobated.) (8) according as it is written, God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, unto this very day. In that day and in this, those who walk by faith are chosen from among the called to be the eternal people of the living God. Paul said “all Israel” is the physical Jews and Gentiles who are part of the olive tree by faith, not those who are broken off by unbelief (Rom.11:19-25). All have sinned and deserve destruction. Is God wrong for giving some mercy and grace and others justice? All deserve justice instead of unmerited favor.   Letter to a Prodigal Son Anonymous My Son, The Lord has chosen you as part of 3% of this world's population to be His own. I saw this in a vision I would like to tell you about. You are probably wondering, how could this be since I have been through hell? Hell is the best place to learn that you really want to live in heaven. I've loved you since you were a baby and I've known the Lord has too. Even your stubborn rebellion didn't change my mind or His. He has known you from before the foundation of the world. He has a special plan for your life that I would like to tell you about. You think, why would God love me since I have been so sinful? Jesus said, "Who loves much, he that has been forgiven of much or he that has been forgiven of little? Simon said, 'He that has been forgiven of much'". Jesus said that this answer is correct. Since you will be forgiven of much you are now capable now of loving Him the way He wants you to. You might ask, "If He loves me then why has he been so hard on me?" It is the devil who has been hard on you. He hates you and when he is through with you then you are like him, destroyed. God said, "His servants you are whom you obey". It's a simple matter to change Masters and Fathers. It happened to me when I was younger than you. I guess I wasn't quite as stubborn as you. :o) Once when you were younger you asked God to save you. You think He ignored you or forgot about that but He didn't. He was very glad and He took you very seriously but He also knew you were stubborn and would have to know the consequences of serving the devil before you would fear Him as your Father and serve Him. You are almost there. When you get there understand this about Him. He is seeking you and listening to you and if you make one step towards Him, He will be very happy to make ten towards you. You have His Word for that. Luke 15:1 Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him to hear him. 2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. (Jesus is now seeking you out where you are.) 3 And he spake unto them this parable, saying, 4 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? (He is after you to save you.) 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. (He will be very happy to receive you.) 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and his neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, [more] than over ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance. (Your heavenly Father and all of heaven will be happy at your turning to Him.) 8 Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. 11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of [thy] substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country; and there he wasted his substance with riotous living. (What God gave you as a child you have now wasted.) 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. (Now you are just feeding the flesh and the children of the god of this world, Satan.) 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. (Its a hard road and you are near total death.) 17 But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger! (You are starving for the bread of His kingdom, the Word of God.) 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: (Just tell Him that you have sinned and you are sorry) 19 I am no more worthy to be called your son: make me as one of thy hired servants. (Tell Him that you know you are not worthy of Him but you will serve Him with His help.) 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. (You are far from Him but He sees you when you make a step towards Him and He will run to you in love.) 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: (He will meet your needs for righteousness and authority.) 23 and bring the fatted calf, [and] kill it, and let us eat, and make merry: (He will feed you with the best.) 24 for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. (He will give you His life.) And they began to be merry. (...And He will be very happy; more so than over those who are serving him now.) 25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called to him one of the servants, and inquired what these things might be. 27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 28 But he was angry, and would not go in: and his father came out, and entreated him. 29 But he answered and said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, and I never transgressed a commandment of thine; and [yet] thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 30 but when this thy son came, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou killedst for him the fatted calf. 31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine. 32 But it was meet to make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive [again]; and [was] lost, and is found. Please think about this, son. Love, Dad

Ps 25 describes a man devoted to God & trusting in Him, but also aware of his faults & past sins, so his prayer is based on God's mercy, not his own performance. It's an Acrostic - each verse starts with the next letter of the alphabet, a literary device to add form & aid memorisation. Many elements fit with the time of Absalom's rebellion. His reference to the sins of his youth (v7) shows it's set later in his life. David is in distress, on the run from his enemies, but also aware his sins opened the door to this rebellion, as Nathan predicted in 2Sam 12:11. So, seeking divine deliverance from enemies is a major theme (v2,3,15,16,17,18,19). He acknowledges the root of his troubles was his own sins (when we sin, we turn our back to God & open the door to the curse). So, asking for God's mercy & forgiveness is also a major theme (v6,7,11.18). Thus, it's called a Penitential Psalm. So, he declares his faith that: “You are the God of my salvation” (v5) from both sin & enemies. Likewise, God saves us from our sins (the root problem) & rescues us from our enemies (the resulting curse). Part 1 is a PRAYER (v1-7). “Unto You, O LORD, I LIFT UP my SOUL” (v1). Like a windsurfer trying to catch the wind, we need to lift up our earthbound soul to God (Isa 40:31), seeking fellowship with Him. We need to put aside everything else and direct our soul toward God in faith, looking & waiting on Him, in submission, ready to receive His life. Then he prays for DELIVERANCE from his enemies (v2-3). Thus, he starts with his outer life. Even if we are at peace we should pray into our future: “Deliver us from evil” (Matt 6:13). “O my God, I TRUST (take refuge) in You; let me not be ASHAMED; let not my enemies triumph over me.” He bases his prayer on his covenant with God. By faith he draws near to God and lays hold of His protection. 'Ashamed' means to be disappointed, to trust in something that proves unworthy (Rom 5:5, 10:11, Isa 49:23). This is a prayer for public vindication thru victory, which will also result in God's glory. “Indeed, let no one who WAITS on You be ASHAMED” (v3a), or better: “no one who WAITS on You (in faith) will be ASHAMED” (v3a). He is confident of this fact. To WAIT is to actively look to God & wait for His instructions, ready to obey, like a waiter. It's an attitude of submission to God's timing, leadership & wisdom, rather than rushing ahead in the flesh. This is how he responded to Absalom's rebellion. “Let those be ASHAMED, who deal treacherously without cause” (v3b). This describes his enemies who followed Absalom in his lies & treachery. Then he moves from praying for his outward life to his inner life by first praying for GUIDANCE (v4-5), for he understood outward victory & good circumstances require walking with God, as he did at the time of Absalom's rebellion (prayer is superficial if all we pray for is our outer life): “Show me Your WAYS, O Lord; teach me Your PATHS” (v4). God's WAYS are love, righteousness, service, integrity, faith, and His PATHS include their practical application in our lives. Receiving His guidance is not enough, for he also knows he needs God to lead him step by step along His path: “LEAD me in Your truth and TEACH me, for You are the God of my salvation (from my sin & enemies). On You I WAIT all the day (patience in waiting, his settled attitude)” (v5). Guidance is part of our personal walk with God. It's of the heart, not mechanical obeying of rules, a lifestyle of waiting & obeying. Then he prays for MERCY: “REMEMBER, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses (chesed), for they are from of old (eternity)” (v6). To remember is to bring certain thoughts to the forefront of one's mind as a basis for our attitude & actions. It is used as a covenant word, as in remembering our covenant with God (1Cor 11:24-25), and God remembering us in His covenant love (Lk 23:42). He grounds His prayer on divine mercy, not justice (Ex 34:6). “Do NOT REMEMBER the sins of my youth (Bathsheba), nor my transgressions; according to Your MERCY REMEMBER me, for Your GOODNESS' sake, O Lord” (v7). "Don't let your attitude & actions toward me be based on my sins, but on your covenant love for me. Don't just forgive my sins, forget them." He knows he's forgiven (2Sam 12:13, Ps 32, 51), but his troubles reminded him of his past sins, that led to this situation, causing him to turn to God in humility and reaffirm before God his full repentance, and in faith plead for & claim God's covenant promises of forgiveness (MERCY) & grace (GOODNESS) to overcome the effect of those sins. This was also needed as the situation would have triggered accusing thoughts of condemnation, encouraged by satan (this whole attack on David's Throne was part of a bigger spiritual warfare, where satan tried to stop God's purposes thru him), that would have paralysed his faith had he allowed them. So, it was necessary for him to bring these thoughts to God in prayer, claiming His covenant mercy & grace.

Ps 25 describes a man devoted to God & trusting in Him, but also aware of his faults & past sins, so his prayer is based on God's mercy, not his own performance. It's an Acrostic - each verse starts with the next letter of the alphabet, a literary device to add form & aid memorisation. Many elements fit with the time of Absalom's rebellion. His reference to the sins of his youth (v7) shows it's set later in his life. David is in distress, on the run from his enemies, but also aware his sins opened the door to this rebellion, as Nathan predicted in 2Sam 12:11. So, seeking divine deliverance from enemies is a major theme (v2,3,15,16,17,18,19). He acknowledges the root of his troubles was his own sins (when we sin, we turn our back to God & open the door to the curse). So, asking for God's mercy & forgiveness is also a major theme (v6,7,11.18). Thus, it's called a Penitential Psalm. So, he declares his faith that: “You are the God of my salvation” (v5) from both sin & enemies. Likewise, God saves us from our sins (the root problem) & rescues us from our enemies (the resulting curse). Part 1 is a PRAYER (v1-7). “Unto You, O LORD, I LIFT UP my SOUL” (v1). Like a windsurfer trying to catch the wind, we need to lift up our earthbound soul to God (Isa 40:31), seeking fellowship with Him. We need to put aside everything else and direct our soul toward God in faith, looking & waiting on Him, in submission, ready to receive His life. Then he prays for DELIVERANCE from his enemies (v2-3). Thus, he starts with his outer life. Even if we are at peace we should pray into our future: “Deliver us from evil” (Matt 6:13). “O my God, I TRUST (take refuge) in You; let me not be ASHAMED; let not my enemies triumph over me.” He bases his prayer on his covenant with God. By faith he draws near to God and lays hold of His protection. 'Ashamed' means to be disappointed, to trust in something that proves unworthy (Rom 5:5, 10:11, Isa 49:23). This is a prayer for public vindication thru victory, which will also result in God's glory. “Indeed, let no one who WAITS on You be ASHAMED” (v3a), or better: “no one who WAITS on You (in faith) will be ASHAMED” (v3a). He is confident of this fact. To WAIT is to actively look to God & wait for His instructions, ready to obey, like a waiter. It's an attitude of submission to God's timing, leadership & wisdom, rather than rushing ahead in the flesh. This is how he responded to Absalom's rebellion. “Let those be ASHAMED, who deal treacherously without cause” (v3b). This describes his enemies who followed Absalom in his lies & treachery. Then he moves from praying for his outward life to his inner life by first praying for GUIDANCE (v4-5), for he understood outward victory & good circumstances require walking with God, as he did at the time of Absalom's rebellion (prayer is superficial if all we pray for is our outer life): “Show me Your WAYS, O Lord; teach me Your PATHS” (v4). God's WAYS are love, righteousness, service, integrity, faith, and His PATHS include their practical application in our lives. Receiving His guidance is not enough, for he also knows he needs God to lead him step by step along His path: “LEAD me in Your truth and TEACH me, for You are the God of my salvation (from my sin & enemies). On You I WAIT all the day (patience in waiting, his settled attitude)” (v5). Guidance is part of our personal walk with God. It's of the heart, not mechanical obeying of rules, a lifestyle of waiting & obeying. Then he prays for MERCY: “REMEMBER, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses (chesed), for they are from of old (eternity)” (v6). To remember is to bring certain thoughts to the forefront of one's mind as a basis for our attitude & actions. It is used as a covenant word, as in remembering our covenant with God (1Cor 11:24-25), and God remembering us in His covenant love (Lk 23:42). He grounds His prayer on divine mercy, not justice (Ex 34:6). “Do NOT REMEMBER the sins of my youth (Bathsheba), nor my transgressions; according to Your MERCY REMEMBER me, for Your GOODNESS' sake, O Lord” (v7). "Don't let your attitude & actions toward me be based on my sins, but on your covenant love for me. Don't just forgive my sins, forget them." He knows he's forgiven (2Sam 12:13, Ps 32, 51), but his troubles reminded him of his past sins, that led to this situation, causing him to turn to God in humility and reaffirm before God his full repentance, and in faith plead for & claim God's covenant promises of forgiveness (MERCY) & grace (GOODNESS) to overcome the effect of those sins. This was also needed as the situation would have triggered accusing thoughts of condemnation, encouraged by satan (this whole attack on David's Throne was part of a bigger spiritual warfare, where satan tried to stop God's purposes thru him), that would have paralysed his faith had he allowed them. So, it was necessary for him to bring these thoughts to God in prayer, claiming His covenant mercy & grace.

     The Bible addresses the reality of angels, Satan, and demons. All angels were created holy, but because they have volition, some rebelled against God and defied His will. Holy angels are spirit beings created by God to serve Him and minister to believers (Matt 16:27; 26:53; 1 Tim 5:21; Heb 1:14). They are sometimes depicted as messengers carrying out God's will (Dan 9:20-22; 10:1-21), such as when Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus (Luke 1:26-38). Lucifer, an angel of the class of cherubim, was created perfect, but became Satan at the time of his rebellion against God (Isa 14:12-15; Ezek 28:12-17). Satan convinced a third of the angels to follow him in his rebellion (Rev 12:4, 7), and his kingdom of darkness was expanded to include the earth when he persuaded Adam and Eve to follow him rather than God (Gen 3:1-8). At the time of the fall, the first humans—God's theocratic administrators (Gen 1:26-28)—gave Satan the title deed to the earth (Luke 4:6). This explains why Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Other passages of Scripture call Satan “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), and “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), informing us “that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). But Satan is no benevolent dictator. Scripture reveals he rules as a tyrant who has “weakened the nations” (Isa 14:12), and currently “deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9; cf. Rev 20:3). Satan and his angels will inevitably be assigned to the Lake of Fire (Matt 25:41; Rev 20:10).      Angels, both good and evil, influence the world around us. God used angels to protect His prophet Elisha (2 Ki 6:8-17), to destroy an Assyrian army (2 Ki 19:35), and to protect the baby Jesus from Herod the Great (Matt 2:13). Evil spirits were used to discipline King Saul (1 Sam 16:14-16), to influence King Ahab through his false prophets (1 Ki 22:19-23), and will be used in the future to control human kings who defy the Lord (Rev 16:13-14). Today, evil spirits influence politics, marriage, family, education, judicial systems, economics, entertainment, and society as a whole, promoting injustice, corruption, or opposition to God and His Word. Scripture reveals that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12). While believers are not called to fear such forces, we are encouraged to stand firm through prayer, the armor of God, and reliance on the Holy Spirit (Eph 6:13-18). Dr. Steven R. Cook   --

     Because of sin and death, everyone is separated from God and powerless to save themselves (Rom 3:10, 23). We are sinners in Adam (Rom 5:12; 1 Cor 15:21-22), sinners by nature (Rom 7:14-25; 13:12-14), and sinners by choice (Isa 59:2; Jam 1:14-15). Furthermore, we are helpless to solve the sin problem and save ourselves (Rom 5:6-10; Eph 2:1-3). Good works have no saving merit before God (Isa 64:6; Rom 4:1-5; Gal 2:16, 21; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). We cannot save ourselves any more than we can jump across the Grand Canyon or throw rocks and hit the moon. But God made a way for sinful people to be reconciled to Himself, and that's where the gospel comes in.      The gospel is the good news that God provided a solution to the problem of sin, and that solution is the cross of Christ (1 Cor 1:18). God the Son—the second Person of the Trinity—came into the world by human birth (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35; John 1:1, 14; Col 2:9), lived a perfectly righteous life (Matt 5:17-18), and willingly died in our place and bore the punishment for our sins. Jesus lived the righteous life that God demands and committed no sin (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5), and He died for us on the cross and paid the penalty for all our sins (Isa 53:1-12; Mark 10:45; Rom 5:8; 1 Cor 15:3-4; 1 John 2:2). Peter informs us that Jesus died in our place, “the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). The cross is God's righteous solution to the problem of sin, as well as His greatest display of love toward sinners. At the cross, God judged our sin as His righteousness required, and pardons the sinner as His love desires. To understand the cross of Christ is to understand the heart of God toward a fallen world He wants to save. In order for us to be reconciled to God, we must simply trust in Jesus as our Savior (John 3:16; 20:30-31; Acts 4:12; 16:30-31). The gospel message is that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4). When we trust in Christ as our Savior, we are forgiven all our sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14), given eternal life (John 3:16; 10:27-28), and receive the righteousness of God as a free gift (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). Dr. Steven R. Cook   -

The celebration of the pagan festival of Halloween is now a multi-billion dollar merchandiser's market. Fifty percent of Americans will decorate for Halloween (compared to over 80% for Christmas). It is now the third most popular party activity, after the Superbowl and New Year's Eve. This is always a difficult time for Christians, especially those with children. It is also a dangerous time for some, since many of the seemingly "harmless" involvements associated with Halloween can also be "entries" for the occult, and can prove very tragic for the unwary. There is only one true God (Isa 44:6, 8: 46:9). Thus, only one true religion. Scripture declares "all gods of the nations are idols" (Ps 96:5). All false religion and idolatry is by definition involved in demon worship - whether or not the participants recognize it (Acts 26:18). Hence Paul's concern. The spiritual power and reality behind idols involves demons (I Cor 10:20, Ps 106:37). The Bible tells us to shun occultic practices. This series will help you understand the Pagan background to the modern Halloween traditions practiced today. Originally Recorded 1996 First Video Release: 2022 © Koinonia House Inc. 2022

Comparing the Hebrew of Isaiah 9.6 to most popular English translations results in some serious questions. Why have our translations changed the tense of the verbs from past to future? Why is this child called “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father”? In this presentation I work through Isaiah 9.6 line by line to help you understand the Hebrew. Next I look at interpretive options for the child as well as his complicated name. Not only will this presentation strengthen your understanding of Isaiah 9.6, but it will also equip you to explain it to others. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— See my other articles here Check out my class: One God Over All Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean’s bio here Below is the paper presented on October 18, 2024 in Little Rock, Arkansas at the 4th annual UCA Conference. Access this paper on Academia.edu to get the pdf. Full text is below, including bibliography and end notes. Abstract Working through the grammar and syntax, I present the case that Isaiah 9:6 is the birth announcement of a historical child. After carefully analyzing the name given to the child and the major interpretive options, I make a case that the name is theophoric. Like the named children of Isaiah 7 and 8, the sign-child of Isaiah 9 prophecies what God, not the child, will do. Although I argue for Hezekiah as the original fulfillment, I also see Isaiah 9:6 as a messianic prophecy of the true and better Hezekiah through whom God will bring eternal deliverance and peace. Introduction Paul D. Wegner called Isaiah 9:6[1] “one of the most difficult problems in the study of the Old Testament.”[2] To get an initial handle on the complexities of this text, let's begin briefly by comparing the Hebrew to a typical translation. Isaiah 9:6 (BHS[3]) כִּי־יֶ֣לֶד יֻלַּד־לָ֗נוּ בֵּ֚ן נִתַּן־לָ֔נוּ וַתְּהִ֥י הַמִּשְׂרָ֖ה עַל־שִׁכְמ֑וֹ וַיִּקְרָ֨א שְׁמ֜וֹ פֶּ֠לֶא יוֹעֵץ֙ אֵ֣ל גִּבּ֔וֹר אֲבִיעַ֖ד שַׂר־שָׁלֽוֹם׃ Isaiah 9:6 (ESV) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Curiosities abound in the differences between these two. The first two clauses in English, “For to us a child is born” and “to us a son is given,” employ the present tense while the Hebrew uses the perfect tense, i.e. “to us a child has been born.”[4] This has a significant bearing on whether we take the prophecy as a statement about a child already born in Isaiah's time or someone yet to come (or both). The ESV renders the phrase,וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ  (vayikra sh'mo), as “and his name shall be called,” but the words literally mean “and he called his name” where the “he” is unspecified. This leaves room for the possibility of identifying the subject of the verb in the subsequent phrase, i.e. “And the wonderful counselor, the mighty God called his name…” as many Jewish translations take it.  Questions further abound regardingאֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor), which finds translations as disparate as the traditional “Mighty God”[5] to “divine warrior”[6] to “in battle God-like”[7] to “Mighty chief”[8] to “Godlike hero,”[9] to Luther's truncated “Held.”[10]  Another phrase that elicits a multiplicity of translations is אֲבִיעַד (aviad). Although most versions read “Eternal Father,”[11] others render the word, “Father-Forever,”[12] “Father for all time,”[13] “Father of perpetuity,”[14] “Father of the Eternal Age,”[15] and “Father of Future.”[16] Translators from a range of backgrounds struggle with these two phrases. Some refuse to translate them at all, preferring clunky transliterations.[17] Still, as I will show below, there's a better way forward. If we understand that the child had a theophoric name—a name that is not about him, but about God—our problems dissipate like morning fog before the rising sun. Taking the four pairs of words this way yields a two-part sentence name. As we'll see this last approach is not only the best contextual option, but it also allows us to take the Hebrew vocabulary, grammar, and syntax at face value, rather than succumbing to strained translations and interpretational gymnastics. In the end, we're left with a text literally rendered and hermeneutically robust. Called or Will Call His Name? Nearly all the major Christian versions translate וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra), “he has called,” as “he will be called.” This takes an active past tense verb as a passive future tense.[18] What is going on here? Since parents typically give names at birth or shortly thereafter, it wouldn't make sense to suggest the child was already born (as the beginning of Isa 9:6 clearly states), but then say he was not yet named. Additionally, וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra) is a vav-conversive plus imperfect construction that continues the same timing sequence of the preceding perfect tense verbs.[19] If the word were passive (niphal binyan) we would read וַיִּקָּרֵא (vayikarey) instead of וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra). Although some have suggested an emendation of the Masoretic vowels to make this change, Hugh Williamson notes, “there is no overriding need to prefer it.”[20] Translators may justify rendering the perfect tense as imperfect due to the idiom called a prophetic past tense (perfectum propheticum). Wilhelm Gesenius notes the possibility that a prophet “so transports himself in imagination into the future that he describes the future event as if it had been already seen or heard by him.”[21] Bruce Waltke recognizes the phenomenon, calling it an accidental perfective in which “a speaker vividly and dramatically represents a future situation both as complete and independent.”[22] Still, it's up to the interpreter to determine if Isaiah employs this idiom or not. The verbs of verse 6 seem quite clear: “a child has been born for us … and the government was on his shoulder … and he has called his name…” When Isaiah uttered this prophecy, the child had already been born and named and the government rested on his shoulders. This is the straightforward reading of the grammar and therefore should be our starting point.[23] Hezekiah as the Referent One of the generally accepted principles of hermeneutics is to first ask the question, “What did this text mean in its original context?” before asking, “What does this text mean to us today?” When we examine the immediate context of Isa 9:6, we move beyond the birth announcement of a child with an exalted name to a larger prophecy of breaking the yoke of an oppressor (v4) and the ushering in of a lasting peace for the throne of David (v7). Isaiah lived in a tumultuous time. He saw the northern kingdom—the nation of Israel—uprooted from her land and carried off by the powerful and cruel Assyrian Empire. He prophesied about a child whose birth had signaled the coming freedom God would bring from the yoke of Assyria. As Jewish interpreters have long pointed out, Hezekiah nicely fits this expectation.[24] In the shadow of this looming storm, Hezekiah became king and instituted major religious reforms,[25] removing idolatry and turning the people to Yahweh. The author of kings gave him high marks: “He trusted in Yahweh, the God of Israel. After him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah nor among those who were before him” (2 Kgs 18:5).[26] Then, during Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib sent a large army against Judea and laid siege to Jerusalem. Hezekiah appropriately responded to the threatening Assyrian army by tearing his clothes, covering himself with sackcloth, and entering the temple to pray (2 Kings 19:1). He sent word to Isaiah, requesting prayer for the dire situation. Ultimately God brought miraculous deliverance, killing 185,000 Assyrians, which precipitated a retreat. There had not been such an acute military deliverance since the destruction of Pharaoh's army in the sea. Indeed, Hezekiah's birth did signal God's coming deliverance. In opposition to Hezekiah as the referent for Isa 9:6, Christian interpreters have pointed out that Hezekiah did not fulfill this prophecy en toto. Specifically, Hezekiah did not usher in “an endless peace” with justice and righteousness “from this time onward and forevermore” (Isa. 9:7). But, as John Roberts points out, the problem only persists if we ignore prophetic hyperbole. Here's what he says: If Hezekiah was the new king idealized in this oracle, how could Isaiah claim he would reign forever? How could Isaiah so ignore Israel's long historical experience as to expect no new source of oppression would ever arise? The language, as is typical of royal ideology, is hyperbolic, and perhaps neither Isaiah nor his original audience would have pushed it to its limits, beyond its conventional frames of reference, but the language itself invites such exploitation. If one accepts God's providential direction of history, it is hard to complain about the exegetical development this exploitation produced.[27] Evangelical scholar Ben Witherington III likewise sees a reference to both Hezekiah and a future deliverer. He writes, “[T]he use of the deliberately hyperbolic language that the prophet knew would not be fulfilled in Hezekiah left open the door quite deliberately to look for an eschatological fulfillment later.”[28] Thus, even if Isaiah's prophecy had an original referent, it left the door open for a true and better Hezekiah, who would not just defeat Assyria, but all evil, and not just for a generation, but forever. For this reason, it makes sense to take a “both-and” approach to Isa 9:6. Who Called His Name? Before going on to consider the actual name given to the child, we must consider the subject of the word וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra), “and he called.” Jewish interpreters have and continue to take אֵל גִבּוֹר (el gibbor), “Mighty God,” as the subject of this verb. Here are a few examples of this rendering: Targum Jonathan (2nd century) And his name has been called from before the One Who Causes Wonderful Counsel, God the Warrior, the Eternally Existing One—the Messiah who will increase peace upon us in his days.[29] Shlomo Yitzchaki (11th century) The Holy One, blessed be He, Who gives wondrous counsel, is a mighty God and an everlasting Father, called Hezekiah's name, “the prince of peace,” since peace and truth will be in his days.[30] Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi (16th century) “For a child is born to us.” A son will be born and this is Hezekiah. Though Ahaz is an evildoer, his son Hezekiah will be a righteous king. He will be strong in his service of the Holy One. He will study Torah and the Holy One will call him, “eternal father, peaceful ruler.” In his days there will be peace and truth.[31] The Stone Edition of the Tanach (20th century) The Wondrous Adviser, Mighty God, Eternal Father, called his name Sar-shalom [Prince of Peace][32] Although sometimes Christian commentators blithely accuse Jewish scholars of avoiding the implications of calling the child “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father,” the grammar does allow multiple options here. The main question is whether Isaiah specified the subject of the verb וַיִקְרָ (vayikra) or not. If he has, then the subject must be אֵל גִבּוֹר (el gibbor). If he has not, then the subject must be indefinite (i.e. “he” or “one”). What's more, the Masoretic punctuation of the Hebrew suggests the translation, “and the Wonderful Adviser, the Mighty God called his name, ‘Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace'”[33] However, Keil and Delitzsch point out problems with this view on both grammatical and contextual grounds. They write: [I]t is impossible to conceive for what precise reason such a periphrastic description of God should be employed in connection with the naming of this child, as is not only altogether different from Isaiah's usual custom, but altogether unparalleled in itself, especially without the definite article. The names of God should at least have been defined thus, הַיּוֹעֵץ פֵּלֶא הַגִּבּוֹר, so as to distinguish them from the two names of the child.”[34] Thus, though the Masoretic markings favor the Jewish translation, the grammar doesn't favor taking “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God” as the subject. It's certainly not impossible, but it is a strained reading without parallels in Isaiah and without justification in the immediate context. Let's consider another possibility. His Name Has Been Called Instead of taking אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) as the subject, we can posit an indefinite subject for וַיִקְרָ (vayikra): “one has called.” Examples of this outside of Isaiah 9:6 include Gen 11:9; 25:26; Exod 15:23; and 2 Sam 2:16. The phenomenon appears in Gesenius (§144d) and Joüon and Muraoka (§155e), both of which include our text as examples. However, the translation “one has called his name” is awkward in English due to our lack of a generic pronoun like on in French or man in German. Accordingly, most translations employ the passive construction: “his name has been called,” omitting the subject.[35] This is apparently also how those who produced the Septuagint (LXX) took the Hebrew text, employing a passive rather than an active verb.[36] In conclusion, the translation “his name has been called” works best in English. Mighty Hero Now we broach the question of how to render אֵל גִּבּוֹר el gibbor. As I've already noted, a few translations prefer “mighty hero.” But this reading is problematic since it takes the two words in reverse order. Although in English we typically put an adjective before the noun it modifies, in Hebrew the noun comes first and then any adjectives that act upon it. Taking the phrase as אֵל גִּבּוֹר (gibbor el) makes “mighty” the noun and “God” the adjective. Now since the inner meaning of אֵל (el) is “strong” or “mighty,” and גִּבּוֹר gibbor means “warrior” or “hero,” we can see how translators end up with “mighty warrior” or “divine hero.” Robert Alter offers the following explanation: The most challenging epithet in this sequence is ‘el gibor [sic], which appears to say “warrior-god.” The prophet would be violating all biblical usage if he called the Davidic king “God,” and that term is best construed here as some sort of intensifier. In fact, the two words could conceivably be a scribal reversal of gibor ‘el, in which case the second word would clearly function as a suffix of intensification as it occasionally does elsewhere in the Bible.[37] Please note that Alter's motive for reversing the two words is that the text, as it stands, would violate all biblical usage by calling the Davidic king “God.” But Alter is incorrect. We have another biblical usage calling the Davidic king “God” in Psalm 45:6. We must allow the text to determine interpretation. Changing translation for the sake of theology is allowing the tail to wag the dog. Another reason to doubt “divine warrior” as a translation is that “Wherever ʾēl gibbôr occurs elsewhere in the Bible there is no doubt that the term refers to God (10:21; cf. also Deut. 10:17; Jer. 32:18),” notes John Oswalt.[38] Keil and Delitzsch likewise see Isa 10:21 as the rock upon which these translations suffer shipwreck.[39] “A remnant will return,” says Isa 10:21, “the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.” The previous verse makes it clear that “mighty God” refers to none other than “Yahweh, the holy one of Israel.” Without counter examples elsewhere in the Bible, we lack the basis to defy the traditional ordering of “God” as the noun and “mighty” or “warrior” as the adjective.[40] Mighty God-Man Did Isaiah foresee a human child who would also be the mighty God? Did he suddenly get “a glimpse of the fact that in the fullness of the Godhead there is a plurality of Persons,” as Edward Young thought?[41] Although apologists seeking to prove the deity of Christ routinely push for this reading, other evangelical scholars have expressed doubts about such a bold interpretation.[42] Even Keil and Delitzsch, after zealously batting away Jewish alternatives, admit Isaiah's language would not have suggested an incarnate deity in its original context.[43] Still, it would not be anachronistic to regard a king as a deity in the context of the ancient Near East. We find such exalted language in parallels from Egypt and Assyria in their accession oracles (proclamations given at the time a new king ascends the throne). Taking their cue from the Egyptian practices of bestowing divine throne names upon the Pharaoh's accession to the throne, G. von Rad and A. Alt envisioned a similar practice in Jerusalem. Although quite influential, Wegner has pointed out several major problems with this way of looking at our text: (1) the announcement is to the people in Isa 9:6, not the king; (2) Isa 9:6 does not use adoption language nor call the child God's son; (3) יֶלֶד (yeled), “child,” is never used in accession oracles; (4) the Egyptian parallels have five titles not four as in Isa 9:6; (5) Egyptians employ a different structure for accession oracles than Isa 9:6; and (6) we have no evidence elsewhere that Judean kings imitated the Egyptian custom of bestowing divine titles.[44] Another possibility, argued by R. A. Carlson, is to see the names as anti-Assyrian polemic.[45] Keeping in mind that Assyria was constantly threatening Judah in the lifetime of Isaiah and that the child born was to signal deliverance, it would be no surprise that Isaiah would cast the child as a deliberate counter-Assyrian hero. Still, as Oswalt points out, “[T]he Hebrews did not believe this [that their kings were gods]. They denied that the king was anything more than the representative of God.”[46] Owing to a lack of parallels within Israel and Isaiah's own penchant for strict monotheism,[47] interpreting Isa 9:6 as presenting a God-man is ad hoc at best and outright eisegesis at worst. Furthermore, as I've already noted, the grammar of the passage indicates a historical child who was already born. Thus, if Isaiah meant to teach the deity of the child, we'd have two God-men: Hezekiah and Jesus. Far from a courtly scene of coronation, Wegner makes the case that our text is really a birth announcement in form. Birth announcements have (1) a declaration of the birth, (2) an announcement of the child's name, (3) an explanation of what the name means, and (4) a further prophecy about the child's future.[48] These elements are all present in Isa 9:6, making it a much better candidate for a birth announcement than an accession or coronation oracle. As a result, we should not expect divine titles given to the king like when the Pharaohs or Assyrian kings ascended the throne; instead, we ought to look for names that somehow relate to the child's career. We will delve more into this when we broach the topic of theophoric names. Mighty God's Agent Another possibility is to retain the traditional translation of “mighty God” and see the child as God's agent who bears the title. In fact, the Bible calls Moses[49] and the judges[50] of Israel אֱלֹהִים (elohim), “god(s),” due to their role in representing God. Likewise, as I've already mentioned, the court poet called the Davidic King “god” in Ps 45:6. Additionally, the word אֵל (el), “god,” refers to representatives of Yahweh whether divine (Ps 82:1, 6) or human (John 10.34ff).[51] Thus, Isa 9:6 could be another case in which a deputized human acting as God's agent is referred to as God. The NET nicely explains: [H]aving read the NT, we might in retrospect interpret this title as indicating the coming king's deity, but it is unlikely that Isaiah or his audience would have understood the title in such a bold way. Ps 45:6 addresses the Davidic king as “God” because he ruled and fought as God's representative on earth. …When the king's enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself.[52] Raymond Brown admits that this “may have been looked on simply as a royal title.”[53] Likewise Williamson sees this possibility as “perfectly acceptable,” though he prefers the theophoric approach.[54] Even the incarnation-affirming Keil and Delitzsch recognize that calling the child אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) is “nothing further…than this, that the Messiah would be the image of God as no other man ever had been (cf., El, Ps. 82:1), and that He would have God dwelling within Him (cf., Jer. 33:16).”[55] Edward L. Curtis similarly points out that had Isaiah meant to teach that the child would be an incarnation of Yahweh, he would have “further unfolded and made central this thought” throughout his book.[56] He likewise sees Isa 9:6 not as teaching “the incarnation of a deity” but as a case “not foreign to Hebrew usage to apply divine names to men of exalted position,” citing Exod 21:6 and Ps 82:6 as parallels.[57] Notwithstanding the lexical and scholarly support for this view, not to mention my own previous position[58] on Isa 9:6, I'm no longer convinced that this is the best explanation. It's certainly possible to call people “Gods” because they are his agents, but it is also rare. We'll come to my current view shortly, but for now, let's approach the second controversial title. Eternal Father The word אֲבִיעַד (aviad), “Eternal Father,” is another recognizable appellative for Yahweh. As I mentioned in the introduction, translators have occasionally watered down the phrase, unwilling to accept that a human could receive such a title. But humans who pioneer an activity or invent something new are fathers.[59] Walking in someone's footsteps is metaphorically recognizing him as one's father.[60] Caring for others like a father is yet another way to think about it.[61] Perhaps the child is a father in one of these figurative senses. If we follow Jerome and translate אֲבִיעַד (aviad) as Pater futuri saeculi, “Father of the future age,” we can reconfigure the title, “Eternal Father,” from eternal without beginning to eternal with a beginning but without an end. However, notes Williamson, “There is no parallel to calling the king ‘Father,' rather the king is more usually designated as God's son.”[62] Although we find Yahweh referred to as “Father” twice in Isaiah (Isa 63:16; 64:7), and several more times throughout the Old Testament,[63] the Messiah is not so called. Even in the New Testament we don't see the title applied to Jesus. Although not impossible to be taken as Jesus's fatherly role to play in the age to come, the most natural way to take אֲבִיעַד (aviad) is as a reference to Yahweh. In conclusion, both “mighty God” and “eternal Father” most naturally refer to Yahweh and not the child. If this is so, why is the child named with such divine designations? A Theophoric Name Finally, we are ready to consider the solution to our translation and interpretation woes. Israelites were fond of naming their kids with theophoric names (names that “carry God”). William Holladay explains: Israelite personal names were in general of two sorts. Some of them were descriptive names… But most Israelite personal names were theophoric; that is, they involve a name or title or designation of God, with a verb or adjective or noun which expresses a theological affirmation. Thus “Hezekiah” is a name which means “Yah (= Yahweh) is my strength,” and “Isaiah” is a name which means “Yah (= Yahweh) has brought salvation.” It is obvious that Isaiah is not called “Yahweh”; he bears a name which says something about Yahweh.[64] As Holladay demonstrates, when translating a theophoric name, it is customary to supplement the literal phrase with the verb, “to be.” Hezekiah = “Yah (is) my strength”; Isaiah = “Yah (is) salvation.” Similarly, Elijah means “My God (is) Yah” and Eliab, “My God (is the) Father.” Theophoric names are not about the child; they are about the God of the parents. When we imagine Elijah's mother calling him for dinner, she's literally saying “My God (is) Yah(weh), it's time for dinner.” The child's name served to remind her who her God was. Similarly, these other names spoke of God's strength, salvation, and fatherhood. To interpret the named child of Isa 9:6 correctly, we must look at the previously named children in Isa 7 and 8. In chapter 7 the boy is called “Immanuel,” meaning “God (is) with us” (Isa 7:14). This was a historical child who signaled prophecy. Isaiah said, “For before the boy knows to reject evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be abandoned” (Isa 7:16). In Isa 8:1 we encounter “Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz,” or “The spoil speeds, the prey hastens.”[65] This child has a two-sentence name with an attached prophecy: “For before the boy calls, ‘my father' or ‘my mother,' the strength of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off before the king of Assyria” (Isa 8:4). Both children's sign names did not describe them nor what they would do, but what God would do for his people. Immanuel is a statement of faith. The name means God has not abandoned his people; they can confidently say, “God is with us” (Isa 8:10). Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz does not mean that the child would become a warrior to sack Damascus and seize her spoils, but that God would bring about the despoiling of Judah's enemy. When we encounter a third sign-named child in as many chapters, we are on solid contextual grounds to see this new, longer name in the same light. Isaiah prophecies that this child has the government upon his shoulder, sits on the throne of David, and will establish a lasting period of justice and righteousness (Isa 9:5, 7). This child bears the name “Pele-Yoets-El-Gibbor-Aviad-Sar-Shalom.” The name describes his parents' God, the mighty God, the eternal Father. Although this perspective has not yet won the day, it is well attested in a surprising breadth of resources. Already in 1867, Samuel David Luzzatto put forward this position.[66] The Jewish Publication Society concurred in their 2014 study Bible: Semitic names often consist of sentences that describe God … These names do not describe that person who holds them but the god whom the parents worship. Similarly, the name given to the child in this v. does not describe that child or attribute divinity to him, but describes God's actions.[67] The New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV) footnote on Isa. 9:6 says, “As in many Israelite personal names, the deity, not the person named, is being described.”[68] Additional scholars advocating the view also include Holladay (1978), Wegner (1992), Goldingay (1999, 2015), and Williamson (2018). Even so, Keil and Delitzsch eschew “such a sesquipedalian name,” calling it “unskillful,” and arguing that it would be impractical “to be uttered in one breath.”[69] But this is to take the idea too literally. No one is going to actually call the child by this name. John Goldingay helpfully explains: So he has that complicated name, “An-extraordinary-counselor-is-the-warrior-God, the-everlasting-Father-is-an-officer-for-well-being.” Like earlier names in Isaiah (God-is-with-us, Remains-Will-Return, Plunder-hurries-loot-rushes), the name is a sentence. None of these names are the person's everyday name—as when the New Testament says that Jesus will be called Immanuel, “God [is] with us,” without meaning this expression is Jesus' name. Rather, the person somehow stands for whatever the “name” says. God gives him a sign of the truth of the expression attached to him. The names don't mean that the person is God with us, or is the remains, or is the plunder, and likewise this new name doesn't mean the child is what the name says. Rather he is a sign and guarantee of it. It's as if he goes around bearing a billboard with that message and with the reminder that God commissioned the billboard.[70] Still, there's the question of identifying Yahweh as שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם (sar shalom). Since most of our translations render the phrase “Prince of Peace,” and the common meaning of a prince is someone inferior to the king, we turn away from labeling God with this title. Although HALOT mentions “representative of the king, official” for the first definition their second is “person of note, commander.”[71] The BDB glosses “chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince” as their first entry.[72] Wegner adds: “The book of Isaiah also appears to use the word sar in the general sense of “ruler.””[73] Still, we must ask, is it reasonable to think of Yahweh as a שַׂר (sar)? We find the phrase שַׂר־הַצָּבָא (sar-hatsava), “prince of hosts,” in Daniel 8:11 and שַׂר־שָׂרִים (sar-sarim), “prince of princes,” in verse 25, where both refer to God.[74]  The UBS Translators' Handbook recommends “God, the chief of the heavenly army” for verse 11 and “the greatest of all kings” for verse 25.[75] The handbook discourages using “prince,” since “the English word ‘prince' does not mean the ruler himself but rather the son of the ruler, while the Hebrew term always designates a ruler, not at all implying son of a ruler.”[76] I suggest applying this same logic to Isa 9:6. Rather than translating שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם (sar shalom) as “Prince of Peace,” we can render it, “Ruler of Peace” or “Ruler who brings peace.” Translating the Name Sentences Now that I've laid out the case for the theophoric approach, let's consider translation possibilities. Wegner writes, “the whole name should be divided into two parallel units each containing one theophoric element.”[77] This makes sense considering the structure of Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which translates two parallel name sentences: “The spoil speeds, the prey hastens.” Here are a few options for translating the name. Jewish Publication Society (1917) Wonderful in counsel is God the Mighty, the Everlasting Father, the Ruler of peace[78] William Holladay (1978) Planner of wonders; God the war hero (is) Father forever; prince of well-being[79] New Jewish Publication Society (1985) The Mighty God is planning grace; The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler[80] John Goldingay (1999) One who plans a wonder is the warrior God; the father for ever is a commander who brings peace[81] John Goldingay (2015) An-extraordinary-counselor-is-the-warrior-God, the-everlasting-Fathers-is-an-official-for-well-being[82] Hugh Williamson (2018) A Wonderful Planner is the Mighty God, An Eternal Father is the Prince of Peace[83] My Translation (2024) The warrior God is a miraculous strategist; the eternal Father is the ruler who brings peace[84] I prefer to translate אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) as “warrior God” rather than “mighty God” because the context is martial, and  גִּבּוֹר(gibbor) often refers to those fighting in war.[85] “Mighty God” is ambiguous, and easily decontextualized from the setting of Isa 9:6. After all, Isa 9:4-5 tells a great victory “as on the day of Midian”—a victory so complete that they burn “all the boots of the tramping warriors” in the fire. The word פֶּלֶא (pele), though often translated “wonderful,” is actually the word for “miracle,” and יוֹעֵץ (yoets) is a participle meaning “adviser” or “planner.” Since the context is war, this “miracle of an adviser” or “miraculous planner” refers to military plans—what we call strategy, hence, “miraculous strategist.” Amazingly, the tactic God employed in the time of Hezekiah was to send out an angel during the night who “struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians” (Isa 37:36). This was evidently the warrior God's miraculous plan to remove the threat of Assyria from Jerusalem's doorstep. Prophecies about the coming day of God when he sends Jesus Christ—the true and better Hezekiah—likewise foretell of an even greater victory over the nations.[86] In fact, just two chapters later we find a messianic prophecy of one who will “strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked” (Isa 11:4). The next phrase, “The eternal Father,” needs little comment since God's eternality and fatherhood are both noncontroversial and multiply attested. Literally translated, שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם (sar-shalom) is “Ruler of peace,” but I take the word pair as a genitive of product.[87] Williamson unpacks this meaning as “the one who is able to initiate and maintain Peace.”[88] That his actions in the time of Hezekiah brought peace is a matter of history. After a huge portion of the Assyrian army died, King Sennacherib went back to Nineveh, where his sons murdered him (Isa 37:37-38). For decades, Judah continued to live in her homeland. Thus, this child's birth signaled the beginning of the end for Assyria. In fact, the empire itself eventually imploded, a fate that, at Hezekiah's birth, must have seemed utterly unthinkable. Of course, the ultimate peace God will bring through his Messiah will far outshine what Hezekiah achieved.[89] Conclusion We began by considering the phraseוַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ  (vayikra sh'mo). We noted that the tense is perfect, which justifies a past-tense interpretation of the child who had already been born by the time of the birth announcement. I presented the case for Hezekiah as the initial referent of Isa 9:6 based on the fact that Hezekiah’s life overlapped with Isaiah’s, that he sat on the throne of David (v7), and that his reign saw the miraculous deliverance from Assyria's army. Furthermore, I noted that identifying the child of Isa 9:6 as Hezekiah does not preclude a true and better one to come. Although Isa 9:6 does not show up in the New Testament, I agree with the majority of Christians who recognize this text as a messianic prophecy, especially when combined with verse 7. Next we puzzled over the subject for phraseוַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ  (vayikra sh'mo.) Two options are that the phrase פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ אֵל גִּבּוֹר (pele yoets el gibbor) functions as the subject or else the subject is indefinite. Although the Jewish interpreters overwhelmingly favor the former, the lack of definite articles and parallel constructions in Isaiah make me think the latter is more likely. Still, the Jewish approach to translation is a legitimate possibility. I explained how a passive voice makes sense in English since it hides the subject, and settled on “his name has been called,” as the best translation. Then we looked at the phrase אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) and considered the option of switching the order of the words and taking the first as the modifier of the second as in “mighty hero” or “divine warrior.” We explored the possibility that Isaiah was ascribing deity to the newborn child. We looked at the idea of Isaiah calling the boy “Mighty God” because he represented God. In the end we concluded that these all are less likely than taking God as the referent, especially in light of the identical phrase in Isa 10:21 where it unambiguously refers to Yahweh. Moving on to אֲבִיעַד (aviad), we considered the possibility that “father” could refer to someone who started something significant and “eternal” could merely designate a coming age. Once again, though these are both possible readings, they are strained and ad hoc, lacking any indication in the text to signal a non-straightforward reading. So, as with “Mighty God,” I also take “Eternal Father” as simple references to God and not the child. Finally, we explored the notion of theophoric names. Leaning on two mainstream Bible translations and five scholars, from Luzzatto to Williamson, we saw that this lesser-known approach is quite attractive. Not only does it take the grammar at face value, it also explains how a human being could be named “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father.” The name describes God and not the child who bears it. Lastly, drawing on the work of the Jewish Publication Society, Goldingay, and Williamson, I proposed the translation: “The warrior God is a miraculous strategist; the eternal Father is the ruler who brings peace.” This rendering preserves the martial context of Isa 9:6 and glosses each word according to its most common definition. I added in the verb “is” twice as is customary when translating theophoric names. The result is a translation that recognizes God as the focus and not the child. This fits best in the immediate context, assuming Hezekiah is the original referent. After all, his greatest moment was not charging out ahead of a column of soldiers, but his entering the house of Yahweh and praying for salvation. God took care of everything else. Likewise, the ultimate Son of David will have God's spirit influencing him: a spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of God (Isa 11:2). The eternal Father will so direct his anointed that he will “not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear” (Isa 11:3). In his days God will bring about a shalom so deep that even the animals will become peaceful (Isa 11:6-8). An advantage of this reading of Isa 9:6 is that it is compatible with the full range of christological positions Christians hold. Secondly, this approach nicely fits with the original meaning in Isaiah’s day, and it works for the prophecy’s ultimate referent in Christ Jesus. Additionally, it is the interpretation with the least amount of special pleading. Finally, it puts everything into the correct order, allowing exegesis to drive theology rather than the other way around. Bibliography Kohlenberger/Mounce Concise Hebrew-Aramaic Dictionary of the Old Testament. Altamonte Springs: OakTree Software, 2012. The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text: A New Translation. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1917. The Jewish Study Bible. Edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler. Second ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014. Net Bible, Full Notes Edition. Edited by W. Hall Harris III James Davis, and Michael H. Burer. 2nd ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2019. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Edited by Carol A. Newsom Marc Z. Brettler, Pheme Perkins. Third ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. The Stone Edition of the Tanach. Edited by Nosson Scherman and Meir Zlotowitz. Brooklyn, NY: Artscroll, 1996. Tanakh, the Holy Scriptures: The New Jps Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. 4th, Reprint. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1985. Translation of Targum Onkelos and Jonathan. Translated by Eidon Clem. Altamonte Springs, FL: OakTree Software, 2015. Alter, Rober. The Hebrew Bible: Prophets, Nevi’im. Vol. 2. 3 vols. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2019. Ashkenazi, Jacob ben Isaac. Tze’enah Ure’enah: A Critical Translation into English. Translated by Morris M. Faierstein. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2017. https://www.sefaria.org/Tze’enah_Ure’enah%2C_Haftarot%2C_Yitro.31?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. Baumgartner, Ludwig Koehler and Walter. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Edited by M. E. J. Richardson. Leiden: Brill, 2000. Brown, Raymond E. Jesus: God and Man, edited by 3. New York: Macmillan, 1967. Carlson, R. A. “The Anti-Assyrian Character of the Oracle in Is. Ix, 1-6.” Vetus Testamentum, no. 24 (1974): 130-5. Curtis, Edward L. “The Prophecy Concerning the Child of the Four Names: Isaiah Ix., 6, 7.” The Old and New Testament Student 11, no. 6 (1890): 336-41. Delitzsch, C. F. Keil and F. Commentary on the Old Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Finnegan, Sean. “Jesus Is God: Exploring the Notion of Representational Deity.” Paper presented at the One God Seminar, Seattle, WA, 2008, https://restitutio.org/2016/01/11/explanations-to-verses-commonly-used-to-teach-that-jesus-is-god/. Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Gesenius, Wilhelm. Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar. Edited by E. Kautzsch and A. E. Cowley. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910. Goldingay, John. “The Compound Name in Isaiah 9:5(6).” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 61, no. 2 (1999): 239-44. Goldingay, John. Isaiah for Everyone. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015. Holladay, William L. Isaiah: Scroll of Prophetic Heritage. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1978. III, Ben Witherington. Isaiah Old and New. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2017. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1ggjhbz.7. Luzzatto, Samuel David. Shi’ur Komah. Padua, IT: Antonio Bianchi, 1867. O’Connor, Bruce K. Waltke and Michael P. An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. Winona Lake, IN: Esenbrauns, 1990. Ogden, Graham S., and Jan Sterk. A Handbook on Isaiah. Ubs Translator's Handbooks. New York: United Bible Societies, 2011. Oswalt, John. The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1-39. Nicot. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1986. Péter-Contesse, René and John Ellington. A Handbook on Daniel. Ubs Translator’s Handbooks. New York, NY: United Bible Societies, 1993. Roberts, J. J. M. First Isaiah. Vol. 23A. Hermeneia, edited by Peter Machinist. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001. Thayer, Joseph Henry. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Walter Bauer, Frederick W. Danker, William F. Arndt, F. Wilbur Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Wegner, Paul D. “A Re-Examination of Isaiah Ix 1-6.” Vetus Testamentum 42, no. 1 (1992): 103-12. Williamson, H. G. M. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Isaiah 1-27. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary, edited by G. I. Davies and C. M. Tuckett. New York: Bloomsbury, 2018. Yitzchaki, Shlomo. Complete Tanach with Rashi. Translated by A. J. Rosenberg. Chicago, IL: Davka Corp, 1998. https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Isaiah.9.5.2?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. Young, Edward J. The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 1-18. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1965. End Notes [1] Throughout I'll refer to Isaiah 9:6 based on the versification used in English translations. Hebrew Bibles shift the count by one, so the same verse is Isaiah 9:5. [2] Paul D. Wegner, “A Re-Examination of Isaiah Ix 1-6,” Vetus Testamentum 42, no. 1 (1992): 103. [3] BHS is the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, the standard Hebrew text based on the Leningrad Codex, a medieval Masoretic text. [4] In Hebrew the perfect tense roughly maps onto English past tense and the imperfect tense to future tense. [5] See NRSVUE, ESV, NASB20, NIV, NET, LSB, NLT, NKJ, ASV, KJV. [6] See translations by Robert Alter, James Moffat, and Duncan Heaster.  Also see Westminster Commentary, Cambridge Bible Commentary, New Century Bible Commentary, and The Daily Study Bible. [7] See New English Bible. [8] See Ibn Ezra. [9] See An American Testament. [10] “Held” means “hero” in German. In the Luther Bible (1545), he translated the phrase as “und er heißt Wunderbar, Rat, Kraft, Held, Ewig -Vater, Friedefürst,” separating power (Kraft = El) and hero (Held = Gibbor) whereas in the 1912 revision we read, “er heißt Wunderbar, Rat, Held, Ewig-Vater Friedefürst,” which reduced el gibbor to “Held” (hero). [11] See fn 4 above. [12] See New American Bible Revised Edition and An American Testament. [13] See New English Bible and James Moffatt's translation. [14] See Ibn Ezra. [15] See Duncan Heaster's New European Version. [16] See Word Biblical Commentary. [17] See Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, the Koren Jerusalem Bible, and the Complete Jewish Bible. [18] In the Dead Sea Scrolls, 1QIsaa 8.24 reads “וקרא,” the vav-conversed form of “קרא,” translated “he will call,” an active future tense. This reading is implausible considering the unambiguous past tense of the two initial clauses that began verse 6: “a child has been born…a son has been given.” [19] “Here the Hebrew begins to use imperfect verb forms with the conjunction often rendered “and.” These verbs continue the tense of the perfect verb forms used in the previous lines. They refer to a state or situation that now exists, so they may be rendered with the present tense in English. Some translations continue to use a perfect tense here (so NJB, NJPSV, FRCL), which is better.” Graham S. Ogden, and Jan Sterk, A Handbook on Isaiah, Ubs Translator's Handbooks (New York: United Bible Societies, 2011). [20] H. G. M. Williamson, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Isaiah 1-27, vol. 2, International Critical Commentary, ed. G. I. Davies and C. M. Tuckett (New York: Bloomsbury, 2018), 371. [21] Wilhelm Gesenius, Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, ed. E. Kautzsch and A. E. Cowley, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910), §106n. [22] Bruce K. Waltke and Michael P. O’Connor, An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Winona Lake, IN: Esenbrauns, 1990), §30.5.1e. [23] John Goldingay takes a “both-and” position, recognizing that Isaiah was speaking by faith of what God would do in the future, but also seeing the birth of the son to the king as having already happened by the time of the prophecy. John Goldingay, Isaiah for Everyone (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015), 42. [24] Jewish authors include Rashi, A. E. Kimchi, Abravanel, Malbim, and Luzzatto. [25] See 2 Kings 18:3-7. [26] Unless otherwise noted, all translations are my own. [27] J. J. M. Roberts, First Isaiah, vol. 23A, Hermeneia, ed. Peter Machinist (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001), 153. [28] Ben Witherington III, Isaiah Old and New (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2017), 95-6, 99-100. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1ggjhbz.7. [29] Translation of Targum Onkelos and Jonathan, trans. Eidon Clem (Altamonte Springs, FL: OakTree Software, 2015). [30] Shlomo Yitzchaki, Complete Tanach with Rashi, trans. A. J. Rosenberg (Chicago, IL: Davka Corp, 1998). https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Isaiah.9.5.2?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. [31] Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi, Tze’enah Ure’enah: A Critical Translation into English, trans. Morris M. Faierstein (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2017). https://www.sefaria.org/Tze’enah_Ure’enah%2C_Haftarot%2C_Yitro.31?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. [32] Square brackets in original. The Stone Edition of the Tanach, ed. Nosson Scherman and Meir Zlotowitz (Brooklyn, NY: Artscroll, 1996). [33] Net Bible, Full Notes Edition, ed. W. Hall Harris III James Davis, and Michael H. Burer, 2nd ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2019), 1266. [34] C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 249-50. [35] As mentioned above, the Hebrew is not actually passive. [36] The LXX reads “καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ” (kai kaleitai to onoma autou), which means “and his name is called.” [37] Rober Alter, The Hebrew Bible: Prophets, Nevi’im, vol. 2, 3 vols. (New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2019), 651. [38] John Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1-39, Nicot (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1986), 247. [39] Delitzsch, 252. [40] The אֵלֵי גִבּוֹרִים (eley gibborim) of Ezek 32.21 although morphologically suggestive of a plural form of el gibbor, is not a suitable parallel to Isa 9:6 since אֵלֵי (eley) is the plural of אַיִל (ayil), meaning “chief” not אֵל (el). Thus, the translation “mighty chiefs” or “warrior rulers” takes eley as the noun and gibborim as the adjective and does not actually reverse them. [41] Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 1-18, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1965), 338. [42] Translator's note A on Isa 9:6 in the NET states, “[I]t is unlikely that Isaiah or his audience would have understood the title in such a bold way.” Net Bible, Full Notes Edition, 1267. [43] “The Messiah is the corporeal presence of this mighty God; for He is with Him, He is in Him, and in Him He is with Israel. The expression did not preclude the fact that the Messiah would be God and man in one person; but it did not penetrate to this depth, so far as the Old Testament consciousness was concerned.” Delitzsch, 253. [44] See Wegner 104-5. [45] See R. A. Carlson, “The Anti-Assyrian Character of the Oracle in Is. Ix, 1-6,” Vetus Testamentum, no. 24 (1974). [46] Oswalt, 246. [47] Isa 43:10-11; 44:6, 8; 45:5-6, 18, 21-22; 46:9. Deut 17:14-20 lays out the expectations for an Israelite king, many of which limit his power and restrict his exaltation, making deification untenable. [48] Wegner 108. [49] See Exod 4:16; 7:1. The word “God” can apply to “any person characterized by greatness or power: mighty one, great one, judge,” s.v. “אֱלֹהִים” in Kohlenberger/Mounce Concise Hebrew-Aramaic Dictionary of the Old Testament.. The BDAG concurs, adding that a God is “that which is nontranscendent but considered worthy of special reverence or respect… of humans θεοί (as אֱלֹהִים) J[ohn] 10:34f (Ps 81:6; humans are called θ. in the OT also Ex 7:1; 22:27,” s.v. “θεός” in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. [50] See Exod 21.6; 22:8-9. The BDB includes the definition, “rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power,” s.v. “אֱלֹהִים” in The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon [51] Thayer points this out in his lexicon: “Hebraistically, equivalent to God’s representative or vicegerent, of magistrates and judges, John 10:34f after Ps. 81:6 (Ps. 82:6)” s.v. “θέος” in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [52] Net Bible, Full Notes Edition, 1267. [53] Raymond E. Brown, Jesus: God and Man, ed. 3 (New York: Macmillan, 1967), 25. [54] Williamson, 397. [55] Delitzsch, 253. See also fn 40 above. [56] Edward L. Curtis, “The Prophecy Concerning the Child of the Four Names: Isaiah Ix., 6, 7,” The Old and New Testament Student 11, no. 6 (1890): 339. [57] Ibid. [58] Sean Finnegan, “Jesus Is God: Exploring the Notion of Representational Deity” (paper presented at the One God Seminar, Seattle, WA2008), https://restitutio.org/2016/01/11/explanations-to-verses-commonly-used-to-teach-that-jesus-is-god/. [59] Jabal was the father of those who live in tents and have livestock (Gen 4:20) and Jubal was the father of those who play the lyre and the pipe (Gen 4:21). [60] Jesus told his critics, “You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires” (John 8:44). [61] Job called himself “a father to the needy” (Job 29:16) and Isaiah prophesied that Eliakim would be “a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (Isa 22:21). [62] Williamson, 397. [63] For references to Yahweh as father to the people see Deut 32:6; Ps 103:13; Prov 3:12; Jer 3:4; 31.9; Mal 1.6; 2:10. For Yahweh as father to the messiah see 2 Sam 7:14; 1 Chron 7:13; 28:6; Ps 89:27. [64] William L. Holladay, Isaiah: Scroll of Prophetic Heritage (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1978), 108. [65] See NRSVUE fn on Isa 8:1. [66] והנה המכוון במאמר פלא יועץ וגו’ הוא כי האל הגבור שהוא אבי עד ואדון השלום, הוא יועץ וגוזר לעשות פלא לישראל בזמן ממלכת הילד הנולד היום, ואח”כ מפרש למרבה המשרה וגו’. ולפי הפירוש הזה לא לחנם האריך כאן בתארי האל, כי כוונת הנביא לרמוז כי בבוא הפלא שהאל יועץ וגוזר עתה, יוודע שהוא אל גבור ובעל היכולת ושהוא אב לעד, ולא יפר בריתו עם בניו בני ישראל, ולא ישכח את ברית אבותם. ושהוא אדון השלום ואוהב השלום, ולא יאהב העריצים אשר כל חפצם לנתוש ולנתוץ ולהאביד ולהרוס, אבל הוא משפילם עד עפר, ונותן שלום בארץ, כמו שראינו בכל הדורות. Chat GPT translation: “And behold, the intention in the phrase ‘Wonderful Counselor’ and so on is that the mighty God, who is the Eternal Father and the Prince of Peace, is the Counselor and decrees to perform a wonder for Israel at the time of the reign of the child born today. Afterwards, it is explained as ‘to increase the dominion’ and so on. According to this interpretation, it is not in vain that the prophet elaborates on the attributes of God here, for the prophet’s intention is to hint that when the wonder that God now advises and decrees comes about, it will be known that He is the Mighty God and possesses the ability and that He is the Eternal Father. He will not break His covenant with His sons, the children of Israel, nor forget the covenant of their ancestors. He is the Prince of Peace and loves peace, and He will not favor the oppressors whose every desire is to tear apart, destroy, and obliterate, but He will humble them to the dust and grant peace to the land, as we have seen throughout the generations.” Samuel David Luzzatto, Shi’ur Komah (Padua, IT: Antonio Bianchi, 1867). Accessible at Sefaria and the National Library of Israel. [67]The Jewish Study Bible, ed. Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, Second ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), 784. [68] The New Oxford Annotated Bible, ed. Carol A. Newsom Marc Z. Brettler, Pheme Perkins, Third ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001), 991. [69] Delitzsch, 249. [70] Goldingay, 42-3. [71] Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, ed. M. E. J. Richardson (Leiden: Brill, 2000). [72] See s.v. “שַׂר” in The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon [73] Wegner 112. [74] Keil and Delitzsch say the sar of Dan 8:11 refers to “the God of heaven and the King of Israel, the Prince of princes, as He is called in v. 25,” Delitzsch, 297. [75] René and John Ellington Péter-Contesse, A Handbook on Daniel, Ubs Translator’s Handbooks (New York, NY: United Bible Societies, 1993). [76] Ibid. [77] Wegner 110-1. [78] The main text transliterates “Pele-joez-el-gibbor-/Abi-ad-sar-shalom,” while the footnote translates as indicated above. The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text: A New Translation (Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1917), 575. [79] Holladay, 109. [80] Tanakh, the Holy Scriptures: The New Jps Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text (4th: repr., Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1985), 634. [81] John Goldingay, “The Compound Name in Isaiah 9:5(6),” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 61, no. 2 (1999): 243. [82] Goldingay, Isaiah for Everyone, 40. [83] Williamson, 355. [84] An alternative is “The warrior God is planning a miracle; the eternal Father is the ruler of peace.” [85] For גִּבּוֹר in a military context, see 1 Sam 17:51; 2 Sam 20.7; 2 Kgs 24:16; Isa 21.17; Jer 48:41; Eze 39:20; and Joel 2:7; 3:9. [86] See 2 Thess 2:8 and Rev 19:11-21 (cp. Dan 7:13-14). [87] See Gesenius § 128q, which describes a genitive of “statements of the purpose for which something is intended.” [88] Williamson, 401. [89] Isaiah tells of a time when God will “judge between nations,” resulting in the conversion of the weapons of war into the tools of agriculture and a lasting era when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more” (Isa 2:4).

The celebration of the pagan festival of Halloween is now a multi-billion dollar merchandiser's market. Fifty percent of Americans will decorate for Halloween (compared to over 80% for Christmas). It is now the third most popular party activity, after the Superbowl and New Year's Eve. This is always a difficult time for Christians, especially those with children. It is also a dangerous time for some, since many of the seemingly "harmless" involvements associated with Halloween can also be "entries" for the occult, and can prove very tragic for the unwary. There is only one true God (Isa 44:6, 8: 46:9). Thus, only one true religion. Scripture declares "all gods of the nations are idols" (Ps 96:5). All false religion and idolatry is by definition involved in demon worship - whether or not the participants recognize it (Acts 26:18). Hence Paul's concern. The spiritual power and reality behind idols involves demons (I Cor 10:20, Ps 106:37). The Bible tells us to shun occultic practices. This series will help you understand the Pagan background to the modern Halloween traditions practiced today. Originally Recorded 1996 First Video Release: 2022 © Koinonia House Inc. 2022

The celebration of the pagan festival of Halloween is now a multi-billion dollar merchandiser's market. Fifty percent of Americans will decorate for Halloween (compared to over 80% for Christmas). It is now the third most popular party activity, after the Superbowl and New Year's Eve. This is always a difficult time for Christians, especially those with children. It is also a dangerous time for some, since many of the seemingly "harmless" involvements associated with Halloween can also be "entries" for the occult, and can prove very tragic for the unwary. There is only one true God (Isa 44:6, 8: 46:9). Thus, only one true religion. Scripture declares "all gods of the nations are idols" (Ps 96:5). All false religion and idolatry is by definition involved in demon worship - whether or not the participants recognize it (Acts 26:18). Hence Paul's concern. The spiritual power and reality behind idols involves demons (I Cor 10:20, Ps 106:37). The Bible tells us to shun occultic practices. This series will help you understand the Pagan background to the modern Halloween traditions practiced today. Originally Recorded 1996 First Video Release: 2022 © Koinonia House Inc. 2022

The celebration of the pagan festival of Halloween is now a multi-billion dollar merchandiser's market. Fifty percent of Americans will decorate for Halloween (compared to over 80% for Christmas). It is now the third most popular party activity, after the Superbowl and New Year's Eve. This is always a difficult time for Christians, especially those with children. It is also a dangerous time for some, since many of the seemingly "harmless" involvements associated with Halloween can also be "entries" for the occult, and can prove very tragic for the unwary. There is only one true God (Isa 44:6, 8: 46:9). Thus, only one true religion. Scripture declares "all gods of the nations are idols" (Ps 96:5). All false religion and idolatry is by definition involved in demon worship - whether or not the participants recognize it (Acts 26:18). Hence Paul's concern. The spiritual power and reality behind idols involves demons (I Cor 10:20, Ps 106:37). The Bible tells us to shun occultic practices. This series will help you understand the Pagan background to the modern Halloween traditions practiced today. Originally Recorded 1996 First Video Release: 2022 © Koinonia House Inc. 2022

The celebration of the pagan festival of Halloween is now a multi-billion dollar merchandiser's market. Fifty percent of Americans will decorate for Halloween (compared to over 80% for Christmas). It is now the third most popular party activity, after the Superbowl and New Year's Eve. This is always a difficult time for Christians, especially those with children. It is also a dangerous time for some, since many of the seemingly "harmless" involvements associated with Halloween can also be "entries" for the occult, and can prove very tragic for the unwary. There is only one true God (Isa 44:6, 8: 46:9). Thus, only one true religion. Scripture declares "all gods of the nations are idols" (Ps 96:5). All false religion and idolatry is by definition involved in demon worship - whether or not the participants recognize it (Acts 26:18). Hence Paul's concern. The spiritual power and reality behind idols involves demons (I Cor 10:20, Ps 106:37). The Bible tells us to shun occultic practices. This series will help you understand the Pagan background to the modern Halloween traditions practiced today. Originally Recorded 1996 First Video Release: 2022 © Koinonia House Inc. 2022

The celebration of the pagan festival of Halloween is now a multi-billion dollar merchandiser's market. Fifty percent of Americans will decorate for Halloween (compared to over 80% for Christmas). It is now the third most popular party activity, after the Superbowl and New Year's Eve. This is always a difficult time for Christians, especially those with children. It is also a dangerous time for some, since many of the seemingly "harmless" involvements associated with Halloween can also be "entries" for the occult, and can prove very tragic for the unwary. There is only one true God (Isa 44:6, 8: 46:9). Thus, only one true religion. Scripture declares "all gods of the nations are idols" (Ps 96:5). All false religion and idolatry is by definition involved in demon worship - whether or not the participants recognize it (Acts 26:18). Hence Paul's concern. The spiritual power and reality behind idols involves demons (I Cor 10:20, Ps 106:37). The Bible tells us to shun occultic practices. This series will help you understand the Pagan background to the modern Halloween traditions practiced today. Originally Recorded 1996 First Video Release: 2022 © Koinonia House Inc. 2022

The basic thrust of Hebrews 12:12–17 is clearly exhortation. What is meant by  the word, exhortation? An exhortation is a communication intended to urge  or persuade the recipients to take some action. The words strengthen, make straight, pursue, and see to it are all terms of  exhortation. The purpose here is not to teach truth only but to encourage living  up to the truth. Teaching and exhortation are inseparable. Teaching sound doctrine that  is not applied is worthless, and exhortation that is not based on sound  doctrine is misleading. God's method for instruction is simple—explain  the spiritual principles and then illustrate and encourage the application  of them.1 It is one thing… ▪ to believe in the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture; but then you must  live under the authority of Scripture.  ▪ to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord; but then you must surrender to His  lordship over every area of your life. ▪ to believe God is omnipotent; but then you must trust Him when the going  gets tough.  Hebrews 12 begins with an exhortation. After a foundation of doctrine was  carefully laid and faith was carefully explained and defined and illustrated, the  1John F. MacArthur Jr., Hebrews, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983),  400.1 October 23, 2024 CFBC… Wednesday Night Study writer exhorted the Jewish recipients of this letter to “run the race that was set  before them.” ▪ It is not enough to know the New Covenant is better; we must accept it for  ourselves.  ▪ It is not enough to know that Christ is the superior and perfect High Priest;  we must trust in His atoning sacrifice for us.  ▪ It is not enough to know how we should live; we must actually live what we  know.2 The writer is saying, “On the basis that you should run the race that is set before  you and that your suffering may very well be an aspect of God's loving discipline  in your life, there are three exhortations you must implement in your life.” 1. ENDURANCE Hebrews 12:12–13… Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the  knees that are feeble, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.  In this passage the author of Hebrews speaks about the Christian life with  metaphorical language that makes use of universally understood gestures— drooping hands, weak knees, lame feet, etc. The author speaks as a coach seeking to fire up the members of his team. Although the race is not yet finished,  the runners are tired. They need an encouraging word. 3 He alludes to a Messianic passage in Isaiah. The faithful in Israel had been  through a lot. They had many evil kings, some false prophets, stubborn fellow  Israelites, powerful enemies who threatened them, and seemingly no prospect of  ever living in their own land in peace. They were discouraged and despondent,  ready to give up.  2John F. MacArthur Jr., Hebrews, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983),  401. 3Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, Exposition of Hebrews, vol. 15, New Testament  Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 381.2 October 23, 2024 CFBC… Wednesday Night Study So, the prophet reminds them of the coming kingdom, when “the wilderness and  the desert will be glad” and “they will see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of  our God” (Isa. 35:1–2). Then he counsels them to encourage each other:  “Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious  heart, ‘Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; the  recompense of God will come, but He will save you' ” (v. 3–4).  The word picture of “feeble hands and weak knees” is a familiar description of  discouragement and despair. Isaiah 35:1–3… The wilderness and the desert will be glad, And the  Arabah will rejoice and blossom; Like the crocus 2 It will blossom  profusely And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy. The glory of  Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will  see the glory of the LORD, The majesty of our God. 3 Encourage the  exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.  Job 4:3–4… “Behold you have admonished many, And you have  strengthened weak hands. 4 “Your words have helped the tottering to  stand, And you have strengthened feeble knees.”In other words, “Don't give up now. A better day is coming. Look forward to that  in faith and you will have the encouragement and strength you need. Victory is  ahead!”4 Dejection is one of the great strategies the evil one employs to  defeat God's people and to stall God's kingdom progress. When times are hard for us. We must not quit. We must keep on encouraging  other believers (Hebrews 10:23-25). Encouragement breeds encouragement!  Look at verse 13—“Make straight paths for your feet.” The prevailing metaphor  is that of a race. It's like the author is exhorting the people to “stay in your lane so you won't be disqualified.” 4John F. MacArthur Jr., Hebrews, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983),  402.3 October 23, 2024 CFBC… Wednesday Night Study Proverbs 4:25–27… Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze  be fixed straight in front of you. 26 Watch the path of your feet And all  your ways will be established. 27 Do not turn to the right nor to the left;  Turn your foot from evil.  Avoid distractions. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). Don't get  careless as you run your race and never lose your will to win! We must be sure  that the way you live does not cause any unbeliever to reject the gospel or any  immature believer to lose heart and to backslide.  2. PASSION Hebrews 12:14… Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without  which no one will see the Lord.  Look at the word “pursue.” The writer is not saying, “Why don't you give it a try?”  The verb here was used for the straining of the muscles and sinews of a horse  when he's running or a hound in pursuit of a fox. We must pursue peace. Positionally, every believer has been blessed with  perfect peace—peace with God and the peace of God. What we have positionally  we must live out practically. When we think of peace with other people, we must  realize that it is a two-way street. Romans 12:18… If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace  with all men.  James 3:13–18… Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him  show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. 14 But  if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be  arrogant and so lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not that which  comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where  jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.  17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,  reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without  hypocrisy. 18 And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace  by those who make peace. 4 October 23, 2024 CFBC… Wednesday Night Study We are only responsible for our side of the peace process, but we cannot use  another person's hostility as an excuse for r...

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax your body, refocus your mind, and to re-imagine and re-narrate your life to a truer reality. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. Psalm 46:10 (NIV)  “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.'” The verb in the ancient Hebrew (that this was originally written in) for “be still” can also be translated as, “let go; relax; let drop.” We can let go of our tension and self-guarding in our body when we remember to “know” what it means that God is God. Psalm 37:7 (NIV)  “Be still before the LORD.” “LORD” in all uppercase letters in our English Bibles indicates that in Hebrew God's name, Yahweh, is used (for example, Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 42:8). Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God's name, Yahweh, is used more than any other term for God in the Hebrew scriptures. More than “God” is used.  When we survey the various truths associated with God's name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized.  HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe (Ps 33:6; Isa 40:26; Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24).  HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always (Num 27:16; Job 12:10; Acts 17:25). HE IS eternal and forever God (Isa 40:28; Isa 57:15) HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and in control of everything in your life at every moment (Ps 31:14-15; without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). See Jesus's words in Matthew 10:29-31. We often meditate on God‘s name in this podcast because it is the key to experiencing God as HE IS. God's name is filled with wonder and mystery and transcendence for us to meditate on using our biblically guided imagination. So imagine – envision – this reality. He is the Source of all being; he is the Giver of your life and sustains your life at every moment; he is the one who “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15), and so has the eternal perspective in all your life's circumstances; and he is infinitely, intimately, 100% present with you at every moment and in control of every circumstance in your life. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. 

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax your body, refocus your mind, and to re-imagine and re-narrate your life to a truer reality. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. Psalm 46:10 (NIV)  “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.'” The verb in the ancient Hebrew (that this was originally written in) for “be still” can also be translated as, “let go; relax; let drop.” We can let go of our tension and self-guarding in our body when we remember to “know” what it means that God is God. Psalm 37:7 (NIV)  “Be still before the LORD.” “LORD” in all uppercase letters in our English Bibles indicates that in Hebrew God's name, Yahweh, is used (for example, Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 42:8). Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God's name, Yahweh, is used more than any other term for God in the Hebrew scriptures. More than “God” is used.  When we survey the various truths associated with God's name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized.  HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe (Ps 33:6; Isa 40:26; Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24).  HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always (Num 27:16; Job 12:10; Acts 17:25). HE IS eternal and forever God (Isa 40:28; Isa 57:15) HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and in control of everything in your life at every moment (Ps 31:14-15; without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). See Jesus's words in Matthew 10:29-31. We often meditate on God‘s name in this podcast because it is the key to experiencing God as HE IS. God's name is filled with wonder and mystery and transcendence for us to meditate on using our biblically guided imagination. So imagine – envision – this reality. He is the Source of all being; he is the Giver of your life and sustains your life at every moment; he is the one who “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15), and so has the eternal perspective in all your life's circumstances; and he is infinitely, intimately, 100% present with you at every moment and in control of every circumstance in your life. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. 

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax your body, refocus your mind, and to re-imagine and re-narrate your life to a truer reality. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. In our last few episodes we looked at what Moses tells the people of Israel.  Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NIV)  “Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life….” “Now choose life, so that you…may live.” “For the LORD is your life!” “LORD” in all uppercase letters in our English Bibles indicates that in Hebrew God's name, Yahweh, is used (for example, Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 42:8). Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God's name, Yahweh, is used more than any other term for God in the Hebrew scriptures. More than “God” is used.  God's name is filled with wonder and mystery and transcendence for us to meditate on using our biblically guided imagination. When we see God's name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are repeatedly emphasized.  HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe (Ps 33:6; Isa 40:26; Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24).  HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always (Num 27:16; Job 12:10; Acts 17:25). HE IS eternal and forever God (Isa 40:28; Isa 57:15) HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and in control of everything in your life at every moment (Ps 31:14-15; without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). See Jesus's words in Matthew 10:29-31. We often meditate on God‘s name in this podcast because it is the key to experiencing God as HE IS.  So imagine – envision – this reality. He is the Source of all being; he is the Giver of your life and sustains your life at every moment; he is the one who “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15), and so has the eternal perspective in all your life's circumstances; and he is infinitely, intimately, 100% present with you at every moment and in control of every circumstance in your life. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax your body, refocus your mind, and to re-imagine and re-narrate your life to a truer reality. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. In our last few episodes we looked at what Moses tells the people of Israel.  Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NIV)  “Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life….” “Now choose life, so that you…may live.” “For the LORD is your life!” “LORD” in all uppercase letters in our English Bibles indicates that in Hebrew God's name, Yahweh, is used (for example, Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 42:8). Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God's name, Yahweh, is used more than any other term for God in the Hebrew scriptures. More than “God” is used.  God's name is filled with wonder and mystery and transcendence for us to meditate on using our biblically guided imagination. When we see God's name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are repeatedly emphasized.  HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe (Ps 33:6; Isa 40:26; Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24).  HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always (Num 27:16; Job 12:10; Acts 17:25). HE IS eternal and forever God (Isa 40:28; Isa 57:15) HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and in control of everything in your life at every moment (Ps 31:14-15; without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). See Jesus's words in Matthew 10:29-31. We often meditate on God‘s name in this podcast because it is the key to experiencing God as HE IS.  So imagine – envision – this reality. He is the Source of all being; he is the Giver of your life and sustains your life at every moment; he is the one who “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15), and so has the eternal perspective in all your life's circumstances; and he is infinitely, intimately, 100% present with you at every moment and in control of every circumstance in your life. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax your body, refocus your mind, and to re-imagine and re-narrate your life to a truer reality. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  Our summer schedule has begun. Look for new once-per-week episodes each Tuesday during the summer. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NIV)  “Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life….” To choose life begins with choosing—hitting the switch inside your head – “I want to choose life and life is found only in connection with God.” It's a switch you have to hit over and over. Because it regularly gets turned off by default in this Genesis 3 world.  So doing this is not a one time thing. It's a continual kind of thing. Done best in repeated/habitual moments of Christian meditation.  “LORD” in all uppercase letters in our English Bibles indicates that in Hebrew God's name, Yahweh, is used (for example, Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 42:8). Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God's name, Yahweh, is used more than any other term for God in the Hebrew scriptures. More than “God” is used.  When we survey the various truths associated with God's name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized.  HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe (Ps 33:6; Isa 40:26; Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24).  HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always (Num 27:16; Job 12:10; Acts 17:25). HE IS eternal and forever God (Isa 40:28; Isa 57:15) HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and in control of everything in your life at every moment (Ps 31:14-15; without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). See Jesus's words in Matthew 10:29-31. We often meditate on God‘s name in this podcast because it is the key to experiencing God as HE IS. God's name is filled with wonder and mystery and transcendence for us to meditate on using our biblically guided imagination. So imagine – envision – this reality. He is the Source of all being; he is the Giver of your life and sustains your life at every moment; he is the one who “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15), and so has the eternal perspective in all your life's circumstances; and he is infinitely, intimately, 100% present with you at every moment and in control of every circumstance in your life. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. 

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax your body, refocus your mind, and to re-imagine and re-narrate your life to a truer reality. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  Our summer schedule has begun. Look for new once-per-week episodes each Tuesday during the summer. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NIV)  “Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life….” To choose life begins with choosing—hitting the switch inside your head – “I want to choose life and life is found only in connection with God.” It's a switch you have to hit over and over. Because it regularly gets turned off by default in this Genesis 3 world.  So doing this is not a one time thing. It's a continual kind of thing. Done best in repeated/habitual moments of Christian meditation.  “LORD” in all uppercase letters in our English Bibles indicates that in Hebrew God's name, Yahweh, is used (for example, Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 42:8). Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God's name, Yahweh, is used more than any other term for God in the Hebrew scriptures. More than “God” is used.  When we survey the various truths associated with God's name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized.  HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe (Ps 33:6; Isa 40:26; Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24).  HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always (Num 27:16; Job 12:10; Acts 17:25). HE IS eternal and forever God (Isa 40:28; Isa 57:15) HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and in control of everything in your life at every moment (Ps 31:14-15; without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). See Jesus's words in Matthew 10:29-31. We often meditate on God‘s name in this podcast because it is the key to experiencing God as HE IS. God's name is filled with wonder and mystery and transcendence for us to meditate on using our biblically guided imagination. So imagine – envision – this reality. He is the Source of all being; he is the Giver of your life and sustains your life at every moment; he is the one who “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15), and so has the eternal perspective in all your life's circumstances; and he is infinitely, intimately, 100% present with you at every moment and in control of every circumstance in your life. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. 

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax your body, refocus your mind, and re-narrate your life. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  Our summer schedule has begun. Look for new once-per-week episodes each Tuesday during the summer. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. Psalm 16:2 ESV I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” Psalms 31:14-16 (NIV) “But I trust in you, LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.' My times are in your hands.” Psalms 140:6 (NIV)  I say to the LORD, “You are my God.” Hear, LORD, my cry for mercy. “Have mercy on me, a sinner” is what the tax collector says in Jesus's parable in Luke 18:13. And Jesus says he's the one who went away justified before God (Luke 18:14). Psalm 142:5 NIV I cry to you, LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” “LORD” in all uppercase letters in our English Bibles indicates that in Hebrew God's name, Yahweh, is used (for example, Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 42:8). Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God's name, Yahweh, is used more than any other term for God in the Hebrew scriptures. More than “God” is used.  When we survey the various truths associated with God's name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized.  HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe (Ps 33:6; Isa 40:26; Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24).  HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always (Num 27:16; Job 12:10; Acts 17:25). HE IS eternal and forever God (Isa 40:28; Isa 57:15) HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and in control of everything in your life at every moment (Ps 31:14-15; without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). See Jesus's words in Matthew 10:29-31. We often meditate on God‘s name in this podcast because it is the key to experiencing God as HE IS. God's name is filled with wonder and mystery and transcendence for us to meditate on using our biblically guided imagination. So imagine – envision – this reality. He is the Source of all being; he is the Giver of your life and sustains your life at every moment; he is the one who “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15), and so has the eternal perspective in all your life's circumstances; and he is infinitely, intimately, 100% present with you at every moment and in control of every circumstance in your life. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. 

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax your body, refocus your mind, and re-narrate your life. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  Our summer schedule has begun. Look for new once-per-week episodes each Tuesday during the summer. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. Psalm 16:2 ESV I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” Psalms 31:14-16 (NIV) “But I trust in you, LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.' My times are in your hands.” Psalms 140:6 (NIV)  I say to the LORD, “You are my God.” Hear, LORD, my cry for mercy. “Have mercy on me, a sinner” is what the tax collector says in Jesus's parable in Luke 18:13. And Jesus says he's the one who went away justified before God (Luke 18:14). Psalm 142:5 NIV I cry to you, LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” “LORD” in all uppercase letters in our English Bibles indicates that in Hebrew God's name, Yahweh, is used (for example, Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 42:8). Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God's name, Yahweh, is used more than any other term for God in the Hebrew scriptures. More than “God” is used.  When we survey the various truths associated with God's name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized.  HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe (Ps 33:6; Isa 40:26; Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24).  HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always (Num 27:16; Job 12:10; Acts 17:25). HE IS eternal and forever God (Isa 40:28; Isa 57:15) HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and in control of everything in your life at every moment (Ps 31:14-15; without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). See Jesus's words in Matthew 10:29-31. We often meditate on God‘s name in this podcast because it is the key to experiencing God as HE IS. God's name is filled with wonder and mystery and transcendence for us to meditate on using our biblically guided imagination. So imagine – envision – this reality. He is the Source of all being; he is the Giver of your life and sustains your life at every moment; he is the one who “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15), and so has the eternal perspective in all your life's circumstances; and he is infinitely, intimately, 100% present with you at every moment and in control of every circumstance in your life. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. 

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax your body, refocus your mind, and re-narrate your life. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  Our summer schedule has begun. Look for new once-per-week episodes each Tuesday during the summer. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. Psalm 142:5 NIV I cry to you, LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” Psalm 142:5 CSB I cry to you, LORD; I say, “You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living.” Luke 21:16-18 NIV 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. “LORD” in all uppercase letters in our English Bibles indicates that in Hebrew God's name, Yahweh, is used (for example, Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 42:8). Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God's name, Yahweh, is used more than any other term for God in the Hebrew scriptures. More than “God” is used.  When we survey the various truths associated with God's name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized.  HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe (Ps 33:6; Isa 40:26; Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24).  HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always (Num 27:16; Job 12:10; Acts 17:25). HE IS eternal and forever God (Isa 40:28; Isa 57:15) HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and in control of everything in your life at every moment (Ps 31:14-15; without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). See Jesus's words in Matthew 10:29-31. We often meditate on God‘s name in this podcast because it is the key to experiencing God as HE IS. God's name is filled with wonder and mystery and transcendence for us to meditate on using our biblically guided imagination. So imagine – envision – this reality. He is the Source of all being; he is the Giver of your life and sustains your life at every moment; he is the one who “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15), and so has the eternal perspective in all your life's circumstances; and he is infinitely, intimately, 100% present with you at every moment and in control of every circumstance in your life. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. 

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax your body, refocus your mind, and re-narrate your life. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  Our summer schedule has begun. Look for new once-per-week episodes each Tuesday during the summer. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. Psalm 142:5 NIV I cry to you, LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” Psalm 142:5 CSB I cry to you, LORD; I say, “You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living.” Luke 21:16-18 NIV 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. “LORD” in all uppercase letters in our English Bibles indicates that in Hebrew God's name, Yahweh, is used (for example, Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 42:8). Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God's name, Yahweh, is used more than any other term for God in the Hebrew scriptures. More than “God” is used.  When we survey the various truths associated with God's name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized.  HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe (Ps 33:6; Isa 40:26; Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24).  HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always (Num 27:16; Job 12:10; Acts 17:25). HE IS eternal and forever God (Isa 40:28; Isa 57:15) HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and in control of everything in your life at every moment (Ps 31:14-15; without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). See Jesus's words in Matthew 10:29-31. We often meditate on God‘s name in this podcast because it is the key to experiencing God as HE IS. God's name is filled with wonder and mystery and transcendence for us to meditate on using our biblically guided imagination. So imagine – envision – this reality. He is the Source of all being; he is the Giver of your life and sustains your life at every moment; he is the one who “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15), and so has the eternal perspective in all your life's circumstances; and he is infinitely, intimately, 100% present with you at every moment and in control of every circumstance in your life. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. 

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax, refocus, and re-narrate your life. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  Our summer schedule has begun. Look for new once-per-week episodes each Tuesday during the summer. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. Psalms 140:6 (NIV)  I say to the LORD, “You are my God.” Hear, LORD, my cry for mercy. One way to think of mercy is not getting the punishment you deserve. Whereas grace is getting the blessing you don't deserve.  We don't want to get too technical with these kinds of things because this distinction is not always what the biblical authors are thinking – but one way to think of mercy is the death of Jesus on the cross and one way to think of grace is the resurrection of Jesus. The cross takes the punishment you deserve. The resurrection gives you the blessing you don't deserve. The cry for mercy is the acknowledgment of your desperate need for God‘s forgiveness. To atone for your sin through Jesus on the cross. It's an emotional disposition of humbling ourselves before God and acknowledging that we have nothing in ourselves to put our confidence in except to cry out for God's mercy. “Have mercy on me, a sinner” is what the tax collector says in Jesus's parable in Luke 18:13. And Jesus says he's the one who went away justified before God (Luke 18:14). “For those who humble themselves will be exalted.” To me at least, there's a kind of relief that comes from knowing that my only hope is to cry out for God's mercy. Knowing that there's nothing I can do to atone for my sin other than humble myself and cling to Jesus on the cross. That that's my only good option. “LORD” in all uppercase letters in our English Bibles indicates that in Hebrew God's name, Yahweh, is used (for example, Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 42:8). Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God's name, Yahweh, is used more than any other term for God in the Hebrew scriptures. More than “God” is used.  When we survey the various truths associated with God's name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized.  HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe (Ps 33:6; Isa 40:26; Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24).  HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always (Num 27:16; Job 12:10; Acts 17:25). HE IS eternal and forever God (Isa 40:28; Isa 57:15) HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and in control of everything in your life at every moment (Ps 31:14-15; without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). See Jesus's words in Matthew 10:29-31. We often meditate on God‘s name in this podcast because it is the key to experiencing God as HE IS. God's name is filled with wonder and mystery and transcendence for us to meditate on using our biblically guided imagination. So imagine – envision – this reality. He is the Source of all being; he is the Giver of your life and sustains your life at every moment; he is the one who “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15), and so has the eternal perspective in all your life's circumstances; and he is infinitely, intimately, 100% present with you at every moment and in control of every circumstance in your life. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. 

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax, refocus, and re-narrate your life. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  Our summer schedule has begun. Look for new once-per-week episodes each Tuesday during the summer. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. Psalms 140:6 (NIV)  I say to the LORD, “You are my God.” Hear, LORD, my cry for mercy. One way to think of mercy is not getting the punishment you deserve. Whereas grace is getting the blessing you don't deserve.  We don't want to get too technical with these kinds of things because this distinction is not always what the biblical authors are thinking – but one way to think of mercy is the death of Jesus on the cross and one way to think of grace is the resurrection of Jesus. The cross takes the punishment you deserve. The resurrection gives you the blessing you don't deserve. The cry for mercy is the acknowledgment of your desperate need for God‘s forgiveness. To atone for your sin through Jesus on the cross. It's an emotional disposition of humbling ourselves before God and acknowledging that we have nothing in ourselves to put our confidence in except to cry out for God's mercy. “Have mercy on me, a sinner” is what the tax collector says in Jesus's parable in Luke 18:13. And Jesus says he's the one who went away justified before God (Luke 18:14). “For those who humble themselves will be exalted.” To me at least, there's a kind of relief that comes from knowing that my only hope is to cry out for God's mercy. Knowing that there's nothing I can do to atone for my sin other than humble myself and cling to Jesus on the cross. That that's my only good option. “LORD” in all uppercase letters in our English Bibles indicates that in Hebrew God's name, Yahweh, is used (for example, Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 42:8). Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God's name, Yahweh, is used more than any other term for God in the Hebrew scriptures. More than “God” is used.  When we survey the various truths associated with God's name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized.  HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe (Ps 33:6; Isa 40:26; Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24).  HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always (Num 27:16; Job 12:10; Acts 17:25). HE IS eternal and forever God (Isa 40:28; Isa 57:15) HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and in control of everything in your life at every moment (Ps 31:14-15; without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). See Jesus's words in Matthew 10:29-31. We often meditate on God‘s name in this podcast because it is the key to experiencing God as HE IS. God's name is filled with wonder and mystery and transcendence for us to meditate on using our biblically guided imagination. So imagine – envision – this reality. He is the Source of all being; he is the Giver of your life and sustains your life at every moment; he is the one who “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15), and so has the eternal perspective in all your life's circumstances; and he is infinitely, intimately, 100% present with you at every moment and in control of every circumstance in your life. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. 

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax, refocus, and re-narrate your life. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  Our summer schedule has begun. Look for new once-per-week episodes each Tuesday during the summer. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. “LORD” in all uppercase letters in our English Bibles indicates that in Hebrew God's name, Yahweh, is used (for example, Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 42:8). Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God's name, Yahweh, is used more than any other term for God in the Hebrew scriptures. More than “God” is used.  When we survey the various truths associated with God's name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized.  HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe (Ps 33:6; Isa 40:26; Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24).  HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always (Num 27:16; Job 12:10; Acts 17:25). HE IS eternal and forever God (Isa 40:28; Isa 57:15) HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and in control of everything in your life at every moment (Ps 31:14-15; without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). See Jesus's words in Matthew 10:29-31. We often meditate on God‘s name in this podcast because it is the key to experiencing God as HE IS. God's name is filled with wonder and mystery and transcendence for us to meditate on using our biblically guided imagination. So imagine – envision – this reality. He is the Source of all being; he is the Giver of your life and sustains your life at every moment; he is the one who “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15), and so has the eternal perspective in all your life's circumstances; and he is infinitely, intimately, 100% present with you at every moment and in control of every circumstance in your life. Psalms 16:2 (NIV)  “I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.'” Psalms 31:14-16 (NIV) “But I trust in you, LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.' My times are in your hands.” Psalm 91:2 NIV I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. 

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax, refocus, and re-narrate your life. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  Our summer schedule has begun. Look for new once-per-week episodes each Tuesday during the summer. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast. “LORD” in all uppercase letters in our English Bibles indicates that in Hebrew God's name, Yahweh, is used (for example, Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 42:8). Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God's name, Yahweh, is used more than any other term for God in the Hebrew scriptures. More than “God” is used.  When we survey the various truths associated with God's name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized.  HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe (Ps 33:6; Isa 40:26; Isa 42:5; Isa 44:24).  HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always (Num 27:16; Job 12:10; Acts 17:25). HE IS eternal and forever God (Isa 40:28; Isa 57:15) HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and in control of everything in your life at every moment (Ps 31:14-15; without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). See Jesus's words in Matthew 10:29-31. We often meditate on God‘s name in this podcast because it is the key to experiencing God as HE IS. God's name is filled with wonder and mystery and transcendence for us to meditate on using our biblically guided imagination. So imagine – envision – this reality. He is the Source of all being; he is the Giver of your life and sustains your life at every moment; he is the one who “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15), and so has the eternal perspective in all your life's circumstances; and he is infinitely, intimately, 100% present with you at every moment and in control of every circumstance in your life. Psalms 16:2 (NIV)  “I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.'” Psalms 31:14-16 (NIV) “But I trust in you, LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.' My times are in your hands.” Psalm 91:2 NIV I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. 

Some time ago I read a quote from Charles Misner about Albert Einstein regarding what he thought about church and religion. Listen carefully to what Misner said about one of the smartest men who lived: The design of the universe is very magnificent and shouldnt be taken for granted. In fact, I believe that is why Einstein had so little use for organized religion, although he strikes me as a basically very religious man. He must have looked at what the preachers said about God and felt that they were blaspheming. He had seen much more majesty than they had ever imagined, and they were just not talking about the real thing. My guess is that he simply felt that religions hed run across did not have proper respect for the author of the universe.[1] It was in John Pipers book, Let the Nations Be Glad that I read that quote over 20 years ago, and I have never forgotten it. We were made to know God and it is the reason Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the body of Christ by showing them the real thing. It is hard to show the body of Christ the real thing if you are not looking at the real thing. Last week, we spent our time together in Ephesians 4:7-10. My goal was to show you that one way to be, diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (v. 3), is to use spiritual gifts, your talents, and your time to, encourage one another in love and good deeds (Heb. 10:19-25). Hopefully, I was able to show you that you cannot do that if you are not physically present and active with fellow Christians who gather regularly as the local expression of the body of Christ. Some of you are unsure of what spiritual gifts Jesus has given through His Holy Spirit. You may be unaware of the supernatural gifts given by the Holy Spirit that are listed in the Bible. Two places in the Bible list spiritual gifts that are still given today; all that I want to do today is to list them for you just so that you are aware of what they are: Romans 12:6-8 1 Corinthians 12:7-10, 28 Prophesy Word of Wisdom Service Word of Knowledge Teaching Faith Exhortation Healing Giving (Generosity) Miracles Leadership Prophesy Mercy Discernment (distinguishing of spirits) Tongues Interpretation of Tongues Administration All of these spiritual gifts are supernatural in nature and given through the Holy Spirit for the edification of Christs body and to participate in His mission. This is the point of Ephesians 4:7, But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christs gift. Of all the gifts given by Christ through the Holy Spirit to His people, they can be categorized into two groups: Gifts of speaking and gifts of helping; I believe this is what the apostle Peter described in his epistle: Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking actual words of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Pet. 4:11). You Have Been Gifted to Live for Jesus in Partnership with His People If you are a Christian, you are the recipient of Gods rich mercy, great love, and all-sufficient grace that has been lavished upon you when you were dead in your offenses and sins and stood as before the God who is holy as a child of His infinite wrath. Christian, we have been forgiven much! Not only have we been forgiven much, but we were chosen and redeemed for, good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (2:10)! Your redemption was not meant only for your benefit, but the benefit of every person in your worldespecially those who belong to the body of Christ. Your spiritual gifts, your talents, your stuff, and your time are all blood-bought gifts from the God who created everything and owns it all: Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures (Jas. 1:1718). Do you know how to, walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called (4:1)? Do you want to know how it is you can bear with your brothers and sisters in Christ with, all humility and gentleness, with patience, and in love (v. 2)? Do you understand the part you play in keeping, the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (v. 3)? You do it by the power God has provided through His Holy Spirit, which is, the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe (1:19) that enables you to use your God-given spiritual gifts, your God-given talents, your God-given skills, your God-given time, and everything else God has provided out of the abundance of His goodness toward you, to encourage one another in love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24). This is how Jesus has built His Church, this is how Jesus is building His Church, this is how Jesus will continue to build His Church, and the gates of hell will not overpower it (Matt. 16:17-19). Listen, Jesus loves His bride too much to leave her the way He found her! We will eventually get to Ephesians 5:25-27 where husbands are told how we are to love our wives, but for now, I only want you to see the way Christ loves His Bride: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless (Eph. 5:2527). How is Jesus loving His bride? He gave Himself up for her, He is sanctifying her, and He is cleansing her through His Spirit and His Word. All of this He is doing for the purpose of presenting her for Himself in all her potential glory with no more blemishes or defects that she would be holy and blameless! Do you know the way that He is doing it? Through the ministry of His Word, the Power of His Spirit, and the community of His People. Do not buy into the lie that you do not need the Church! Jesus Gifts His Body with Spiritually Gifted People to Equip His Church Now I want to turn your attention to verse 11, which is not spiritual gifts, but spiritually gifted people called to at least four offices in Jesus Church. These are people called by Jesus and gifted to His people to do two things: (1) Equip the saints for the work of ministry, and (2) for the building up of the body of Christ. Some propose that in every church there should be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Those who propose the view, rightly point out that the word apostle can mean messenger or anyone who is sent as a witness. In the same way, prophet does not always refer to a person who receives a special inspired word from God but can also refer to a person who speaks forth God's word. My problem with this view is with the way the office of apostle and prophet is used elsewhere in Ephesians. This is why understanding the context of a book in the Bible is so important for interpreting and understanding a passage like the one before us. Notice the way apostles and prophets are referred to in Ephesians 2:19-22, So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of Gods household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (Eph. 2:1922) For this reason, I believe that the office of apostle and prophet that Paul is referring to in Ephesians 4:11 are the gifted people God used (past tense) in both the Old Testament and New Testament. Both were gifts given to Gods people to provide the Church with the Word of God (the Bible) and form the foundation for the people of God. The prophets were mostly men through whom God spoke to provide the people of God with the word of God and the apostles were the 12 men Jesus chose to be the foundation of the Church. Both the office of prophet and apostle ceased after the Apostles all died, but the gift that they were and continue to be to the Church are gifts we enjoy and benefit from still today, for every time you read your Bible, hear it faithfully preached and taught, or sing songs shaped by the Word of God, you reap the benefits of the good gifts to the Church that were the prophets and Apostles. The other three offices in the Church are evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Now everyone is called to evangelize, but some are uniquely gifted to be evangelists who tend to be those sent to plant churches or sent to people groups who have not yet heard the gospel of Jesus Christ such as Adoniram Judson who brought the gospel to the unreached people group known as the Burmese. Before arriving upon the shores of what is still called, The Land of the Golden Pagodas, at the age of 21, Judsons eyes fell upon Ephesians 3:17-19 which compelled Adoniram and his wife (Ann) to make Burma (Myanmar) their home on July 13, 1813. I would submit to you the fire that burns in all those truly called by Christ to the office of evangelists, pastor, and teacher can be heard in Ephesians 3:17-19, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. It would take six years for Judson to learn Burmese and eventually see his first Burmese convert come to Christ on May 9, 1819. Three years later, he finished translating the New Testament into Burmese. Although it took him 24 years to do so, he was able to translate the entire Bible into Burmese in the early months of 1834. Before his death on Abril 12, 1850, the gift that Adoniram Judson gave to the body of Christ resulted in 63 churches and 7,000 converts, 800 of those converts were from a tribe in Burma known as the Karen. Judsons role was to fill the office of an evangelist in Burma. What Judson did not know was that there was an ancient prophecy known by the Karen concerning the great God they called Ywa who created the earth and a man and a woman who were our first parents and that He had a book that was lost, but a white man would come to bring them the lost book about Ywa. Adoniram Judson was that man. Some think that the offices of pastor and teacher are one and the same. Others believe they are separate offices. What I do know is that one of the qualifications of pastors is their ability to teach, but not all teachers are called to be pastors. Both, however, like the evangelist, are called by Christ and gifted to His Church to, equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ (v. 12). But what is the goal of verse 12? The goal is verse 13, which could not be any more clear: until we all attain the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. In other words, the goal and purpose of the gifting of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to the body of Christ is four-fold: The unity of the faith: Those Jesus gifts to His Church are sent to proclaim the Lordship of Jesus as the only redeemer and savior of our souls. The knowledge of the Son of God: Those Jesus gifts to His Church are sent to proclaim Him as the Son of God. Any other Jesus than the One presented in the Bible who is fully God and fully man as the second person of the Trinity is a Jesus who cannot save. Maturity as a follower of Jesus: Those Jesus gifts to His Church are sent to proclaim the full counsel of Gods word for the full health of Gods people. To become full of Christ: The purpose of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers is the proclamation of the Word of God to the people of God, before the people of God, and over the people of God who make of the Church of Jesus Christ! To a young pastor-teacher, by the name of Timothy, Paul gave these solemn instructions that are not only for me as the pastor of Meadowbrooke Church, but for us all: I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, use self-restraint in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Tim. 4:15) So, I come back to my original question: How are you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called (4:1)? Use your God-given gifts, talents, time, and resources to, encourage one another in love and good deed, not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near (Heb. 10:24-25). The way you do that is by giving them Jesus in the same way the apostles and prophets were sent to do, and in the same way the evangelists, pastors, and teachers are called to do! I have one more thing to say, and I want to say it to the fathers and the single mothers of Meadowbrooke Church. The Church is a macrocosm of the way God structured the family, and in a very real sense, you are called and sent to be a gift to your family! Like the apostles, you are called to show your wife and children the beauty and splendor of the incomparable Christ! Like the prophets of old, you are called to give your wife and children the Word of God because it is honey to the lips (Ps. 119:103), and it is living and active (Heb. 4:12). Like the evangelist, you are sent to show your wife and children why and how Jesus satisfies. Finally, just like pastors and teachers who serve Christs Church, you are to serve your wife and children to help them know and understand that there is none like our God (Isa. 46:9-10), and to know Him is to know His Son who is on all levels, the way, and the truth, and the life (John 14:6). As a husband and father, you show your family that Jesus is the bread of life that satisfies (John 6:35); He is the true door that leads to salvation (10:7), He is the good shepherd even in the valley of the shadow of death (10:11,14); He is the resurrection and the life who keeps His sheep (11:25); He is the true vine in whom the purpose of life and true thriving is to be experienced (15:1). Dear fathers of Meadowbrooke, you are not called to lead your children to their idols but to the all-satisfying and all-sufficient Redeemer who is the only One who can give what their idols will never be able to give namely, LIFE. Give them the God of the Book! Give them the real thing! [1] John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions, 30th Anniversary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2022), 4.

Some time ago I read a quote from Charles Misner about Albert Einstein regarding what he thought about church and religion. Listen carefully to what Misner said about one of the smartest men who lived: The design of the universe is very magnificent and shouldnt be taken for granted. In fact, I believe that is why Einstein had so little use for organized religion, although he strikes me as a basically very religious man. He must have looked at what the preachers said about God and felt that they were blaspheming. He had seen much more majesty than they had ever imagined, and they were just not talking about the real thing. My guess is that he simply felt that religions hed run across did not have proper respect for the author of the universe.[1] It was in John Pipers book, Let the Nations Be Glad that I read that quote over 20 years ago, and I have never forgotten it. We were made to know God and it is the reason Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the body of Christ by showing them the real thing. It is hard to show the body of Christ the real thing if you are not looking at the real thing. Last week, we spent our time together in Ephesians 4:7-10. My goal was to show you that one way to be, diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (v. 3), is to use spiritual gifts, your talents, and your time to, encourage one another in love and good deeds (Heb. 10:19-25). Hopefully, I was able to show you that you cannot do that if you are not physically present and active with fellow Christians who gather regularly as the local expression of the body of Christ. Some of you are unsure of what spiritual gifts Jesus has given through His Holy Spirit. You may be unaware of the supernatural gifts given by the Holy Spirit that are listed in the Bible. Two places in the Bible list spiritual gifts that are still given today; all that I want to do today is to list them for you just so that you are aware of what they are: Romans 12:6-8 1 Corinthians 12:7-10, 28 Prophesy Word of Wisdom Service Word of Knowledge Teaching Faith Exhortation Healing Giving (Generosity) Miracles Leadership Prophesy Mercy Discernment (distinguishing of spirits) Tongues Interpretation of Tongues Administration All of these spiritual gifts are supernatural in nature and given through the Holy Spirit for the edification of Christs body and to participate in His mission. This is the point of Ephesians 4:7, But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christs gift. Of all the gifts given by Christ through the Holy Spirit to His people, they can be categorized into two groups: Gifts of speaking and gifts of helping; I believe this is what the apostle Peter described in his epistle: Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking actual words of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Pet. 4:11). You Have Been Gifted to Live for Jesus in Partnership with His People If you are a Christian, you are the recipient of Gods rich mercy, great love, and all-sufficient grace that has been lavished upon you when you were dead in your offenses and sins and stood as before the God who is holy as a child of His infinite wrath. Christian, we have been forgiven much! Not only have we been forgiven much, but we were chosen and redeemed for, good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (2:10)! Your redemption was not meant only for your benefit, but the benefit of every person in your worldespecially those who belong to the body of Christ. Your spiritual gifts, your talents, your stuff, and your time are all blood-bought gifts from the God who created everything and owns it all: Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures (Jas. 1:1718). Do you know how to, walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called (4:1)? Do you want to know how it is you can bear with your brothers and sisters in Christ with, all humility and gentleness, with patience, and in love (v. 2)? Do you understand the part you play in keeping, the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (v. 3)? You do it by the power God has provided through His Holy Spirit, which is, the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe (1:19) that enables you to use your God-given spiritual gifts, your God-given talents, your God-given skills, your God-given time, and everything else God has provided out of the abundance of His goodness toward you, to encourage one another in love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24). This is how Jesus has built His Church, this is how Jesus is building His Church, this is how Jesus will continue to build His Church, and the gates of hell will not overpower it (Matt. 16:17-19). Listen, Jesus loves His bride too much to leave her the way He found her! We will eventually get to Ephesians 5:25-27 where husbands are told how we are to love our wives, but for now, I only want you to see the way Christ loves His Bride: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless (Eph. 5:2527). How is Jesus loving His bride? He gave Himself up for her, He is sanctifying her, and He is cleansing her through His Spirit and His Word. All of this He is doing for the purpose of presenting her for Himself in all her potential glory with no more blemishes or defects that she would be holy and blameless! Do you know the way that He is doing it? Through the ministry of His Word, the Power of His Spirit, and the community of His People. Do not buy into the lie that you do not need the Church! Jesus Gifts His Body with Spiritually Gifted People to Equip His Church Now I want to turn your attention to verse 11, which is not spiritual gifts, but spiritually gifted people called to at least four offices in Jesus Church. These are people called by Jesus and gifted to His people to do two things: (1) Equip the saints for the work of ministry, and (2) for the building up of the body of Christ. Some propose that in every church there should be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Those who propose the view, rightly point out that the word apostle can mean messenger or anyone who is sent as a witness. In the same way, prophet does not always refer to a person who receives a special inspired word from God but can also refer to a person who speaks forth God's word. My problem with this view is with the way the office of apostle and prophet is used elsewhere in Ephesians. This is why understanding the context of a book in the Bible is so important for interpreting and understanding a passage like the one before us. Notice the way apostles and prophets are referred to in Ephesians 2:19-22, So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of Gods household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (Eph. 2:1922) For this reason, I believe that the office of apostle and prophet that Paul is referring to in Ephesians 4:11 are the gifted people God used (past tense) in both the Old Testament and New Testament. Both were gifts given to Gods people to provide the Church with the Word of God (the Bible) and form the foundation for the people of God. The prophets were mostly men through whom God spoke to provide the people of God with the word of God and the apostles were the 12 men Jesus chose to be the foundation of the Church. Both the office of prophet and apostle ceased after the Apostles all died, but the gift that they were and continue to be to the Church are gifts we enjoy and benefit from still today, for every time you read your Bible, hear it faithfully preached and taught, or sing songs shaped by the Word of God, you reap the benefits of the good gifts to the Church that were the prophets and Apostles. The other three offices in the Church are evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Now everyone is called to evangelize, but some are uniquely gifted to be evangelists who tend to be those sent to plant churches or sent to people groups who have not yet heard the gospel of Jesus Christ such as Adoniram Judson who brought the gospel to the unreached people group known as the Burmese. Before arriving upon the shores of what is still called, The Land of the Golden Pagodas, at the age of 21, Judsons eyes fell upon Ephesians 3:17-19 which compelled Adoniram and his wife (Ann) to make Burma (Myanmar) their home on July 13, 1813. I would submit to you the fire that burns in all those truly called by Christ to the office of evangelists, pastor, and teacher can be heard in Ephesians 3:17-19, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. It would take six years for Judson to learn Burmese and eventually see his first Burmese convert come to Christ on May 9, 1819. Three years later, he finished translating the New Testament into Burmese. Although it took him 24 years to do so, he was able to translate the entire Bible into Burmese in the early months of 1834. Before his death on Abril 12, 1850, the gift that Adoniram Judson gave to the body of Christ resulted in 63 churches and 7,000 converts, 800 of those converts were from a tribe in Burma known as the Karen. Judsons role was to fill the office of an evangelist in Burma. What Judson did not know was that there was an ancient prophecy known by the Karen concerning the great God they called Ywa who created the earth and a man and a woman who were our first parents and that He had a book that was lost, but a white man would come to bring them the lost book about Ywa. Adoniram Judson was that man. Some think that the offices of pastor and teacher are one and the same. Others believe they are separate offices. What I do know is that one of the qualifications of pastors is their ability to teach, but not all teachers are called to be pastors. Both, however, like the evangelist, are called by Christ and gifted to His Church to, equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ (v. 12). But what is the goal of verse 12? The goal is verse 13, which could not be any more clear: until we all attain the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. In other words, the goal and purpose of the gifting of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to the body of Christ is four-fold: The unity of the faith: Those Jesus gifts to His Church are sent to proclaim the Lordship of Jesus as the only redeemer and savior of our souls. The knowledge of the Son of God: Those Jesus gifts to His Church are sent to proclaim Him as the Son of God. Any other Jesus than the One presented in the Bible who is fully God and fully man as the second person of the Trinity is a Jesus who cannot save. Maturity as a follower of Jesus: Those Jesus gifts to His Church are sent to proclaim the full counsel of Gods word for the full health of Gods people. To become full of Christ: The purpose of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers is the proclamation of the Word of God to the people of God, before the people of God, and over the people of God who make of the Church of Jesus Christ! To a young pastor-teacher, by the name of Timothy, Paul gave these solemn instructions that are not only for me as the pastor of Meadowbrooke Church, but for us all: I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, use self-restraint in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Tim. 4:15) So, I come back to my original question: How are you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called (4:1)? Use your God-given gifts, talents, time, and resources to, encourage one another in love and good deed, not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near (Heb. 10:24-25). The way you do that is by giving them Jesus in the same way the apostles and prophets were sent to do, and in the same way the evangelists, pastors, and teachers are called to do! I have one more thing to say, and I want to say it to the fathers and the single mothers of Meadowbrooke Church. The Church is a macrocosm of the way God structured the family, and in a very real sense, you are called and sent to be a gift to your family! Like the apostles, you are called to show your wife and children the beauty and splendor of the incomparable Christ! Like the prophets of old, you are called to give your wife and children the Word of God because it is honey to the lips (Ps. 119:103), and it is living and active (Heb. 4:12). Like the evangelist, you are sent to show your wife and children why and how Jesus satisfies. Finally, just like pastors and teachers who serve Christs Church, you are to serve your wife and children to help them know and understand that there is none like our God (Isa. 46:9-10), and to know Him is to know His Son who is on all levels, the way, and the truth, and the life (John 14:6). As a husband and father, you show your family that Jesus is the bread of life that satisfies (John 6:35); He is the true door that leads to salvation (10:7), He is the good shepherd even in the valley of the shadow of death (10:11,14); He is the resurrection and the life who keeps His sheep (11:25); He is the true vine in whom the purpose of life and true thriving is to be experienced (15:1). Dear fathers of Meadowbrooke, you are not called to lead your children to their idols but to the all-satisfying and all-sufficient Redeemer who is the only One who can give what their idols will never be able to give namely, LIFE. Give them the God of the Book! Give them the real thing! [1] John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions, 30th Anniversary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2022), 4.

Divine Election Dr. Steven R. Cook (https://thinkingonscripture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Divine-Election.pdf) Introduction      Election is a biblical teaching that every serious student of the Bible must consider at some point. It addresses issues related to God's sovereignty and human volition, sin and salvation, justice and mercy, love and faith. Given that election touches upon the infinite and eternal nature of God, it's not surprising that certain aspects of this doctrine transcend human understanding, similar to the biblical doctrines of the Trinity and the Hypostatic Union.[1] God's revelation must be our guide. Though we reason through Scripture, our reasoning ability is limited, and we must learn to live with certain unresolvable theological tensions. According to Norman Geisler, “The mystery of the relationship between divine sovereignty and human free will has challenged the greatest Christian thinkers down through the centuries.”[2] Lewis Chafer states, “The doctrine of Election is a cardinal teaching of the Scriptures. Doubtless, it is attended with difficulties which are a burden upon all systems of theology alike.”[3] Warren Wiersbe states, “The mystery of divine sovereignty and human responsibility will never be solved in this life. Both are taught in the Bible (John 6:37). Both are true, and both are essential.”[4] Charles Ryrie adds, “No human mind will ever harmonize sovereignty and free will, but ignoring or downplaying one or the other in the interests of a supposed harmony will solve nothing.”[5] When discussing election with others, it's always best to maintain an attitude of love and grace, as this will generate more light than heat. Major Views on Election      Regarding election and salvation, there are varying perspectives on the roles of divine intervention and human responsibility in the process of being saved. The major views are as follows: Strict Calvinism adheres closely to the five points of Calvinism summarized by the acronym TULIP. Total depravity means people are completely unable to save themselves or even to seek God on their own due to their sinful nature. Unconditional election refers to God's choice of certain individuals for salvation, not based on any foreseen merit or action on their part but purely on His sovereign will. Limited atonement means Christ's death was intended to save only the elect, not all of humanity. Irresistible grace means that when God calls the elect to salvation, they cannot resist His will. Perseverance of the saints means that those whom God has elected and saved will persevere in faith and will not ultimately fall away. Moderate Calvinism adheres to the basic tenets of Calvinism but with some modifications or a softer interpretation. These often hold to a form of unlimited atonement that suggests Christ's atonement is sufficient for all but effective only for the elect. They're also more open to dialogue with other theological perspectives, and tend to avoid the more deterministic implications of strict Calvinism. Calminianism blends elements of Calvinism and Arminianism, seeking a middle ground concerning God's sovereignty and human volition. Calminians tend to lean toward unlimited atonement, resistible grace, God's election based on foreknowledge of who would believe, and the belief that saints can turn to a prolonged sinful lifestyle without losing their salvation. Arminianism is a theological system that emphasizes God's conditional election based on foreknowledge. Arminians see people as corrupted by sin, but able to respond to God's call to salvation. They also adhere to unlimited atonement, resistible grace, and believe Christians are able to forfeit their salvation, which means good works are necessary to retain salvation. Catholicism teaches that salvation is open to all and involves both God's grace and human cooperation. In the Catholic view, both faith and works are essential for salvation. Faith is the foundational response to God's grace, but it must be accompanied by works of love and obedience. In Catholicism, the sacraments are seen as vital means of grace. For instance, baptism is considered necessary for salvation as it washes away original sin and incorporates a person into the body of Christ. The Eucharist, penance, and other sacraments further sustain and deepen a believer's relationship with God. Pelagianism is a theological perspective considered heretical by most Christian traditions. It emphasizes human free will and denies original sin, teaching people are born morally neutral, and each person can choose to do good or evil without the necessity of divine grace. Pelagians emphasize that salvation can be achieved through human effort and moral striving, and they see God's grace is seen as helpful but not necessary for living a righteous life or achieving salvation.      The above categories are simplified presentations with detailed nuances others might seek to expand and clarify. My purpose in presenting them is to provide a basic construct of the major views. What follows is my understanding of the doctrine of election as it is taught in the Word of God. God is Sovereign      The Bible reveals God is sovereign over His creation, declaring “The LORD is King forever and ever” (Psa 10:16), and “Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps” (Psa 135:6), and “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?'” (Dan 4:35). God Himself declares, “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please” (Isa 46:10b; cf. Psa 33:11), and this because He is the “only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Tim 6:15), Who “works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph 1:11b). All this is true; however, the Bible also reveals God sovereignly created both angels and people with intellect and volition, and has granted them a modicum of freedom to act as free moral agents. According to McChesney, God's sovereignty “is not to be viewed in any such way as to abridge the reality of the moral freedom of God's responsible creatures or to make men anything else than the arbiters of their own eternal destinies. God has seen fit to create beings with the power of choice between good and evil. He rules over them in justice and wisdom and grace.”[6]      At all times, and without external restraint, God remains in constant sovereign control, guiding His creation through history. He interferes in the affairs of mankind, and His unseen hand works behind all their activities, controlling and directing history as He wills. We know from Scripture that God possesses certain immutable attributes and that He never acts inconsistently with His nature. For example, because God is righteous, all His actions and commands are just. Because God is immutable, His moral perfections never change. Because God is eternal, He is righteous forever. Because God is omniscient, His righteous acts are always predicated on perfect knowledge. Because God is omnipotent, He is always able to execute His righteous will. And because God is love, His judgments can be merciful toward the undeserving and humble. The Bible Affirms God's Sovereignty and Human Volition      Shortly after God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1), He sovereignly chose to create mankind in His image (Gen 1:26) as finite analogues to Himself, endowed with intellectual and volitional capabilities. God's intention was that they would function as theocratic administrators to “rule” over His creation (Gen 1:26-28). When God made His decision to create people in His image, He willingly limited Himself to allow them the freedom to operate as responsible moral creatures and not mere automatons. This self-imposed restraint by God is not unusual, for He has restrained Himself in other ways. For example, every time God made a promise or covenant, He bound Himself to His Word such that He cannot do otherwise. Scripture reveals that “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Num 23:19). This is why, even though “we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim 2:13), and “it is impossible for God to lie” (Heb 6:18; cf., Tit 1:2).      God has given people volition and freedom to act, and He holds them accountable for their actions. As the Sovereign of the universe, God will judge everyone fairly, for “there is no partiality with God” (Rom 2:11). Peter said, “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him” (Acts 10:34-35). And Paul wrote, “For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality” (Col 3:25).      Though all mankind is fallen, being corrupted because of their sinful flesh (Rom 5:12, 6:6; 7:19-23; Gal 5:17, 19; Col 3:9), they still retain the image of God and the ability to function intellectually and volitionally (Gen 9:6; 1 Cor 11:7; Jam 3:9). This means that mankind is able, in a limited way, to understand God's general and special revelation, and to respond volitionally if they choose (Psa 19:1-2; Rom 1:18-32). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] For example, the doctrine of the Hypostatic Union teaches that God the Son added to Himself humanity, forever uniting His divine nature with a perfect sinless human nature, becoming the God-Man (John 1:1, 14, 18; 20:28; Col 2:9; Heb 1:8). He is eternal God (Isa 9:6; John 8:56-58; 17:5), yet He was born of a woman in time and space (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35; Gal 4:4). As God, He is omniscient (Psa 139:1-6), but as a boy, He grew in knowledge (Luke 2:52). As God, He created the universe (Gen 1:1; John 1:3; Col 1:15-16), but as man, He was subject to weakness (Matt 4:2; John 4:6; 19:28). God is immortal and cannot die (1 Tim 1:17; 6:16), but as a human, Jesus could die (Matt 16:21; Rom 5:8). There were times that Jesus operated from His divine nature (Mark 2:5-12; John 8:56-58; 10:30-33), and other times from His human nature (Matt 4:2; Luke 8:22-23; John 19:28). These two natures seem incompatible, yet they cohere within Jesus. [2] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2004), 137. [3] Lewis S. Chafer, “Biblical Theism Divine Decrees” Bibliotheca Sacra, 96 (1939): 268. [4] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 11. [5] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 359. [6] E. McChesney, “Sovereignty of God,” ed. Merrill F. Unger and R.K. Harrison, The New Unger's Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988).

     Total depravity is the biblical doctrine that sin permeates all aspects of our being—mind, will, and sensibilities, and renders us helpless to save ourselves. It does not mean we are as bad as we can be, for there are many moral unbelievers in the world. Being contaminated by sin means whatever morality we produce can never measure up to the perfect righteousness God expects. Is there any person who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?” (Prov 20:9). The answer is an emphatic No! The human heart is corrupt, for “the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick” (Jer 17:9). And “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins” (Eccl 7:20), and “There is none righteous; not even one. There is none who understands; there is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become useless. There is none who does good, there is not even one” (Rom 3:10-12; cf. Rom 8:8). Some might argue that we can perform good works and help to save ourselves. This is wrong. Scripture states, “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God” (Isa 59:2), “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isa 64:6). Salvation does not come by human works; rather, we are “justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3:28), and salvation comes “to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly” (Rom 4:5), and we are “not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16), “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9), and God “has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim 1:9), and “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5). By human standards, even the worst person can do some good. But human estimation is lower than God's estimation and it is God's standards that define what is truly good. According to Charles Ryrie, “Total depravity must always be measured against God's holiness. Relative goodness exists in people. They can do good works, which are appreciated by others. But nothing that anyone can do will gain salvational merit or favor in the sight of a holy God.”[1] Calvinist View of Total Depravity      For Calvinists, total depravity means total inability. They regard people as totally unable to respond to the things of God; like a physical corpse. Notable scholars such as B. B. Warfield, R. C. Sproul, John Piper, Wayne Grudem, John Frame, John MacArthur, and J. I. Packer hold this view. B. B. Warfield wrote, “nothing is more fundamental in the doctrine of the Reformers than the complete inability of man and his absolute need of divine grace.”[2] John Frame states, “We can never come to God out of our own resources. We are helpless to do anything to save ourselves. This condition is sometimes called total inability” (italics his).[3] J. I. Packer states, “Total depravity entails total inability, that is, the state of not having it in oneself to respond to God and his Word in a sincere and wholehearted way (John 6:44; Rom 8:7–8).”[4] That is, lost sinners cannot respond to God at all, as they are spiritually unable (dead) to respond apart from God's granting life and the ability to believe. This leads Calvinists to conclude two things. First, God sovereignly acts by Himself to regenerate the spiritually dead and make them spiritually alive. Second, God gives the newly regenerate a special kind of faith whereby they can and will trust in Christ as Savior. According to Wayne Grudem, regeneration is “the act of God awakening spiritual life within us, bringing us from spiritual death to spiritual life. On this definition, it is natural to understand that regeneration comes before saving faith. It is in fact this work of God that gives us the spiritual ability to respond to God in faith.”[5] According to John MacArthur, “Our response in salvation is faith, but even that is not of ourselves [but is] the gift of God. Faith is nothing that we do in our own power or by our own resources...Paul intends to emphasize that even faith is not from us apart from God's giving it.”[6] The result of these divine actions in God's elect means they will produce good works and will persevere in those works throughout their lives until they die. John MacArthur states, “The same power that created us in Christ Jesus empowers us to do the good works for which He has redeemed us. These are the verifiers of true salvation.”[7] Thus, good works from regeneration to the end of one's life are the proof of salvation. Failure to produce ongoing good works until the end of one's life is offered as proof he was never saved (Matt 7:21). The Biblical View of Total Depravity      The correct biblical view is that total depravity means total unworthiness, not total inability to respond in faith to God's offer of salvation. Despite the profound impact of sin on human nature, the Bible does not portray people as entirely incapacitated. Yes, all mankind is “dead” in their sins (Eph 2:1); but death does not mean total inability, but total separation from God, for even those who were dead still “walked according to the course of this world” (Eph 2:2). Mankind is totally depraved in the sense that sin corrupts every part of our being, intellect, will, and sensibility. However, it does not mean that fallen people are unable to respond in faith to the gospel of grace.      The first example of spiritual death in the Bible is found in the Garden of Eden. God had warned Adam and Eve, saying, “from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen 2:17). The warning was that if they disobeyed God, on that very day, they would die (and death means separation, not cessation). Adam and Eve experienced spiritual death at the moment they disobeyed God. Yet, immediately after the fall, in their state of spiritual death, they could sense God's presence in the Garden, as they “heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden” (Gen 3:8). Furthermore, Adam heard God's voice when He “called to the man” (Gen 3:9), and Adam responded to Him, saying, “I heard the sound of You in the garden” (Gen 3:10a). Though they could not undo their newly fallen sinful state, it did not render them totally unable to perceive God or to respond to Him when He called out to them. And they did respond positively to the Lord when He promised to provide a descendant, a Seed of the woman, who would crush the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15). They also responded positively by accepting God's provision of clothing after He killed an animal, took its skin, and covered their nakedness (Gen 3:21).      Furthermore, God made mankind in His image, as Scripture states, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen 1:27). Even after the historic fall of Adam and Eve, all people are said to be “in the image of God” (Gen 9:6), and “in the likeness of God” (Jam 3:9). Despite the fall of humanity into sin, the image of God in humanity remains intact, implying that humans still retain some moral capacity, which includes the ability to accept God's offer of salvation by faith. Though people are deeply affected by sin, they still possess some capacity for moral choice and responsibility, thus arguing against the notion of total depravity meaning total inability.      Regeneration is entirely the work of God in saving lost sinners who cannot save themselves (Rom 5:6-10). The sinner brings nothing of worth to salvation, but receives all that God has to offer by grace. John Walvoord states, “Regeneration is wholly of God. No possible human effort however noble can supply eternal life.”[8] Paul Enns states, “Succinctly stated, to regenerate means ‘to impart life.' Regeneration is the act whereby God imparts life to the one who believes.”[9] Regeneration occurs in the one who believes in Christ as Savior. According to Charles Ryrie, “Salvation is always through faith, not because of faith (Eph 2:8). Faith is the channel through which we receive God's gift of eternal life; it is not the cause. This is so man can never boast, even of his faith. But faith is the necessary and only channel (John 5:24; 17:3).”[10] The Bible teaches there is only one kind of faith, and that only those who place their faith in Christ will be saved. Faith does not save. Christ saves. The Strict-Calvinist believes there are two kinds of faith, one that is common to all, and another that is special and imparted only to God's elect. Believe to Receive Eternal Life      There are numerous passages in the Bible that place faith as the necessary prerequisite to regeneration. It is written, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16), and Jesus said, “This is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life” (John 6:40), and “he who believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). Paul wrote to Timothy about “those who would believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Tim 1:16). In these and other instances, “eternal life” is given after we believe in Jesus as our Savior. Furthermore, people are condemned, not because God has not made a way for them to be saved, but because of their unwillingness to come to Christ as Savior. The issue is individual choice, not inability. The apostle John said, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). Jesus, speaking to unsaved persons, said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life” (John 5:39-40). Jesus said the Holy Spirit convicts everyone of sin (John 16:8), particularly the sin of unbelief, “because they do not believe in Me” (John 16:9). There is only one sin that keeps a person out of heaven, and that is the sin of unbelief; of rejecting Jesus as the only Savior. Apparently unbelievers may resist the Holy Spirit, as Stephen said in his sermon, “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51a).      Scripture reveals that “God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent” (Acts 17:30). This means they must not trust in themselves or any system of good works to save, but must trust in Christ, and Christ alone to save. Faith does not save. Christ saves. Faith is the non-meritorious instrument by which we receive eternal life. The Strict-Calvinist believes Christ died only for the elect (Matt 1:21; John 10:15), and only the elect are savable. The Bible teaches that Christ died for everyone (John 3:16; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2); therefore, everyone is savable. Paul said, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men” (Tit 2:11), and that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4). Peter stated, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). Anyone can be saved by believing the gospel message “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4). Jesus is Free from Sin      Concerning total depravity and the transmission of original sin, Jesus is the sole exception, for Mary's virgin conception (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35) meant Jesus was not born with the taint of original sin. Being free from original sin, Jesus also had no sin nature. Furthermore, Jesus lived His entire life and committed no personal sin. Scripture reveals Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 2:22), and in whom “there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). His sinless life qualified Him to die a substitutionary death in our place, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). Jesus died for everyone and paid the penalty for our sin (John 3:16; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2). Though His death is sufficient for all to be saved (unlimited atonement), the benefits of the cross are applied only to those who believe in Him, which includes forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), the gift of righteousness (Rom 5:17; Phil 3:9), and eternal life (John 10:28). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology, 253. [2] Benjamin B. Warfield, The Plan of Salvation: Five Lectures (Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1915), 44. [3] John M. Frame, Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2006), 112. [4] J. I. Packer, Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1993), 84. [5] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004), 702. [6] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Ephesians (Chicago, Ill. Moody Press, 1986), 98. [7] Ibid., 101. [8] John F. Walvoord, The Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 1977), 132. [9] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 338. [10]

     Total depravity is the biblical doctrine that sin permeates all aspects of our being—mind, will, and sensibilities, and renders us helpless to save ourselves. It does not mean we are as bad as we can be, for there are many moral unbelievers in the world. Being contaminated by sin means whatever morality we produce can never measure up to the perfect righteousness God expects. Is there any person who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?” (Prov 20:9). The answer is an emphatic No! The human heart is corrupt, for “the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick” (Jer 17:9). And “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins” (Eccl 7:20), and “There is none righteous; not even one. There is none who understands; there is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become useless. There is none who does good, there is not even one” (Rom 3:10-12; cf. Rom 8:8). Some might argue that we can perform good works and help to save ourselves. This is wrong. Scripture states, “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God” (Isa 59:2), “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isa 64:6). Salvation does not come by human works; rather, we are “justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3:28), and salvation comes “to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly” (Rom 4:5), and we are “not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16), “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9), and God “has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim 1:9), and “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5). By human standards, even the worst person can do some good. But human estimation is lower than God's estimation and it is God's standards that define what is truly good. According to Charles Ryrie, “Total depravity must always be measured against God's holiness. Relative goodness exists in people. They can do good works, which are appreciated by others. But nothing that anyone can do will gain salvational merit or favor in the sight of a holy God.”[1] Calvinist View of Total Depravity      For Calvinists, total depravity means total inability. They regard people as totally unable to respond to the things of God; like a physical corpse. Notable scholars such as B. B. Warfield, R. C. Sproul, John Piper, Wayne Grudem, John Frame, John MacArthur, and J. I. Packer hold this view. B. B. Warfield wrote, “nothing is more fundamental in the doctrine of the Reformers than the complete inability of man and his absolute need of divine grace.”[2] John Frame states, “We can never come to God out of our own resources. We are helpless to do anything to save ourselves. This condition is sometimes called total inability” (italics his).[3] J. I. Packer states, “Total depravity entails total inability, that is, the state of not having it in oneself to respond to God and his Word in a sincere and wholehearted way (John 6:44; Rom 8:7–8).”[4] That is, lost sinners cannot respond to God at all, as they are spiritually unable (dead) to respond apart from God's granting life and the ability to believe. This leads Calvinists to conclude two things. First, God sovereignly acts by Himself to regenerate the spiritually dead and make them spiritually alive. Second, God gives the newly regenerate a special kind of faith whereby they can and will trust in Christ as Savior. According to Wayne Grudem, regeneration is “the act of God awakening spiritual life within us, bringing us from spiritual death to spiritual life. On this definition, it is natural to understand that regeneration comes before saving faith. It is in fact this work of God that gives us the spiritual ability to respond to God in faith.”[5] According to John MacArthur, “Our response in salvation is faith, but even that is not of ourselves [but is] the gift of God. Faith is nothing that we do in our own power or by our own resources...Paul intends to emphasize that even faith is not from us apart from God's giving it.”[6] The result of these divine actions in God's elect means they will produce good works and will persevere in those works throughout their lives until they die. John MacArthur states, “The same power that created us in Christ Jesus empowers us to do the good works for which He has redeemed us. These are the verifiers of true salvation.”[7] Thus, good works from regeneration to the end of one's life are the proof of salvation. Failure to produce ongoing good works until the end of one's life is offered as proof he was never saved (Matt 7:21). The Biblical View of Total Depravity      The correct biblical view is that total depravity means total unworthiness, not total inability to respond in faith to God's offer of salvation. Despite the profound impact of sin on human nature, the Bible does not portray people as entirely incapacitated. Yes, all mankind is “dead” in their sins (Eph 2:1); but death does not mean total inability, but total separation from God, for even those who were dead still “walked according to the course of this world” (Eph 2:2). Mankind is totally depraved in the sense that sin corrupts every part of our being, intellect, will, and sensibility. However, it does not mean that fallen people are unable to respond in faith to the gospel of grace.      The first example of spiritual death in the Bible is found in the Garden of Eden. God had warned Adam and Eve, saying, “from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen 2:17). The warning was that if they disobeyed God, on that very day, they would die (and death means separation, not cessation). Adam and Eve experienced spiritual death at the moment they disobeyed God. Yet, immediately after the fall, in their state of spiritual death, they could sense God's presence in the Garden, as they “heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden” (Gen 3:8). Furthermore, Adam heard God's voice when He “called to the man” (Gen 3:9), and Adam responded to Him, saying, “I heard the sound of You in the garden” (Gen 3:10a). Though they could not undo their newly fallen sinful state, it did not render them totally unable to perceive God or to respond to Him when He called out to them. And they did respond positively to the Lord when He promised to provide a descendant, a Seed of the woman, who would crush the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15). They also responded positively by accepting God's provision of clothing after He killed an animal, took its skin, and covered their nakedness (Gen 3:21).      Furthermore, God made mankind in His image, as Scripture states, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen 1:27). Even after the historic fall of Adam and Eve, all people are said to be “in the image of God” (Gen 9:6), and “in the likeness of God” (Jam 3:9). Despite the fall of humanity into sin, the image of God in humanity remains intact, implying that humans still retain some moral capacity, which includes the ability to accept God's offer of salvation by faith. Though people are deeply affected by sin, they still possess some capacity for moral choice and responsibility, thus arguing against the notion of total depravity meaning total inability.      Regeneration is entirely the work of God in saving lost sinners who cannot save themselves (Rom 5:6-10). The sinner brings nothing of worth to salvation, but receives all that God has to offer by grace. John Walvoord states, “Regeneration is wholly of God. No possible human effort however noble can supply eternal life.”[8] Paul Enns states, “Succinctly stated, to regenerate means ‘to impart life.' Regeneration is the act whereby God imparts life to the one who believes.”[9] Regeneration occurs in the one who believes in Christ as Savior. According to Charles Ryrie, “Salvation is always through faith, not because of faith (Eph 2:8). Faith is the channel through which we receive God's gift of eternal life; it is not the cause. This is so man can never boast, even of his faith. But faith is the necessary and only channel (John 5:24; 17:3).”[10] The Bible teaches there is only one kind of faith, and that only those who place their faith in Christ will be saved. Faith does not save. Christ saves. The Strict-Calvinist believes there are two kinds of faith, one that is common to all, and another that is special and imparted only to God's elect. Believe to Receive Eternal Life      There are numerous passages in the Bible that place faith as the necessary prerequisite to regeneration. It is written, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16), and Jesus said, “This is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life” (John 6:40), and “he who believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). Paul wrote to Timothy about “those who would believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Tim 1:16). In these and other instances, “eternal life” is given after we believe in Jesus as our Savior. Furthermore, people are condemned, not because God has not made a way for them to be saved, but because of their unwillingness to come to Christ as Savior. The issue is individual choice, not inability. The apostle John said, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). Jesus, speaking to unsaved persons, said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life” (John 5:39-40). Jesus said the Holy Spirit convicts everyone of sin (John 16:8), particularly the sin of unbelief, “because they do not believe in Me” (John 16:9). There is only one sin that keeps a person out of heaven, and that is the sin of unbelief; of rejecting Jesus as the only Savior. Apparently unbelievers may resist the Holy Spirit, as Stephen said in his sermon, “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51a).      Scripture reveals that “God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent” (Acts 17:30). This means they must not trust in themselves or any system of good works to save, but must trust in Christ, and Christ alone to save. Faith does not save. Christ saves. Faith is the non-meritorious instrument by which we receive eternal life. The Strict-Calvinist believes Christ died only for the elect (Matt 1:21; John 10:15), and only the elect are savable. The Bible teaches that Christ died for everyone (John 3:16; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2); therefore, everyone is savable. Paul said, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men” (Tit 2:11), and that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4). Peter stated, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). Anyone can be saved by believing the gospel message “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4). Jesus is Free from Sin      Concerning total depravity and the transmission of original sin, Jesus is the sole exception, for Mary's virgin conception (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35) meant Jesus was not born with the taint of original sin. Being free from original sin, Jesus also had no sin nature. Furthermore, Jesus lived His entire life and committed no personal sin. Scripture reveals Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 2:22), and in whom “there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). His sinless life qualified Him to die a substitutionary death in our place, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). Jesus died for everyone and paid the penalty for our sin (John 3:16; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2). Though His death is sufficient for all to be saved (unlimited atonement), the benefits of the cross are applied only to those who believe in Him, which includes forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), the gift of righteousness (Rom 5:17; Phil 3:9), and eternal life (John 10:28). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology, 253. [2] Benjamin B. Warfield, The Plan of Salvation: Five Lectures (Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1915), 44. [3] John M. Frame, Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2006), 112. [4] J. I. Packer, Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1993), 84. [5] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004), 702. [6] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Ephesians (Chicago, Ill. Moody Press, 1986), 98. [7] Ibid., 101. [8] John F. Walvoord, The Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 1977), 132. [9] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 338. [10] Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 377.

     Our salvation is necessary because of the problem of sin. The word sin is found throughout Scripture, and both the Hebrew and Greek share the same basic meaning. The Hebrew word chata (חָטָא) means “to miss the target, or to lose the way,”[1] and the Greek word hamartanō (ἁμαρτάνω) is defined as “miss the mark, err, or do wrong.”[2] In Judges 20:16 the Hebrew word is used of skilled soldiers who do not miss their target, and in Proverbs 19:2 of a man who hurries and misses his way.[3] Sin is when we transgress God's law and depart from His intended path.[4] The apostle John states, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). Sin is a failure to conform to the holy character of God, a deviation from His righteous will.      Divine laws are a reflection of the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God may be defined as the intrinsic, immutable, moral perfection of God, from which He commands all things, in heaven and earth, and declares as good that which conforms to His righteousness and as evil that which deviates. God's character is the basis upon which all just laws derive; either divine laws from God Himself or human laws which conform to His righteousness.[5] Merrill F. Unger states: "The underlying idea of sin is that of law and of a lawgiver. The lawgiver is God. Hence sin is everything in the disposition and purpose and conduct of God's moral creatures that is contrary to the expressed will of God (Rom 3:20; 4:15; 7:7; Jam 4:12, 17). The sinfulness of sin lies in the fact that it is against God, even when the wrong we do is to others or ourselves (Gen 39:9; Psa 51:4)."[6] Robert B. Thieme Jr. states: "Man's sin is disobedience to, or falling away from, God's perfect standard and expressed will. Regardless of the sinner's action or intent, all sin is ultimately directed against God (Gen 39:9; Psa 51:4). The temptation for sin comes from the sin nature, but only when volition consents is the sin committed. Knowingly or unknowingly, man transgresses divine standards because he wills to do so."[7] The First Sin      God is sovereign and permits sin, but is never the author of it. Sin is the expression of a creaturely will that is set against God. The first sin occurred in heaven, by Lucifer, an angel of the class of cherubim.  Scripture reveals that Lucifer “had the seal of perfection, and was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (Ezek 28:12). Lucifer personally served in the presence of God (Ezek 28:13-14), until he sinned. God said of him, “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you” (Ezek 28:15). Being the first creature to fall away from God, his sin was purely volitional and self-actuated, as there was no temptation or sin apart from the first sin he committed. And the first sin he committed was a mental attitude sin, as God says of him, “You were internally filled with violence, and you sinned” (Ezek 28:16). Satan's violence was connected with his pride, as the Lord states, “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor” (Ezek 28:17). Satan is brilliant in mind and appearance, but his pride is his weakness, as it corrupts his ability to reason. And Satan, having an inflated sense of himself, thought he could be God, and sought to usurp the Lord's place over the creation (Isa 14:12-14). Satan also convinced a third of the angels to follow him in his rebellion (Rev 12:4, 7). Satan operates from a base of power, which takes priority over all else. And he will employ reason to the degree that it accommodates his power; however, if his power is threatened, he will abandon reason and resort to lies, manipulation, and brute force if needed. The Fall of Humanity      Satan's kingdom of darkness was expanded to include the earth when he persuaded Adam and Eve to follow him rather than God (Gen 3:1-8). The first human sin occurred in the Garden of Eden. God had warned Adam and Eve, saying, “from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen 2:17). The warning was that if they disobeyed God, on that very day, they would die. When Satan came into the Garden of Eden, he engaged Eve through discussion, posing a question, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?'” (Gen 3:1), and after hearing Eve's reply (Gen 3:2-3), Satan responded, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:4-5). Of course, this was a bold lie, and Eve, rather than trust the Lord, trusted Satan, and “she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate” (Gen 3:6). Adam and Eve experienced spiritual death at the moment they disobeyed God (Gen 3:7). Though both sinned, Adam's act of disobedience was greater than Eve's because he was the spiritual head of the marriage, and whereas Eve  was deceived (1 Tim 2:14), Adam was not deceived. Because of Adam's disobedience, sin and death were introduced into the human race (Gen 3:1-7; Rom 5:12, 18-19; 1 Cor 15:22).      At the time of the fall (Gen 3:1-6), the first humans—God's theocratic administrators (Gen 1:26-28)—gave Satan the title deed to the earth (Luke 4:6). This explains why Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). And other passages of Scripture call Satan “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), and “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), informing us “that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Satan rules by deception, oppression, and enslavement. Scripture reveals he has “weakened the nations” (Isa 14:12), and currently “deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9; cf. Rev 20:3). And because he is a finite creature, he relies on others—fallen angels and people—to help him advance his kosmos world-system (1 John 2:15-16), a philosophical and moral structure that is inherently and systemically corrupt, hostile to God, and completely opposed to anything divine.      As Christians living in Satan's world system, who still retain our sinful flesh (Rom 6:6; 13:14; Gal 5:17, 19; Eph 4:22; Col 3:9), we are constantly tempted to sin and act contrary to the character and will of God. The sin we commit may be mental, verbal, or physical. It may be private or public, impacting one or many, with short or lasting results. Below are biblical examples of sin: Adam and Eve disobeyed the command not to eat the fruit from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:15-17; 3:1-7). Lot's daughters got him drunk and had sex with him (Gen 19:30-38). Aaron led the Israelites to worship an idol (Ex 32:1-6). Moses struck the rock when the Lord told him to speak to it (Num 20:8-12). Samson slept with prostitutes (Judg 16:1-4). David had an affair with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah, murdered (2 Sam 11:1-21). Solomon worshiped idols (1 Ki 11:1-10). James and John (nicknamed Boanerges, or “Sons of Thunder”; Mark 3:17) wanted to call fire down from heaven to kill the residents of a Samaritan city (Luke 9:51-55). The mother of James and John requested special treatment for her sons, that they might have a place of prominence seated on thrones to the right and left of Jesus (Matt 20:20-21). This upset the other disciples (Matt 20:24). The disciples argued amongst themselves as to who was greatest in the kingdom (Luke 9:46). Peter tried to prevent Jesus from going to the cross (Matt 16:21-23). Peter publicly denied the Lord three times (Matt 26:34-35; 69-75). The Christians at Corinth engaged in quarrels (1 Cor 1:11), jealousy and strife (1 Cor 3:1-3), fornication (1 Cor. 5:1-2), selfishness and drunkenness (1 Cor 11:21).  Peter engaged in hypocrisy and was publicly rebuked by Paul (Gal. 2:11-14). The Apostle John twice worshipped an angel and was rebuked for it (Rev 19:10; 22:8-9).      The above list is a just a sampling of sins in the Bible. Biblically, every person is a sinner in God's sight (1 Ki 8:46; Prov 20:9; Isa 53:6; Rom 3:9-10; 23; 5:12, 18-19). Jesus is the single exception. Jesus, because of His divine nature (John 1:1, 14; Col 2:9), and the virgin conception (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35), is the only person ever born without sin and who committed no sin (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5). His perfect humanity and sinless life qualified Him to go to the cross and die in our place. Sin separates us from God and renders us helpless to merit God's approval. We are helpless to solve the sin problem and save ourselves (Rom 5:6-10; Eph 2:1-3). Good works have no saving merit before God (Isa 64:6; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). We cannot save ourselves any more than we can jump across the Grand Canyon or throw rocks and hit the moon. Sadly, many people buy into the lie that they can help save themselves by doing good works. The biblical teaching is that salvation is never based on good works or adherence to law, but by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (John 3:16; 14:6; Acts 4:12; 16:31). Scripture states, we are “not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16; cf. Rom 3:20, 28), for “if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly” (Gal 2:21).      According to Norman Geisler, “Sin is the precondition for salvation; salvation isn't necessary unless there are sinners in need of being saved. As to the origin of salvation, there is universal agreement among orthodox theologians: God is the author of our salvation, for whereas human sin originated with human beings on earth, salvation originated with God in heaven.”[8] And according to Robert Lightner, “The Bible is explicit about the condition of all who have not been born again. They are lost (Luke 19:10), condemned (John 3:18), under God's wrath (John 3:36), dead in trespasses and sin (Eph 2:1), having no hope, and without God in the world (Eph 2:12), and unrighteous (Rom 1:19-32).”[9] It matters little what people think of themselves. God provides the only true estimation of people, and His Word declares that we are utterly lost in sin and helpless to save ourselves. According to Lewis Chafer: "The greatest problem for the infinite God was to provide the reconciliation of the cross: the greatest problem for man is simply to believe the record in its fulness. To reject the Savior is not only to refuse the gracious love of God, but is to elect, so far as one can do, to remain under the full guilt of every sin as though no Savior had been provided, or no sacrifice had been made. No more terrible sin can be conceived of than the sin of rejecting Christ."[10] Salvation from Sin and its Consequences      Eternal salvation is available to us because Jesus went to the cross and died in our place and bore the punishment that rightfully belongs to us. God is holy, and we are guilty sinners who stand condemned before Him, contaminated by sin and utterly helpless to change our fallen condition (Rom 5:6-8). But God is love (1 John 4:8), and He loves us so much that He sent His Son into the world to pay the sin debt we cannot pay. We're told that “God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). And because of Jesus' death on the cross, God “canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:14). Jesus paid our sin debt in full, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18a). There's nothing for us to add to Jesus' work on the cross. The sole condition of salvation is to believe in Christ as our Savior. The good news is that Jesus died for us, was buried, and rose again on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4). Salvation is not Jesus plus anything we do. It's Jesus alone. He saves. Our contribution to the cross was sin and death, as Jesus took our sin upon Himself and died in our place. Salvation is never what we do for God; rather, it's what He's done for us through the cross of Christ. That's all. It's a gift that is received by faith alone in Christ alone, for “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). And God's gift is available to everyone, for “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The matter is simple: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 305. [2] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 49. [3] G. Herbert Livingston, “638 חָטָא,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 277. [4] Other Hebrew and Greek words related to sin include: evil (רָע ra – Gen 3:5), wicked (רָשָׁע rasha – Prov 15:9), rebel (מָרָה marah – Deut 1:26), transgress (פָּשַׁע pasha – Isa 1:2), iniquity (עָוֹן avon – Isa 53:6), error (שָׁגָה shagah – Lev 4:13), guilt (אָשַׁם asham – Lev 4:22), go astray (תָּעָה taah – Psa 58:3), sin (ἁμαρτία hamartia – 1 Cor 15:3), bad (κακός kakos – Rom 12:17), evil (πονηρός poneros – Matt 7:11), ungodly (ἀσεβής asebes – Rom 4:5), guilty (ἔνοχος enochos – 1 Cor 11:27), unrighteousness (ἀδικία adikia – Rom 1:18), lawless (ἄνομος anomos – 1 Tim 1:9), transgression (παράβασις parabasis – Gal 3:19), ignorance (ἀγνοέω agnoeo – Acts 17:23), go astray (πλανάω planao – 1 Pet 2:25), trespass (παράπτωμα paraptoma – Rom 5:15), and hypocrisy (ὑπόκρισις hupokrisis – 1 Tim 4:2). [5] If there is no God, then there is no absolute standard for right and wrong and we are left with arbitrary laws based on manufactured values. [6] Merrill F. Unger, “Sin,” The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, 1198. [7] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Personal Sin”,  Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 196. [8] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation, 181. [9] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 188. [10] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Salvation, 52–53.

Reconciliation      Atonement for sins is the basis for reconciliation, because God has judged our sins in the Person of Christ who died on the cross in our place. The death of Christ has forever satisfied God's righteous demands for our sin and it is on this basis that He can accept sinners before His throne of grace. Paul wrote, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Rom 5:10-11). And, “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18-19). In both of these passages on reconciliation, Paul employs the Greek verb katallassō (καταλλάσσω), and the noun katallage (καταλλαγή) which, according to Louw-Nida, means “to reconcile, to make things right with one another, reconciliation.”[1] But this reconciliation does not bring Him down to us, as though God is reconciled to the world. Rather, it means God has changed us, so that we are reconciled to Him, and this through the death of His Son, Jesus, Who bore our sin on the cross (Rom 5:8; 1 Cor 15:3-4) and gives us His righteousness as a gift at the moment we trust in Christ as our Savior (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). According to G.W. Bromiley: "God is neither reconciled to the world, nor does He reconcile Himself to it. He reconciles the world to Himself (2 Cor 5:19). He loves us even while we are sinners, offering His Son so that we might be forgiven and saved from His wrath (Rom 5:8-10). But God Himself does not change. While He remains implacably opposed to sin, nevertheless, He does not abandon His love for sinners. Instead, He acts to bring about their reconciliation according to an eternal purpose."[2] Paul Enns adds: "God is the one who initiated this change or reconciliation; He moved to reconcile sinful man to Himself (2 Cor 5:18, 19). On the other hand, man is the object of reconciliation. It was man who had moved out of fellowship with God; therefore, man needed to be restored. This reconciliation has been provided for the whole world, but it is effective only when it is received by personal faith."[3]      Because Jesus' death satisfies God's righteousness demands for sin, sinners can approach God who welcomes them in love. God has cleared the way for sinners to come to Him for a new relationship, and this is based completely on the substitutionary work of Christ. God has done everything to reconcile us to Himself. The sin debt that we owed to God has been paid in full by the blood of Christ. Paul Enns states: "The emphasis of reconciliation is that of making peace with God. Man who was estranged from God is brought into communion with God. Sin had created a barrier between man and God and rendered man hostile toward God (Isa 59:1-2; Col 1:21, 22; Jam 4:4). Through Christ that enmity and the wrath of God was removed (Rom 5:10). Reconciliation may thus be defined as “God removing the barrier of sin, producing peace and enabling man to be saved.”[4]      There are two aspects of God's reconciliation. The first is objective and is referred to as provisional reconciliation in which God, through the work of Jesus on the cross, makes humanity savable by means of His judgment of sin in Christ. This means God has removed the barrier that alienated us from Him. The second is subjective and is referred to as experimental reconciliation in which lost sinners are brought into a relationship with God when they believe in Christ as their Savior. They are, at that moment, reconciled to God. According to Robert Lightner, “Because of sin in Adam the entire human race is out of balance, at odds with God. Christ reconciled the world to himself, but each individual must appropriate that work before it benefits him (2 Cor 5:18).”[5] Merrill F. Unger states: "By the death of Christ the world is changed in its relationship to God. Man is reconciled to God, but God is not said to be reconciled to man. By this change lost humanity is rendered savable. As a result of the changed position of the world through the death of Christ the divine attitude toward the human family can no longer be the same. God is enabled to deal with lost souls in the light of what Christ has accomplished…When an individual sees and trusts in the value of Christ's atoning death, he becomes reconciled to God, hostility is removed, friendship and fellowship eventuate."[6]      For those of us who have trusted Christ as our Savior, we have the privilege of sharing the gospel of grace with others, that they too might trust in Jesus as their Savior and be reconciled to God. Paul wrote that God “has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:19b-20). When we come by faith alone in Christ alone, we are fully reconciled to God.   Redemption      Redemption means a price has been paid by one person to liberate another. The Greek words lutroō (λυτρόω), lutron (λύτρον), antilutron (ἀντίλυτρον), and apolutrōsis (ἀπολύτρωσις) are used by NT writers to communicate the truth that Jesus purchased our freedom from the slave-market of sin by means of His sacrificial death on the cross. In the NT, this word group occurs 21 times and apolutrōsis (ἀπολύτρωσις) accounts for roughly half of those uses. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom [lutron] for many” (Mark 10:45). Here, the Greek word lutron refers to “price of release, ransom.”[7]Prior to faith in Christ, we were held captive in Satan's slave-market of sin, but Christ released us by His shed blood. Paul states, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption [apolutrōsis], the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14). And, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom [antilutron] for all, the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Tim 2:5-6). Paul wrote, “In Him we have redemption [apolutrōsis] through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph 1:7). According to BDAG, the Greek word apolutrosis (ἀπολύτρωσις) originally referred to “buying back a slave or captive, i.e. making free by payment of a ransom.”[8] Hoehner notes, “The NT usage of ἀπολύτρωσις refers to one set free on the basis of a ransom paid to God by Christ's death.”[9] According to Paul Enns, “The word is used to describe the believer being purchased out of the slave market of sin and set free from sin's bondage. The purchase price for the believer's freedom and release from sin was the death of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 6:20; 7:23; Rev 5:9; 14:3, 4).”[10] The whole idea of redemption implies antecedent slavery. A slave could obtain freedom if redeemed by a free person. All humanity is enslaved to sin, Jesus being the sole exception, as He was sinless (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5). Since Jesus was free from sin, He was able to purchase our freedom and liberate us from our bondage to Satan and sin (Acts 26:18; Col 1:13-14). Merrill Unger states: "Redemption from this bondage is represented in the Scriptures as both universal and limited. It is universal in the sense that its advantages are freely offered to all. It is limited in the sense that it is effectual only with respect to those who meet the conditions of salvation announced in the gospel. For such it is effectual in that they receive forgiveness of sins and the power to lead a new and holy life. Satan is no longer their captor, and death has lost its sting and terror. They look forward to the redemption of the body (see Heb 2:9; Acts 3:19; Eph 1:7; Acts 26:18; 2 Tim 2:26; 1 Cor 15:55–57; Rom 8:15–23)."[11]      Biblically, we observe that God's forgiveness is not arbitrary, as though He simply releases someone from their sin-debt without any payment for the offenses that were committed. Nor was the payment for sin made by us, as though we had something of worth to give to God. Peter states, “you were not redeemed [lutroō] with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:18-19). God's forgiveness was made possible by the blood of Christ, which refers to His sacrificial atoning death on the cross where He died in our place, where “Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). And the blood of Christ is the only coin of the heavenly realm that the Father accepts as payment for our sin debt. Lightner states, “The means of redemption from sin in Scripture is always through the shed blood of Christ, and is therefore related to his death (Gal 3:13; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; Heb 9:12, 15; 1 Pet 1:18–19; Rev 5:9). His sinless life demonstrated his qualification to be the sin-bearer. One flaw in his character would have disqualified him.”[12] Harold Hoehner notes: "The OT writings very carefully indicated that the shedding of blood was involved in sacrifice. Sacrificial animals were not killed by strangulation. The shedding of blood is necessary (Lev 17:11; Eph 2:13; 1 Pet 1:19) for without it there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22), and Paul makes it clear that God has been propitiated in Christ's redemption, which was in connection with his blood (Rom 3:24–25), and that one is justified by means of Christ's blood (Rom 5:9). Therefore, the ransom price in connection with deliverance was the sacrificial death of Christ."[13]      Jesus paid our sin debt while He was on the cross dying in our place. But in some mysterious way, we who have believed in Christ as our Savior, are said to have been “crucified with Him” (Rom 6:6) and “died with Christ” (Rom 6:8; cf., 2 Tim 2:11). From the divine perspective (which encompasses all time and space), God the Father sees us dying with Christ while He was on the cross. Dr. Steven R. Cook   ___ [1] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 501. [2] G. W. Bromiley, “Reconcile; Reconciliation,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, 55. [3] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology, 324. [4] Ibid., 324. [5] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 195. [6] Merrill F. Unger, “Reconciliation,” The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, 1067. [7] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 605. [8] Ibid., 117. [9] Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, 206. [10] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology, 323. [11] E. McChesney, “Redemption,” The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, 1069. [12] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 195. [13] Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, 207.

Having described the nature and blessing of the righteous, being like a blessed, upright, strong tree planted by God's River of Life (1:1-3), it declares: "No so, the ungodly, not so!" (v4). He then compares the ungodly to the chaff, which the wind drives away (1:4). We describe threshing, when the chaff is separated from the wheat, and winnowing, when both wheat and chaff are thrown up into the air, and the chaff is carried away by the wind. This describes what happens at a man's judgment right after his death. The threshing, which physically separates the chaff from the wheat, corresponds to physical death, and the winnowing describes what happens after death, when the chaff is blown away by the wind to a place of judgment, to be burnt. Whereas the wheat (believer in Christ) continues to stand in God's Kingdom, the chaff (unbeliever) can't stand before God, and is blown away into His fire (Hades, then the Lake of Fire). This process of judgment will be brought to its climax and completion by Christ at the Day of Lord: “His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matt 3:12). The word for threshing sledge is tribulum, where we get the word Tribulation. The chaff (thin skin around grain of wheat) is dry, empty, weak, unstable, and worthless, once separated from the wheat. God gives all men a measure of goodness in this life (common grace), but if they reject God, then at death His grace is removed and they become what they've chosen to be, an empty shell, separated from God's presence, life, goodness and glory (substance). The substance and value of our life comes from God's Presence, so those who die ungodly will immediately discover who they are in themselves, without God - worthless chaff, only good to be thrown into God's fire, for they are useless to God, for they've refused to fulfil the purpose for which they were created - to glorify God, choosing rather to be their own gods. Thus the nature and destiny of the cursed, weak, unstable chaff is opposite to the believer, who is like a tree, strong, stable, standing forever. At this time sinners and hypocrites can join in the congregation of the just, but when judgment day comes, sinners will find they can't stand before God with the just (who have right-standing with God thru Christ's righteousness), and will be separated from the just and removed - blown away to a place of fiery judgment (1:5). The conclusion (v6) contrasts the way and destination of the righteous and the way of the ungodly: "For the Lord knows (watches over) the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish (end in destruction)." We must choose to which of these 2 groups we belong. It describes these 2 groups and their 2 corresponding ways of life, to help us identify to which we actually belong. The Way of the righteous is Christ Himself (John 14:6), so to walk in this Way, means walking with Christ, in fellowship with Him. The statement that the Lord KNOWS the way of the righteous, in a way that He does not know the way of the ungodly, speaks of His personal relationship and involvement with them - that He is walking with them, and watching over them in love, making sure they will reach their glorious destination together. (Saying: 'I am the way' means personally leading us to our destination). On the other hand, the ungodly choose to go their own way, apart from God (Isa 53:6), and Jesus will say to them "I never knew you" (Matt 7:23), and so their way will end in ruin. Jesus is the narrow Gate and Way that leads to life (Matt 7:13-14). We enter through the narrow Gate when we trust in Him and His death & resurrection, receiving Him as our Lord and Saviour. Then we enter into the narrow Way, of walking in fellowship with Him, trusting His leadership. If you are righteous in Christ, you are on the Way of righteousness, which means you are travelling on a very different road through life than the multitudes of ungodly people, on the broad road leading to destruction ( 1:1). Finally, we point out there is only 1 Person who has perfectly fulfilled Psalm 1 - JESUS. This is a portrait of Christ - the Blessed Man of Psalm 1. This is why 'the blessed man' is in the singular, and the 'ungodly' is plural. Without Christ, we would all be useless chaff destined for fire. But He has made a way for us to be put into Christ and receive His righteousness. Since Psalm 1 is fulfilled in Christ, when you are put into Christ, then Psalm 1 also becomes true for you, for you are in Christ - you become a blessed man in Him (Eph 1:3), planted (in the new birth) by the River of the Spirit, with full access to His grace, enabling you to grow spiritually, become fruitful, as you meditate on His Word and develop strong faith roots to draw upon His life.

Having described the nature and blessing of the righteous, being like a blessed, upright, strong tree planted by God's River of Life (1:1-3), it declares: "No so, the ungodly, not so!" (v4). He then compares the ungodly to the chaff, which the wind drives away (1:4). We describe threshing, when the chaff is separated from the wheat, and winnowing, when both wheat and chaff are thrown up into the air, and the chaff is carried away by the wind. This describes what happens at a man's judgment right after his death. The threshing, which physically separates the chaff from the wheat, corresponds to physical death, and the winnowing describes what happens after death, when the chaff is blown away by the wind to a place of judgment, to be burnt. Whereas the wheat (believer in Christ) continues to stand in God's Kingdom, the chaff (unbeliever) can't stand before God, and is blown away into His fire (Hades, then the Lake of Fire). This process of judgment will be brought to its climax and completion by Christ at the Day of Lord: “His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matt 3:12). The word for threshing sledge is tribulum, where we get the word Tribulation. The chaff (thin skin around grain of wheat) is dry, empty, weak, unstable, and worthless, once separated from the wheat. God gives all men a measure of goodness in this life (common grace), but if they reject God, then at death His grace is removed and they become what they've chosen to be, an empty shell, separated from God's presence, life, goodness and glory (substance). The substance and value of our life comes from God's Presence, so those who die ungodly will immediately discover who they are in themselves, without God - worthless chaff, only good to be thrown into God's fire, for they are useless to God, for they've refused to fulfil the purpose for which they were created - to glorify God, choosing rather to be their own gods. Thus the nature and destiny of the cursed, weak, unstable chaff is opposite to the believer, who is like a tree, strong, stable, standing forever. At this time sinners and hypocrites can join in the congregation of the just, but when judgment day comes, sinners will find they can't stand before God with the just (who have right-standing with God thru Christ's righteousness), and will be separated from the just and removed - blown away to a place of fiery judgment (1:5). The conclusion (v6) contrasts the way and destination of the righteous and the way of the ungodly: "For the Lord knows (watches over) the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish (end in destruction)." We must choose to which of these 2 groups we belong. It describes these 2 groups and their 2 corresponding ways of life, to help us identify to which we actually belong. The Way of the righteous is Christ Himself (John 14:6), so to walk in this Way, means walking with Christ, in fellowship with Him. The statement that the Lord KNOWS the way of the righteous, in a way that He does not know the way of the ungodly, speaks of His personal relationship and involvement with them - that He is walking with them, and watching over them in love, making sure they will reach their glorious destination together. (Saying: 'I am the way' means personally leading us to our destination). On the other hand, the ungodly choose to go their own way, apart from God (Isa 53:6), and Jesus will say to them "I never knew you" (Matt 7:23), and so their way will end in ruin. Jesus is the narrow Gate and Way that leads to life (Matt 7:13-14). We enter through the narrow Gate when we trust in Him and His death & resurrection, receiving Him as our Lord and Saviour. Then we enter into the narrow Way, of walking in fellowship with Him, trusting His leadership. If you are righteous in Christ, you are on the Way of righteousness, which means you are travelling on a very different road through life than the multitudes of ungodly people, on the broad road leading to destruction ( 1:1). Finally, we point out there is only 1 Person who has perfectly fulfilled Psalm 1 - JESUS. This is a portrait of Christ - the Blessed Man of Psalm 1. This is why 'the blessed man' is in the singular, and the 'ungodly' is plural. Without Christ, we would all be useless chaff destined for fire. But He has made a way for us to be put into Christ and receive His righteousness. Since Psalm 1 is fulfilled in Christ, when you are put into Christ, then Psalm 1 also becomes true for you, for you are in Christ - you become a blessed man in Him (Eph 1:3), planted (in the new birth) by the River of the Spirit, with full access to His grace, enabling you to grow spiritually, become fruitful, as you meditate on His Word and develop strong faith roots to draw upon His life.

There is So Much More to This Life in ChristAs followers of Jesus, you and I long to live the spiritually charged, victorious life He promises in Scripture— an abundant, overcoming life marked by joy, peace, purpose, and the wonder of having the mind of Christ. But let's face it, our everyday experience often falls painfully short of the dynamic faith and unimaginable blessings described in God's Word (Eph. 3:20). But it doesn't have to be that way.So what's the key to unlocking this life to the fullest in the power of the Spirit? Complete and total surrender to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.But What Does Total Surrender Look Like?Surrender means letting go of our wants, rights, and expectations and fully embracing God's perfect plan for our lives, even if the future seems unclear and we don't know what that plan is. Surrender requires trust, obedience, and complete reliance on His supernatural power at work within us, even when we struggle to feel His presence at times. And surrender is trusting Him even when the future is uncertain, and we can't see what tomorrow holds. But that's to be expected. After all, we “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). But when we surrender completely, release control of our lives, and submit to His will, we open ourselves up to the blessing of becoming all God created us to be in Him. And the results are breathtaking.True surrender brings freedom— true freedom to thrive in our identity as children of the Most High God and not be constrained by the world's definition of who we are. Surrender leads us deeper in our relationship with Him, far beyond surface-level faith, into an intimate walk with the Almighty, the Creator of All. This surrendered life overflows with heavenly abundance, just as Jesus promised. But it only comes through daily submission and complete dependence on Jesus.If you want to live out the fullness of God's calling, then it's time to surrender your all to Him— your plans, dreams, possessions, relationships, everything— even your life itself (Matt. 16:24-25). Lay it all down at the feet of the One who gave it all for you.If you're ready to experience the spiritual abundance Christ offers, here are some practical steps to help you surrender yourself completely to the Lord:Recognize Your Need for GodThe first step towards the surrendered life is admitting, “I can't do this on my own!” As humans, we're all flawed sinners falling short of God's glory (Rom. 3:23). Pride and self-sufficiency erect thick barriers separating us from the Lord and each other. So get honest with yourself about the areas where you fall short and confess those sins to Him. Ask God to show you where you need to grow spiritually and recognize that no amount of effort will ever make you holy or righteous in His sight, outside of Christ. Approach God with humility, knowing you desperately need Him.For example, when you catch yourself complaining about long lines or bad traffic, pause and acknowledge the pride behind your disgruntled heart. Or when you experience a major failure at work, use it as a reminder that you need God's strength and grace every moment of every day. For without Him, you can do nothing (John 15:15)Repent and Ask for ForgivenessOnce you're aware of your shortcomings, take those sins to God in repentance— don't justify or downplay them. It's your sin that separates you from God (Isa. 59:2). True repentance restores your fellowship with God when you acknowledge your sins and ask for forgiveness. Plus, God promises that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). And once we repent and confess our sin, the crushing...

Jesus' Sinless Life      The record of Scripture is that Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 2:22), and in whom “there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). But why was the sinless humanity of Jesus necessary? The biblical teaching is that all mankind is sinful and separated from God (Rom 3:10-23). We are sinners in Adam (Rom 5:12; 1 Cor 15:21-22), sinners by nature (Rom 7:14-25; 13:12-14), and sinners by choice (Isa 59:2; Jam 1:14-15). Because of our fallen sinful state, we are completely helpless to solve the sin problem and save ourselves (Rom 5:6-10; Eph 2:1-3), and good works have no saving merit before God (Isa 64:6; Rom 4:4-5; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). Being completely sinless, Jesus was qualified to go the cross as “a lamb unblemished and spotless” (1 Pet 1:19) and die a substitutionary death in our place, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). Charles Lee Feinberg states, “Though tempted in all points as we are, He was nevertheless without sin (Heb 4:15); indeed, we are told, He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners (Heb 7:26). In short, the combined testimony of Scripture reveals that in Him is no sin (1 John 3:5).”[1] According to R. B. Thieme Jr.: "As true humanity living on earth, Christ was free from all three categories of human sinfulness: the sin nature, Adam's original sin, and personal sins. The first two categories were eliminated from our Lord's life through the virgin birth, but personal sin remained an issue throughout the Incarnation. Scripture confirms that our Lord can “sympathize with our weaknesses,” because He “has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). The temptation to personal sin did not come from within, because the humanity of Christ had no inherent sin nature. He did, however, receive temptation from outside His person—even being tempted by Satan himself…By constantly relying on the provisions of the spiritual life (the same provisions available to us), Jesus Christ was able to resist every temptation and remain perfect (1 John 3:3, 5)."[2]      Sinners need salvation, but cannot save themselves, nor can they save another. All are trapped in sin and utterly helpless to change their condition. But God the Son did what we cannot do for ourselves. He obeyed the Father and stepped into time and space, taking true and sinless humanity to Himself, and living a perfect life before the Father. Then, at a point in time, He surrendered Himself to the cross and died a penal substitutionary death on behalf of all humanity, bearing the wrath of God in their place. Then He was placed in a grave and rose again to life on the third day, never to die again. The benefits of the cross are applied to those who come to Jesus with the empty hands of faith, believing He died for them, was buried, and raised again on the third day. When they place their faith in Him as Savior, they have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. This is given freely by grace. R. B. Thieme Jr. states: "Every human being needs to be saved, because everyone enters this world in a state of spiritual death, total depravity, and total separation from God. Because man is born hopelessly lost from God and helpless to do anything about it, God, in His grace, designed a perfect plan to reconcile man to Himself. God the Son took the burden of responsibility: He became true humanity and remained sinless so that He could be judged for the sins of the world (1 Pet 3:18). While Jesus Christ hung on the cross, God the Father poured the full wrath of His justice upon the Son He loved so perfectly (Matt 27:46; Rom 5:8–10; 2 Cor 5:21). Christ “bore our sins in His body” (1 Pet 2:24) and took the punishment in our place. God's righteous standard approved of Jesus' sacrifice as payment for all human sins."[3] Jesus' Willingness to Die      Jesus was not forced to go to the cross, but willingly went and bore our sin (Isa 53:4-11; John 10:17-18; 1 Pet 2:24). Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11), and “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative” (John 10:18a). It was the will of the Father for Jesus to die a penal substitutionary death, and Jesus willingly accomplished it. Jesus said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me” (Heb 10:5). And once in hypostatic union, Jesus said, “Behold, I have come to do your will” (Heb 10:9). It was necessary for Jesus to be fully human and free from sin to be the atoning sacrifice. Thomas Constable states, “Jesus willingly offered Himself; no human took His life from Him. However, He offered Himself in obedience to the Father's will.”[4] According to Leon Morris, “The Lord's death does not take place as the result of misadventure or the might of his foes or the like. No one takes his life from him. Far from this being the case, he himself lays it down, and does so completely of his own volition.”[5] William MacDonald adds: "No one could take the Lord's life from Him. He is God, and is thus greater than all the murderous plots of His creatures. He had power in Himself to lay down His life, and He also had power to take it again. But did not men kill the Lord Jesus? They did. This is clearly stated in Acts 2:23 and in 1 Thessalonians 2:15. The Lord Jesus allowed them to do it, and this was an exhibition of His power to lay down His life. Furthermore, He “gave up His Spirit” (John 19:30) as an act of His own strength and will."[6] Jesus' Substitutionary Atonement      Atonement is a very important concept in the Bible. In the OT, the word atonement translates the Hebrew verb kaphar (כָּפַר) which means to “cover over, pacify, propitiate, [or] atone for sin.”[7] Theologically, it means “to bring together in mutual agreement, with the added idea, in theology, of reconciliation through the vicarious suffering of one on behalf of another.”[8] The animal sacrificial system—which was part of the Mosaic Law—taught that sin must be atoned for. The idea of substitution was clearly taught as the sinner laid his hands on the animal that died in his place (Lev 4:15, 24; 16:21). The innocent animal paid the price of death on behalf of the guilty sinner.      The animal sacrificial system under the Mosaic Law taught that God is holy, man is sinful, and that God was willing to judge an innocent creature as a substitute in place of the sinner. The animal that shed its blood gave up its life in place of the one who had offended God, and it was only through the shed blood that atonement was made. A life for a life. The animal sacrificial system under the Mosaic Law was highly symbolic, temporary, and pointed forward to the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Levitical priests would regularly perform their temple sacrifices on behalf of the people to God, but being a symbolic system, the animal sacrifices could never “make perfect those who draw near” to Him, for the simple reason that “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb 10:1, 4). For nearly fourteen centuries the temple priests kept “offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” (Heb 10:11), until finally Christ “offered one sacrifice for sins for all time” (Heb 10:12), and through that one offering “perfected for all time those who are sanctified” by it (Heb 10:14). What the Mosaic Law could never accomplish through the sacrifice of symbols, Christ did once and for all time through His substitutionary death on the cross when he died in the place of sinners.      Jesus' death on the cross was a satisfactory sacrifice to God which completely paid the price for our sin. We owed a debt to God that we could never pay, and Jesus paid that debt in full when He died on the cross and bore the punishment that rightfully belonged to us. In Romans 3:25 Paul used the Greek word hilasterion (ἱλαστήριον)—translated propitiation—to show that Jesus' shed blood completely satisfied God's righteous demands toward our sin, with the result that there is nothing more for the sinner to pay to God. Jesus paid our sin-debt in full. The Apostle John tells us “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2; cf., 1 John 4:10). Jesus' death on the cross forever satisfied God's righteous demands toward the sins of everyone for all time! God has “canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:14). Regarding Christ's death, J. Dwight Pentecost states: "You can be adjusted to God's standard, because God made Christ to become sin for us. The One who knew no sin, the One in whose lips had never been found guile, took upon Himself our sin in order that He might bear our sins to the cross and offer Himself as an acceptable substitute to God for us—on our behalf, in our place. And when Jesus Christ identified Himself with sinners and went to the cross on their behalf and in their place, He was making possible the doctrine of reconciliation. He was making it possible for God to conform the world to Himself, to adjust the world to His standard so that sinners in the world might find salvation because “Jesus paid it all.” You can be adjusted to God, to God's standard, through Christ, by His death, by His cross, by His blood, and by His identification with sinners."[9]      In the NT, the idea of substitution is observed in the use of two Greek prepositions. The first is the preposition huper (ὑπὲρ), translated “for,” which means “in behalf of, for the sake of someone.”[10] The idea of Jesus dying as a substitute in the place of sinners is seen in Romans 5:8 where Paul wrote, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” The second preposition that denotes substitution is anti (ἀντὶ), also translated “for,” which expresses the idea “that one person or thing is, or is to be, replaced by another, instead of, in place of.”[11] The preposition anti (ἀντὶ) is seen in Jesus' statement, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28). According to Robert Lightner: "The biblical view of the Savior's death is that he died to satisfy the demands of the offended righteousness of God. The Savior died in the sinner's place. This is an essential, indispensable truth in evangelicalism. It is true that Christ died for the sinner's benefit, but that does not fully describe the nature and purpose of his finished work. He gave his life in the sinner's place. He died as the sinner's substitute. The strongest expression of Christ's substitutionary death is given with the Greek preposition anti, translated “for.” Christ himself used this word when he said, “even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28; cf. Matt 26:28; 1 Tim 2:6). Christ died in the sinner's place. He died instead of the condemned."[12]      Jesus' atonement for sins is the basis for reconciliation, because God has judged our sins in the Person of Christ who died on the cross in our place. The death of Christ has forever satisfied God's righteous demands for our sin and it is on this basis that He can accept sinners into heaven. The blood of Christ is the only coin in the heavenly realm that God accepts as payment for our sin-debt, and Christ paid our sin debt in full. That's good news!      Because Jesus' death satisfied God's righteousness demands for sin, the sinner can approach God who welcomes him without reservation. God has cleared the way for sinners to come to Him for a new relationship, and this is based completely on the substitutionary work of Christ. God has done everything to reconcile humanity to Himself. The debt that was owed to God was paid in full by the blood of Christ.  Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Charles Lee Feinberg, “The Hypostatic Union,” Bibliotheca Sacra 92 (1935): 423. [2] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Impeccability of Christ”,  Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 135. [3] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Salvation”,  Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 232. [4] Tom Constable, Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Jn 10:18. [5] Leon Morris, The Gospel according to John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995), 456. [6] William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1526. [7] Francis Brown, S.R. Driver and Charles A. Briggs, The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers 1979), 497. [8] G. W. Bromiley, “Atone; Atonement,” ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 352. [9] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things Which Become Sound Doctrine (Grand Rapids, Mi., Kregel Publications, 1965), 89. [10] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1030. [11] Ibid., 87. [12] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology: A Historical, Biblical, and Contemporary Survey and Review (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995), 194.

Jesus' Humility      It is only natural that the subject of Jesus' humility be discussed after examining His position as the Suffering Servant. W. H. Griffith Thomas notes: "In the Old Testament our Lord is called “the Servant of Jehovah,” and in the New Testament He is described as having taken “the form of a servant.” In order to do the will of God and redeem mankind, it was necessary for Him to humble Himself and become a “Servant,” so that along the pathway of service He might come to that Cross which was at once the exemplification of devoted duty, redeeming grace, and Divine love."[1]      Matthew records Jesus' mental attitude of humility when He said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matt 11:29). The word humble translates the Greek adjective tapeinos (ταπεινός), which denotes being “lowly, undistinguished, of no account.”[2] Jesus' mental attitude of humility was in contrast with that of the world which regards the virtue of humility in a negative way. Moisés Silva notes, “In the Greek world, with its anthropocentric approach, lowliness is looked on as shameful, to be avoided and overcome by act and thought. In the NT, with its theocentric perspective, the words are used to describe our relationship with God and its effect on how we treat fellow human beings.”[3] For Jesus, being humble meant He was more concerned with doing the Father's will than that of the world around Him, or even His own will (Luke 22:42). And there was no greater act of humility than Jesus being obedient to the point of death on the cross. Paul wrote that Jesus “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). Wiersbe states, “His was not the death of a martyr but the death of a Savior. He willingly laid down His life for the sins of the world.”[4] Homer Kent notes, “He was so committed to the Father's plan that he obeyed it even as far as death (Heb 5:8). Nor was this all, for it was no ordinary death, but the disgraceful death by crucifixion, a death not allowed for Roman citizens, and to Jews indicative of the curse of God (Deut 21:23; Gal 3:13).”[5] And Earl Radmacher comments: "Jesus came to the earth with the identity of a man. Here the word appearance points to the external characteristics of Jesus: He had the bearing, actions, and manners of a man. He humbled Himself: Jesus willingly took the role of a servant; no one forced Him to do it. Obedient: Although He never sinned and did not deserve to die, He chose to die so that the sins of the world could be charged to His account. Subsequently He could credit His righteousness to the account of all who believe in Him (2 Cor 5:21; Gal 1:4)."[6]      As stated before, Jesus was not forced to go to the cross, but willingly went to the cross and bore our sin (Isa 53:4-11; John 10:17-18; 1 Pet 2:24). As God, He could have avoided the cross altogether, or even stepped down from the cross if He'd wanted. Jesus died on a cross to accomplish the Father's will. To be an atoning sacrifice for our sins, so that we could receive forgiveness and eternal life and enjoy heaven forever with Him. His being humble to the point of death was for our wellbeing. He died for us, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). Walvoord notes: "No one else has ever come from infinite heights of glory to such a shameful death. If there had been a better way or another way by which the sin of the whole world could have been taken away, surely God would not have required His beloved Son to submit to such a death. This was the only way. There had to be a perfect sacrifice, an atonement of infinite value. This could be accomplished only by a person who was both God and man, who was without sin and yet was truly a man representing the human race. No other could take the place of Christ, no act of devotion, however unselfish, no act of ordinary man, however courageous, for  sin. As we contemplate the mind of Christ which made Him willing to die on the cross, we must realize that if Christ had not died men would still be in their sins with a hopeless eternity and facing just as certain a judgment as that which is the lot of the lost angels who know nothing of salvation."[7] Jesus' Sinless Life      The record of Scripture is that Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 2:22), and in whom “there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). But why was the sinless humanity of Jesus necessary? The biblical teaching is that all mankind is sinful and separated from God (Rom 3:10-23). We are sinners in Adam (Rom 5:12; 1 Cor 15:21-22), sinners by nature (Rom 7:14-25; 13:12-14), and sinners by choice (Isa 59:2; Jam 1:14-15). Because of our fallen sinful state, we are completely helpless to solve the sin problem and save ourselves (Rom 5:6-10; Eph 2:1-3), and good works have no saving merit before God (Isa 64:6; Rom 4:4-5; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). Being completely sinless, Jesus was qualified to go the cross as “a lamb unblemished and spotless” (1 Pet 1:19) and die a substitutionary death in our place, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). Charles Lee Feinberg states, “Though tempted in all points as we are, He was nevertheless without sin (Heb 4:15); indeed, we are told, He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners (Heb 7:26). In short, the combined testimony of Scripture reveals that in Him is no sin (1 John 3:5).”[8] According to R. B. Thieme Jr.: "As true humanity living on earth, Christ was free from all three categories of human sinfulness: the sin nature, Adam's original sin, and personal sins. The first two categories were eliminated from our Lord's life through the virgin birth, but personal sin remained an issue throughout the Incarnation. Scripture confirms that our Lord can “sympathize with our weaknesses,” because He “has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). The temptation to personal sin did not come from within, because the humanity of Christ had no inherent sin nature. He did, however, receive temptation from outside His person—even being tempted by Satan himself…By constantly relying on the provisions of the spiritual life (the same provisions available to us), Jesus Christ was able to resist every temptation and remain perfect (1 John 3:3, 5)."[9]      Sinners need salvation, but cannot save themselves, nor can they save another. All are trapped in sin and utterly helpless to change their condition. But God the Son did what we cannot do for ourselves. He obeyed the Father and stepped into time and space, taking true and sinless humanity to Himself, and living a perfect life before the Father. Then, at a point in time, He surrendered Himself to the cross and died a penal substitutionary death on behalf of all humanity, bearing the wrath of God in their place. Then He was placed in a grave and rose again to life on the third day, never to die again. The benefits of the cross are applied to those who come to Jesus with the empty hands of faith, believing He died for them, was buried, and raised again on the third day. When they place their faith in Him as Savior, they have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. This is given freely by grace. R. B. Thieme Jr. states: Every human being needs to be saved, because everyone enters this world in a state of spiritual death, total depravity, and total separation from God. Because man is born hopelessly lost from God and helpless to do anything about it, God, in His grace, designed a perfect plan to reconcile man to Himself. God the Son took the burden of responsibility: He became true humanity and remained sinless so that He could be judged for the sins of the world (1 Pet 3:18). While Jesus Christ hung on the cross, God the Father poured the full wrath of His justice upon the Son He loved so perfectly (Matt 27:46; Rom 5:8–10; 2 Cor 5:21). Christ “bore our sins in His body” (1 Pet 2:24) and took the punishment in our place. God's righteous standard approved of Jesus' sacrifice as payment for all human sins.[10] Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] W. H. Griffith Thomas, The Christian Life and How to Live It (Chicago: The Bible Institute Colportage Association, 1919), 59–60. [2] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 989. [3] Moisés Silva, ed., New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014), 452. [4] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 75. [5] Homer A. Kent Jr., “Philippians,” in The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 124. [6] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999), 1550–1551. [7] John F. Walvoord, To Live Is Christ (Galaxie Software, 2007), 45. [8] Charles Lee Feinberg, “The Hypostatic Union,” Bibliotheca Sacra 92 (1935): 423. [9] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Impeccability of Christ”,  Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 135. [10] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Salvation”,  Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 232.

     At a point in time, the eternal Son of God added humanity to Himself, simultaneously becoming God and man, Creator and creature, the unique theanthropic person (John 1:1, 14, 18; 8:58; 10:33; 20:28; Col 2:9; Heb 1:8). Jesus is the God-man and exists in hypostatic union, as a single Person with a divine and human nature (John 1:1, 14; 1 John 4:2-3), both natures being distinct and preserved, not mixed or confused, fully God and fully man. The hypostatic union is forever, from conception onward. Jesus was supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary (parthenogenesis – Isa 7:14; Matt 1:23; Luke 1:26-38), who is the mother of Jesus' humanity (Christotokos – bearer of Christ). Some see Mary as the mother of God (Theotokos – bearer of God), and though Jesus is God, His divine nature is without origin and eternal. Being the mother of Jesus' humanity honors Mary without elevating her to a place beyond what the Scriptures teach. And Jesus was a Jew, born a son of Abraham, in the line David (Matt 1:1), the promised Messiah (Matt 1:17). Jesus grew in wisdom (Luke 2:40, 52), and lived a perfectly righteous life before God and man. The record of Scripture is that Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 3:22), and “in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). In His humanity, Jesus walked in perfect conformity to God the Father's holy character and divine revelation. Cults such as Mormonism and Jehovah's Witness deny the full humanity and deity of Jesus, and for this reason are not within the true Christian community. Thiessen states: "The Council of Chalcedon, in AD 451, established what has been the position of the Christian church. There is one Jesus Christ, but He has two natures, the human and the divine. He is truly God and truly man, composed of body and rational soul. He is consubstantial with the Father in His deity and consubstantial with man in His humanity, except for sin. In His deity He was begotten of the Father before time, and in His humanity born of the virgin Mary. The distinction between the natures is not diminished by their union, but the specific character of each nature is preserved and they are united in one person. Jesus is not split or divided into two persons; He is one person, the Son of God."[1] His Deity      The Bible presents Jesus as God. In the OT, the proper name of God is Yahweh (יהוה) and is generally translated LORD, using all capital letters. When the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT) was written around 250 B.C., the translators chose the Greek word kurios (κύριος) as a suitable substitute for the Hebrew name Yahweh (יהוה). Though kurios (κύριος) is sometimes used in the NT to mean sir (John 4:11; Acts 16:30), and master (Col 3:22), it is also used to refer to the deity of Jesus Christ (compare Isa 40:3 with John 1:23; and Deut 6:16 with Matt 4:7; cf. John 20:28; Rom 10:11-12; Phil 2:11). According to Thiessen, “Although the second person of the trinity often appears in the Old Testament, He is never referred to as Christ. Instead, we have the names Son, Jehovah, and the angel of Jehovah. In Psalm 2:7 Jehovah calls him His Son. More frequently He is called Jehovah.”[2]The NT writers clearly saw Yahweh-God from the OT as referring to Jesus.      Concerning the NT evidence, the apostle John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). And “the Word” which became flesh also existed with the Father “before the world was” (John 17:5). The Jews of Jesus's day understood His claims to deity, that He “was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” (John 5:18). On another occasion they said to Jesus, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God” (John 10:33). The apostle Thomas, after seeing the resurrected Jesus, said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Paul wrote of Jesus, saying, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col 2:9), and elsewhere said that He is “our great God and Savior” (Tit 2:13). And the writer to the Hebrews said of Jesus, “But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever'” (Heb 1:8).      As God, Jesus created the universe, for “He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:2-3). And Paul wrote, “For by Him [Jesus] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Col 1:16-17).      As God, Jesus accepted the worship of men and angels. The magi who came to see the newborn Jesus said, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Matt 2:2), and “after coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him” (Matt 2:11a). On three separate occasions the disciples worshipped Jesus. Matthew wrote, “And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘You are certainly God's Son!'” (Matt 14:33), “And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him” (Matt 28:9), and “When they saw Him, they worshiped Him” (Matt 28:17a). And after Jesus healed a lame man, we are told “he worshiped Him” (John 9:38). And of the angels it is written, “Let all God's angels worship him” (Heb 1:6). It follows that Jesus is God, since only God can receive worship. Walvoord states, “In any orthodox statement of the doctrine of the Trinity, the second Person is described as possessing all the attributes of the Godhead, being distinguished as the second Person in contrast to the first or third Persons of the Trinity and as the eternal Son in contrast to the Father or the Holy Spirit.”[3] Hypostatic Union      The apostle John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). At a point in time, God the Son added to Himself humanity, forever uniting His divine nature with a perfect sinless human nature, becoming the God-man (John 1:1, 14, 18). In the field of systematic theology, this is called the hypostatic union. Chafer states, “Though His deity is eternal, the humanity was gained in time. Therefore, the theanthropic Person—destined to be such forever—began with the incarnation.”[4] God the Son did not indwell a human, but forever added humanity to Himself. According to Paul Enns, “When Christ came, a Person came, not just a nature; He took on an additional nature, a human nature—He did not simply dwell in a human person. The result of the union of the two natures is the theanthropic Person (the God-man).”[5] Reading through the Gospels, there were times that Jesus operated from His divine nature (Mark 2:5-12; John 8:56-58; 10:30-33), and other times from His human nature (Matt 4:2; Luke 8:22-23; John 19:28). Concerning both natures, Paul Enns wrote: "The two natures of Christ are inseparably united without mixture or loss of separate identity. He remains forever the God-man, fully God and fully man, two distinct natures in one Person forever. Though Christ sometimes operated in the sphere of His humanity and in other cases in the sphere of His deity, in all cases what He did and what He was could be attributed to His one Person. Even though it is evident that there were two natures in Christ, He is never considered a dual personality. In summarizing the hypostatic union, three facts are noted: (1) Christ has two distinct natures: humanity and deity; (2) there is no mixture or intermingling of the two natures; (3) although He has two natures, Christ is one Person."[6]      Jesus is the God-Man. He is eternal God (Isa 9:6; John 8:56-58), yet He was born of a woman in time and space (Gal 4:4). As God, He is omniscient (Psa 139:1-6), but as a boy, He grew in knowledge (Luke 2:52). As God, He created the universe (Gen 1:1; John 1:3; Col 1:15-16), but as a man, He was subject to weakness (Matt 4:2; John 19:28). Walvoord notes, “When the second Person of the Godhead became incarnate there was immediately introduced the seemingly insuperable problem of uniting God with man and combining an infinite and eternal Person with one that is finite and temporal.”[7] Concerning the complexity of the union, Lewis Chafer states: "The reality in which undiminished Deity and unfallen humanity united in one Theanthropic Person has no parallel in the universe. It need not be a matter of surprise if from the contemplation of such a Being problems arise which human competency cannot solve; nor should it be a matter of wonder that, since the Bible presents no systematized Christology but rather offers a simple narrative with its attending issues, that the momentous challenge to human thought and investigation which the Christ is, has been the major issue in theological controversy from the beginning to the present time."[8]      As finite humans, we struggle to comprehend the union of God and Man; however, it is with certainty that the Bible portrays Him this way (John 1:1, 14; 20:28; Heb 1:8 cf. Luke 1:31-33; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15), and this truth is essential to Christianity.  As God, Jesus is worthy of all worship and praise (Luke 24:51-52; John 9:38; 20:28; Heb 1:6). As a perfect sinless Man, He went to the cross and died a substitutionary death in our place (Mark 10:45; Rom 5:6-10; 1 Cor 15:3-4; 1 Pet 3:18), and bore the wrath of God that rightfully belongs to us (Isa 53:1-12), so that we might have the gifts of righteousness and eternal life (John 3:16; 10:28; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Henry Clarence Thiessen and Vernon D. Doerksen, Lectures in Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), 208. [2] Ibid., 209. [3] John F. Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord (Chicago, Ill; Moody Press, 1969), 106. [4] Lewis S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1993), 383. [5] Paul P. Enns, Moody Handbook of Theology, (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1989), 227. [6] Paul P. Enns, Moody Handbook of Theology, 225. [7] John F. Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord (Galaxie Software, 2008), 107. [8] Lewis S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, 387.

Who is God and how does He respond to us in our failure? What is mercy? These questions and more answered in this powerful message!

Today we are going to complete our thoughts on Psalm 72, as we look at these last six verses. Historically, this Psalm is about King Solomon and his rule and reign over Israel for 40 years. It was either written by his father David who prayed this prayer for him and his future reign just before he died, or it was written by Solomon himself as he remembered his father's last words. But the fulfilment of the verses in this Psalm can only be found in the future reign of Jesus over Israel and all the earth during His Millennium reign (Revelation 19-20). To summarize Psalm 72, we found in verses 1-7, Solomon would be a “righteous” king. But the complete fulfilment of these verses is found in the only true Righteous King, Jesus Christ! In verses 8-11, we learn that Solomon would have dominion over a large part of the earth in his time.  This privilege is reserved for Jesus Christ (Psalm 2:8; Zech. 9:9-10; Mic. 4:1-5; Luke 1:33). But there is only one King of kings, and that is Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Isa. 2:1-4; Dan. 7:13-14; Rev. 17:14; 19:16). The Apostle Paul wrote about this in Philippians 2:8-11: “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” In verses 12-14, we see the King would have a compassionate reign. The picture here is surely that of our Savior who had such great compassion for the needy and met their needs (Matthew 9:36). Now, finally in verses 15-17, we find God's promise that His Kingdom would be a prosperous one. God's covenant with Israel assured them of prosperity so long as the rulers and the people obeyed His commandments. The Lord also assured David that he would always have an heir to his throne if he and his descendants obeyed God's will (2 Sam. 7:11-12, 16). Because of the promise of the coming Savior, it was important that the Davidic dynasty continue. But in the case of Jesus, He reigns "according to the power of an endless life" (Hebrews 7:16). He is the life (John 14:6), and He is alive forever (Rev. 1:18). He is King forever! Israel's prosperity would be not only political (the king), but also economic (gold), spiritual (prayer), and commercial (thriving crops). In fulfillment of His covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), God would bless all the nations through Israel, as He has done in sending Jesus Christ (Gal. 3). The prophets wrote of this glorious kingdom and their prophecies will be fulfilled (Isa. 35 and 60-62; Ezek. 40-48; Amos 9:11-15; Mic. 4; Zech. 10 and 14). There will be abundant grain even on top of the hills in the most unproductive land. The grain fields will look like the forests of the cedars in Lebanon (1 Kings 4:33). The closing benediction (vv. 18-19) is not a part of the Psalm proper but forms the conclusion to Book Two of the Book of Psalms (Psalm 41:13; 89:52; 106:48). A fitting conclusion it is, for it focuses on the glory of the Lord. Solomon's kingdom had its share of glory, but the glory did not last. When Jesus reigns on earth, the glory of God will be revealed as never before (Num. 14:21; Isa. 6:3; 11:9; 40:5; Hab. 2:14). Isaac Watts used Psalm 72 as the basis for his great hymn "Jesus Shall Reign." Read the last verses of this Psalm once again: “Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things! And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.” God bless!

Over the years I have often said that most of the Bible needs no interpretation, it basically means what it says. I'm not sure when I heard this quote, but it is one that has stuck in my mind. “When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense.” In other words, the Scripture has only one interpretation but no doubt, it can have many applications. Especially in the Old Testament, we have the principle of “double fulfillment”, meaning that a particular prophetic passage would have an immediate fulfillment, but also have a future fulfilment in the ministry, work, and Kingdom of Jesus Christ.   This is what we find in Psalm 72. Literally this Psalm is about King Solomon and his rule and reign over Israel for 40 years. It was either written by his father David who prayed this prayer for him and his future reign just before he died, or it was written by Solomon himself as he remembered his father's last words. But the fulfilment of many of the verses in this Psalm can only be found in the future reign of Jesus over Israel and all the earth during His Millennium reign (Revelation 19-20).   That being said, in verses 1-7, Solomon would be a “righteous” king. We know he started out well in this way but for sure he didn't end well. In the later years of his rule his heart would turn from Jehovah to the false gods of his many wives, and his kingdom fell apart shortly after his death. But the complete fulfilment of these verses is found in the only true Righteous King, Jesus Christ!   In verses 8-11, we learn that Solomon would have dominion over a large part of the earth in his time.  Remember God had promised Abraham that he would give his descendants all the land from the River of Egypt in the south to the Euphrates in the north (Gen. 15:18), and He reaffirmed this promise through Moses (Ex. 23:31). Both David and Solomon ruled over great kingdoms (1 Kings 4:21, 24; 1 Chron. 9:26), but neither of them ruled "from the river [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth" (v. 8). This privilege is reserved for Jesus Christ (Psalm 2:8; Zech. 9:9-10; Mic. 4:1-5; Luke 1:33).   David gained the kingdom through conquest and left it to his son who strengthened it by means of treaties. His marriages to the daughters of neighboring kings were guarantees that these nations would cooperate with Solomon's foreign policy. Even Sheba and the nomadic tribes in Arabia would pay tribute to Solomon, and so would Seba in Upper Egypt; and kings as far away as Tarshish in Spain would submit to him. (See 1 Kings 4:21, 34; 10:14-15, 24-25; 2 Chron. 9:23-24.)   But there is only one King of kings, and that is Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Isa. 2:1-4; Dan. 7:13-14; Rev. 17:14; 19:16). There can be no peace on earth until the Prince of Peace is reigning, and the nations have submitted to Him.   In verses 12-14, we are told that Solomon would have a compassionate reign. The king of Israel was looked upon as God's shepherd who lovingly cared for God's flock (Psalm 78:70-72; 100:3; Ezek. 34). Any citizen had access to the king to get help in solving legal problems, and the king was to make certain that the local judges were being fair and honest in their decisions. Solomon didn't reach this ideal even though he had a vast bureaucracy, but unfortunately his officers didn't always aid the people (Eccl. 4:1).   The picture here is surely that of our Savior who had such great compassion for the needy and met their needs (Matthew 9:36). Not only does He hold their blood (life) precious to Him (v. 14; 116:15), but He shed His own precious blood for the salvation of the world (1 Peter 1:19). Jesus Christ is the near "kinsman redeemer" illustrated by Boaz in the book of Ruth. Jesus was the only Holy and Righteous One, Who had the ability and was willing to completely pay the ransom price for the redemption of our souls!   Thank God we are “precious in His sight”. God bless!

     There are four basic views concerning who saves. First is autosoterism (auto = self + soter = savior) which is a belief that entrance into heaven is entirely by good works. Autosoterists don't feel they need salvation from an outside source. Their good works are enough. Second is syntheosoterism (syn = with + theo = God + soter = savior) which is a belief that people partner with God and contribute to their initial salvation by good works, or a promise to perform them. These frontload the gospel with some human requirement in addition to faith in Jesus (i.e., turn from all their sin, keep the Sabbath, water baptism, etc.). Third is posttheosoterism (post – after + theo = God + soter = savior) which is the belief that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, but later, after being saved, the Christians are persuaded they must perform good works to keep themselves saved (like the Christians in Galatia). Last is solatheosoterism (sola = alone + theo = God + soter = savior), which is the belief that salvation is entirely a work of God through Christ and is provided by grace alone, though faith alone, in christ alone, plus nothing more. In this view, salvation is a gift from God, freely given and freely received with no requirement of good works before, during, or after receiving salvation. These understand that good works should follow salvation (Eph 2:10), but they are never the condition of it.      The autosoterists believe that, from beginning to end, they save themselves by adhering to a moral code that will secure their entrance into heaven. In this system of thought, the Bible becomes a moral guide to one's path to heaven (perhaps among other guides). I've personally heard people say, “I'll keep the Ten Commandments and hope God lets me into heaven”, or “I'll love God and my neighbor and trust that He will let me into His kingdom when I die.” Historically, this would be similar to Pelagianism, a teaching derived from a British monk named Pelagius who lived and preached in Rome circa A.D. 400. According to Ryrie, Pelagius “believed that since God would not command anything that was not possible, and that since He has commanded men to be holy, everyone therefore can live a life that is free from sin.”[1] In this teaching, a person needs only follow God's laws to be saved from hell and accepted into heaven. From beginning to end, this is a works-salvation.      The problem with autosoterism—among several—is that those who think they can save themselves by works fail to grasp God's absolute standard of righteousness to gain entrance into heaven. The Bible reveals God is holy (Psa 99:9; Isa 6:3), which means He is perfectly righteous and completely set apart from sin (Psa 99:9; 1 Pet 1:14-16). Because God is holy, He cannot have anything to do with sin except to condemn it. The Scripture states, “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor” (Hab 1:13), and “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Autosoterists also fail to understand the biblical teaching about sin and total depravity, in which sin permeates every aspect of our being—intellect, body, will, and sensibilities—and that we are helpless to correct our fallen position. The biblical teaching is that all mankind is sinful and separated from God (Rom 3:10-23). We are sinners in Adam (Rom 5:12; 1 Cor 15:21-22), sinners by nature (Rom 7:14-25; 13:12-14), sinners by choice (Isa 59:2; Jam 1:14-15), and completely helpless to solve the sin problem and save ourselves (Rom 5:6-10; Eph 2:1-3). Good works have no saving merit before God (Isa 64:6; Rom 4:4-5; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). Paul wrote, “we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3:28), and “a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16).      Furthermore, autosoterists are trapped in a vague system of rules-for-salvation that can never provide assurance of their salvation. No matter how much good they do, there is always that nagging question, “have I done enough?” The reason they can never have assurance of their salvation is because the Bible does not teach that salvation is by human works, either in total or in part. Those who approach God by their works are in want of any passage of Scripture that can provide them assurance they've done enough to secure their place in heaven. For if one performs a hundred good works during a lifetime, how do  they know that God doesn't require a hundred and one, or a hundred and two? They don't, because the Bible does not teach salvation by works. Autosoterists are not saved, as they trust entirely in their good works to save them.      The syntheosoterists are those who think good works are required in addition to their initial act of faith in Jesus. These teach faith in Christ, but then muddy the gospel by adding something we do, such as turning from sins, keeping the Sabbath, water baptism, promising to live a moral life, joining a church, receiving sacraments, etc. I don't believe these persons are saved, as human activity is added to the gospel message from the beginning. We observe an example of this in the early church in which “Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved'” (Acts 15:1). This teaching caused a huge reaction in Paul and Barnabas, who had “great dissension and debate with them” (Acts 15:2). The simple gospel message was: “we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 15:11). But some Judaizers from Judea were presenting a false gospel which frontloaded the message with a requirement to follow to the Law of Moses; specifically, circumcision. Concerning Acts 15:1, Arnold Fruchtenbaum states: "Verse 1 describes the issue that led to the debate: Gentile circumcision. After their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas gave a report to the church of Antioch and spent some time with the Believers there. Eventually, certain men came down from Judea. They were members of the “circumcision party,” mentioned earlier, in Acts 11:2, who had challenged Peter about going into the home of an uncircumcised Gentile. Acts 15:24 makes it clear that these men had not been sent by the church of Jerusalem, but that they simply came down to Antioch of their own accord. In Galatians 2:4, Paul made reference to this same Jerusalem Council and describe these men as false brethren. They came to Antioch to teach. The Greek tense of the verb “teach” means they began to teach, and they kept at it with determination. The false teachers picked on the brethren, meaning the Gentile believers, because they were not circumcised. To these Gentile believers, they said: except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. This was the Judaizers dictum: Believing Gentiles are not saved until they are circumcised. Today certain groups teach another heresy, namely, that believers are not saved until they have been baptized. Both statements are equally wrong. Both involve salvation by works and salvation through ritual."[2]      If any human works or religious rituals are added to the simple gospel message, it is rendered null and void. A gospel message that includes human works is no gospel at all. Such a message saves no one. Warren Wiersbe states: "God pronounces a solemn anathema on anyone who preaches any other Gospel than the Gospel of the grace of God found in Jesus Christ His Son (Gal 1:1–9). When any religious leader says, “Unless you belong to our group, you cannot be saved!” or, “Unless you participate in our ceremonies and keep our rules, you cannot be saved!” he is adding to the Gospel and denying the finished work of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote his Epistle to the Galatians to make it clear that salvation is wholly by God's grace, through faith in Christ, plus nothing!"[3]      The posttheosoterists are those who believe they are saved initially by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, but then later adopt a works-system to continue to be saved. I think many in this camp were saved when they heard and responded positively to the simple gospel message (perhaps as a child), placing their faith in Christ alone for salvation, but then later were persuaded to accept a system of legalistic teaching that told them they must do good works to continue to be saved. These would be similar to the Christians Paul wrote to in Galatia, who said, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel” (Gal 1:6). These were believers whom Paul called brethren (Gal 1:11; 2:4; 3:15; 4:12, 28, 31; 5:11, 13; 6:1, 18), declaring they were “sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:26). The Christians in Galatia had trusted in Christ as their Savior; however, some “false brethren” (Gal 2:4) came among them and taught they must adhere to the Law of Moses to be saved. These were false teachers. According to Fruchtenbaum, “The problem that Paul was dealing with in his epistle to the Galatians concerns a group that has come to be known as ‘the Judaizers.' These people felt that the Gentiles must obey the Law of Moses in order to be saved (Acts 15:1 and 5).”[4]Paul, in an effort to correct the false teaching, posed a few simple questions to the Galatian Christians, saying, “This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Gal 3:2-3). The Christians in Galatia had trusted in Christ as their Savior and had received the Holy Spirit. They were saved. Yet, the legalism of the Judaizers had corrupted the concept of faith alone in Christ alone. Fruchtenbaum notes, “Too many believers think they can and need to add to their salvation. By grace through faith alone does not seem to satisfy. People add the keeping of some of the laws of Moses to their salvation. Others believe their baptism plays a role in it. Again others throw what is commonly known as Lordship salvation into the mix.”[5] I think posttheosoterism describes many Christians today, who truly trusted Christ as their Savior, but then later were led to believe they needed good works to keep themselves saved. Chafer states, “True salvation is wholly a work of God. It is said to be both a finished work and a gift, and, therefore, it lays no obligation upon the saved one to complete it himself, or to make after payments of service for it.”[6]      I personally trusted Christ as my Savior at age eight; however, shortly afterwards I was taught I needed to keep myself saved by ceasing to sin and also by doing good works. Though I did not lose my salvation (which is impossible), the joy I had when I trusted Christ as my Savior was lost, as I became trapped in a vicious system of trying to keep my salvation by good works. Subsequently, I believed I lost my salvation every time I sinned (which  was daily), and felt I needed to come groveling back to God as a failure, and trusting Christ over and over again in order to be saved. Eventually, exhaustion took its toll, and after several years I walked away from God, thinking the Christian life was impossible. It was not until roughly fifteen years later that my assurance of salvation rested in Christ alone, and the joy of my salvation was restored.      Because pride is the default setting of the human heart; it's our natural proclivity to think we can fix the problem of sin and righteousness and either earn God's approval by our own efforts, or at least participate in the effort. Pride must die for salvation to occur, as we come to God with the empty hands of faith, offering nothing, but only receiving the salvation which He offers to us by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Human efforts to save are useless. Lewis Chafer notes, “No one under any circumstances could forgive his own sin, impart eternal life to himself, clothe himself in the righteousness of God, or write his name in heaven.”[7]      Solatheosoterism is the correct biblical view. This teaches that our spiritual salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, plus nothing more. No good works are required for our salvation before, during, or after we trust in Christ. As stated before, good works should follow salvation (Eph 2:10), but they are never the condition of it. This is the record of Scripture in the OT, as “Salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psa 3:8), and “Our God is a God of salvation” (Psa 68:20 CSB), and “Salvation is from the LORD” (Jon 2:9). In the NT we read about Jesus, and that “He will save His people from their sins” (Matt 1:21), and “He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13a), and “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5), and it is “God who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim 1:8b-9). In these verses, salvation is always in one direction, from God to us.      Scripture reveals we are helpless, ungodly, sinners, and enemies of God (Rom 5:6-10), and prior to our salvation, we were dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1). Salvation is never what we do for God; rather, it's what He's done for us through the death of His Son, who paid the full penalty for all our sins on the cross at Calvary. Having paid the full price for our sins, there is nothing that remains for us to pay. Christ paid it all, and our spiritual salvation was completed at the cross, where Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). According to Francis Schaeffer, “Salvation is the whole process that results from the finished work of Jesus Christ as He died in space and time upon the cross.”[8]And Lewis Chafer notes, “As for revelation, it is the testimony of the Scriptures, without exception, that every feature of man's salvation from its inception to the final perfection in heaven is a work of God for man and not a work of man for God.”[9]      No one has the means to redeem his own soul, nor the soul of another. Jesus asked, “what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt 16:26). The answer is nothing! If Jesus had not paid our sin-debt to God, there would be no hope of ever being liberated from spiritual slavery, for “no man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him—for the redemption of his soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever” (Psa 49:7-8). However, Paul writes of the “redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24b), and this speaks to the payment He made on behalf of sinners. The word redemption translates the Greek apolutrosis which means to “release from a captive condition.”[10] Redemption refers to the payment of a debt that one gives in order to liberate another from slavery. Jesus declared “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45), and the apostle Paul tells us that Jesus “gave Himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim 2:6). When we turn to Christ as our only Savior “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Eph 1:7; cf. Col 1:13-14). Because Jesus died in our place, He is able to set us free from our spiritual bondage and give us eternal life, but it is only because of His shed blood on the cross that He can do this, for we “were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold…but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:18-19). The blood of Christ is necessary, for “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb 9:22). And the blood of Christ is the coin of the heavenly realm that paid our sin debt. He paid it all, and there's nothing more for us to pay. Salvation is a gift from God. If we have to pay for it, it ceases to be a gift. Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 254. [2] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Book of Acts (San Antonio, TX, Published by Ariel Ministries, 2022), 316. [3] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 461. [4] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Faith Alone: The Condition of Our Salvation: An Exposition of the Book of Galatians and Other Relevant Topics, ed. Christiane Jurik, Second Edition. (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2016), 9. [5] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Faith Alone: The Condition of Our Salvation: An Exposition of the Book of Galatians and Other Relevant Topics, ed. Christiane Jurik, Second Edition. (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2016), 1. [6] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Satan (New York: Gospel Publishing House, 1909), 111. [7] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1993), 7. [8] Francis A. Schaeffer, Death in the City (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2002), 100. [9] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1993), 6. [10] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, rev. and ed. Frederick W. Danker, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 117.

     There are four basic views concerning who saves. First is autosoterism (auto = self + soter = savior) which is a belief that entrance into heaven is entirely by good works. Autosoterists don't feel they need salvation from an outside source. Their good works are enough. Second is syntheosoterism (syn = with + theo = God + soter = savior) which is a belief that people partner with God and contribute to their initial salvation by good works, or a promise to perform them. These frontload the gospel with some human requirement in addition to faith in Jesus (i.e., turn from all their sin, keep the Sabbath, water baptism, etc.). Third is posttheosoterism (post – after + theo = God + soter = savior) which is the belief that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, but later, after being saved, the Christians are persuaded they must perform good works to keep themselves saved (like the Christians in Galatia). Last is solatheosoterism (sola = alone + theo = God + soter = savior), which is the belief that salvation is entirely a work of God through Christ and is provided by grace alone, though faith alone, in christ alone, plus nothing more. In this view, salvation is a gift from God, freely given and freely received with no requirement of good works before, during, or after receiving salvation. These understand that good works should follow salvation (Eph 2:10), but they are never the condition of it.      The autosoterists believe that, from beginning to end, they save themselves by adhering to a moral code that will secure their entrance into heaven. In this system of thought, the Bible becomes a moral guide to one's path to heaven (perhaps among other guides). I've personally heard people say, “I'll keep the Ten Commandments and hope God lets me into heaven”, or “I'll love God and my neighbor and trust that He will let me into His kingdom when I die.” Historically, this would be similar to Pelagianism, a teaching derived from a British monk named Pelagius who lived and preached in Rome circa A.D. 400. According to Ryrie, Pelagius “believed that since God would not command anything that was not possible, and that since He has commanded men to be holy, everyone therefore can live a life that is free from sin.”[1] In this teaching, a person needs only follow God's laws to be saved from hell and accepted into heaven. From beginning to end, this is a works-salvation.      The problem with autosoterism—among several—is that those who think they can save themselves by works fail to grasp God's absolute standard of righteousness to gain entrance into heaven. The Bible reveals God is holy (Psa 99:9; Isa 6:3), which means He is perfectly righteous and completely set apart from sin (Psa 99:9; 1 Pet 1:14-16). Because God is holy, He cannot have anything to do with sin except to condemn it. The Scripture states, “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor” (Hab 1:13), and “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Autosoterists also fail to understand the biblical teaching about sin and total depravity, in which sin permeates every aspect of our being—intellect, body, will, and sensibilities—and that we are helpless to correct our fallen position. The biblical teaching is that all mankind is sinful and separated from God (Rom 3:10-23). We are sinners in Adam (Rom 5:12; 1 Cor 15:21-22), sinners by nature (Rom 7:14-25; 13:12-14), sinners by choice (Isa 59:2; Jam 1:14-15), and completely helpless to solve the sin problem and save ourselves (Rom 5:6-10; Eph 2:1-3). Good works have no saving merit before God (Isa 64:6; Rom 4:4-5; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). Paul wrote, “we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3:28), and “a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16).      Furthermore, autosoterists are trapped in a vague system of rules-for-salvation that can never provide assurance of their salvation. No matter how much good they do, there is always that nagging question, “have I done enough?” The reason they can never have assurance of their salvation is because the Bible does not teach that salvation is by human works, either in total or in part. Those who approach God by their works are in want of any passage of Scripture that can provide them assurance they've done enough to secure their place in heaven. For if one performs a hundred good works during a lifetime, how do  they know that God doesn't require a hundred and one, or a hundred and two? They don't, because the Bible does not teach salvation by works. Autosoterists are not saved, as they trust entirely in their good works to save them.      The syntheosoterists are those who think good works are required in addition to their initial act of faith in Jesus. These teach faith in Christ, but then muddy the gospel by adding something we do, such as turning from sins, keeping the Sabbath, water baptism, promising to live a moral life, joining a church, receiving sacraments, etc. I don't believe these persons are saved, as human activity is added to the gospel message from the beginning. We observe an example of this in the early church in which “Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved'” (Acts 15:1). This teaching caused a huge reaction in Paul and Barnabas, who had “great dissension and debate with them” (Acts 15:2). The simple gospel message was: “we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 15:11). But some Judaizers from Judea were presenting a false gospel which frontloaded the message with a requirement to follow to the Law of Moses; specifically, circumcision. Concerning Acts 15:1, Arnold Fruchtenbaum states: "Verse 1 describes the issue that led to the debate: Gentile circumcision. After their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas gave a report to the church of Antioch and spent some time with the Believers there. Eventually, certain men came down from Judea. They were members of the “circumcision party,” mentioned earlier, in Acts 11:2, who had challenged Peter about going into the home of an uncircumcised Gentile. Acts 15:24 makes it clear that these men had not been sent by the church of Jerusalem, but that they simply came down to Antioch of their own accord. In Galatians 2:4, Paul made reference to this same Jerusalem Council and describe these men as false brethren. They came to Antioch to teach. The Greek tense of the verb “teach” means they began to teach, and they kept at it with determination. The false teachers picked on the brethren, meaning the Gentile believers, because they were not circumcised. To these Gentile believers, they said: except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. This was the Judaizers dictum: Believing Gentiles are not saved until they are circumcised. Today certain groups teach another heresy, namely, that believers are not saved until they have been baptized. Both statements are equally wrong. Both involve salvation by works and salvation through ritual."[2]       If any human works or religious rituals are added to the simple gospel message, it is rendered null and void. A gospel message that includes human works is no gospel at all. Such a message saves no one. Warren Wiersbe states: "God pronounces a solemn anathema on anyone who preaches any other Gospel than the Gospel of the grace of God found in Jesus Christ His Son (Gal 1:1–9). When any religious leader says, “Unless you belong to our group, you cannot be saved!” or, “Unless you participate in our ceremonies and keep our rules, you cannot be saved!” he is adding to the Gospel and denying the finished work of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote his Epistle to the Galatians to make it clear that salvation is wholly by God's grace, through faith in Christ, plus nothing!"[3]   Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 254. [2] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Book of Acts (San Antonio, TX, Published by Ariel Ministries, 2022), 316. [3] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 461.

     Election is another doctrine within the scope of soteriology. Election is a biblical teaching that every serious student of the Bible must address at some time. It addresses issues related to God's sovereignty and human volition, sin and salvation, justice and mercy, foreknowledge and faith. Election is a difficult doctrine to fully understand. And, when discussing it with others, it's always best to keep love and grace in the discussion. Lewis Chafer states, “The doctrine of Election is a cardinal teaching of the Scriptures. Doubtless, it is attended with difficulties which are a burden upon all systems of theology alike. However, no word of God may be altered or neglected. No little help is gained when it is remembered that revelation and not reason is the guide to faith. When the former has spoken the latter is appointed to listen and acquiesce.”[1] Charles Ryrie adds, “No human mind will ever harmonize sovereignty and free will, but ignoring or downplaying one or the other in the interests of a supposed harmony will solve nothing.”[2] From the doctrinal statement of Tyndale Theological Seminary, it is noted, “The sovereignty of God also extends to the doctrine of divine election whereby those chosen by the council of the Lord's own will, shall come to Him in faith. And yet, even though difficult to reconcile in human understanding, the sovereignty of God does not remove the responsibility of man.”[3] Election does not remove the responsibility to believe in Christ as Savior (Rom 10:13-14). Faith is non-meritorious, having no saving value in itself. Christ alone saves. In order for people to be saved, they must believe in Jesus as the Savior (1 Cor 15:3-4). From the human side of salvation, faith in Jesus is the necessary response to God's call, and no one can be saved any other way (John 14:6; Acts 16:31).      God's gospel message is simple in its presentation (1 Cor 15:3-4). It is a message of love and grace (John 3:16-17; Eph 2:8-9). It centers at the cross where Jesus died for all our sins (1 Cor 1:18, 21; 15:3-4; Col 2:13-14; 1 Pet 2:24). The gospel message only makes sense when we understand that God is holy, all mankind is sinful, and that Jesus necessarily died as our substitute. When presenting the gospel it is essential to proclaim that salvation is completely the work of God. Salvation is a free gift to us, paid in full by the Lord Jesus, who died in our place, the “just for the unjust” (1 Pet 3:18), and bore the punishment that rightfully belongs to us. This means we bring nothing to God. Nothing at all! Scripture reveals we are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24), and “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). Paul states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). The good news is that we are saved completely by what Jesus accomplished for us at the cross and not by any good works we produce before, during, or after salvation. Chafer states, “Most emphatic is the truth thus declared, that salvation is a divine undertaking on the basis of pure grace in which no human works or merit may enter.”[4]      We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Grace is God's unmerited favor toward us. Grace is sometimes used as an acronym for God's Riches At Christ's Expense. The challenge for us is to turn from human works, whatever they may be, and to cast ourselves completely on Christ as our Savior. Fruchtenbaum states, “In more than two hundred cases where the Scriptures give a condition for salvation, faith or belief is the one and only condition. This is important to remember. If there are ‘problem passages,' one should not interpret the two hundred clear passages by the few minor problem passages. Rather, one should try to interpret the few problem passages by the two hundred clear passages.”[5] Salvation is “the gift of God” (Eph 2:8), “according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim 1:9), and “according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5). God has prepared good works to follow our salvation (Eph 2:10), but they are never the condition of it. The matter is simple: Salvation comes to those who believe in Christ as their Savior (John 3:16; 20:31; Acts 16:30-31). And when we trust in Christ as our Savior, God saves from the penalty of sin (John 5:24; Rom 6:23; 8:1), the power of sin (Rom 6:11; 8:13), and ultimately the presence of sin (Phil 3:21; 1 John 3:2, 5).      The gospel that saves spiritually is specific in its content. And to preach any other gospel will not only result in a failure for the lost to obtain that which is necessary for entrance into heaven, but it will bring great judgment upon the one who proclaims it. The apostle Paul wrote, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” (Gal 1:8-9). It is noteworthy that Paul includes himself in this warning, as the gospel that was delivered to him, once it was received, could not be changed, even by one so great as the apostle Paul himself. Concerning this verse, Arnold Fruchtenbaum comments: "In verses 8–9, Paul pronounces the anathema, which is a rebuke against false teachers. Anyone who teaches a gospel that is different from the gospel they have received is to be anathema. Another gospel is any gospel other than the gospel of the grace of God. Any addition to the simple statement that salvation is by grace through faith is another gospel. Any addition to the gospel—be it baptism, tongues, ceremonies, church membership, repentance—perverts the gospel and is anathema."[6] Lewis Chafer adds: "This anathema has never been revoked, nor could it be so long as the saving grace of God is to be proclaimed to a lost world. From the human point of view, a misrepresentation of the gospel might so misguide a soul that the way of life is missed forever. It behooves the doctor of souls to know the precise remedy he is appointed to administer. A medical doctor may, by an error, terminate what at best is only a brief life on earth. The doctor of souls is dealing with eternal destiny. Having given His Son to die for lost men, God cannot but be exacting about how that great benefit is presented, nor should He be deemed unjust if He pronounces an anathema on those who pervert the one and only way of salvation which was purchased at so great a cost. A sensitive man, when realizing these eternal issues, might shrink from so great a responsibility, but God has not called His messengers to such a failure. He enjoins them to “preach the word” and assures them of His unfailing presence and enabling power. Probably at no point in the whole field of theological truth is the injunction more applicable which says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15).[7]      In conclusion, the gospel is the solution to a problem. There are two parts to the problem. First, God is holy (Psa 99:9; Isa 6:3), which means He is positively righteous and completely set apart from sin (Psa 99:9; 1 Pet 1:14-16). Because God is holy, He cannot have anything to with sin except to condemn it. The Scripture states, “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor” (Hab 1:13), and “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Second, all mankind is sinful and separated from God (Rom 3:10-23). We are sinners in Adam (Rom 5:12; 1 Cor 15:21-22), sinners by nature (Rom 7:14-25; 13:12-14), and sinners by choice (Isa 59:2; Jam 1:14-15). To further complicate the problem, we are helpless to solve the sin problem and save ourselves (Rom 5:6-10; Eph 2:1-3). Good works have no saving merit before God (Isa 64:6; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). We cannot save ourselves any more than we can jump across the Grand Canyon or throw rocks and hit the moon. But God, because of His mercy and love toward us (John 3:16; Eph 2:3-7), did for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He provided a solution to the problem of sin, and that solution is the cross of Christ (1 Cor 1:18). God the Son—the second Person of the Trinity—came into the world by virgin human birth (Luke 1:26-38; cf., John 1:1, 14), lived a perfectly righteous life (Matt 5:17; John 17:4), and willingly died in our place and bore the punishment for our sins. Jesus solved both problems: 1) He lived the righteous life that God demands and committed no sin (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5), and 2) He died for us on the cross and paid the penalty for all our sins (Mark 10:45; Rom 5:6-10; 1 John 2:2). The gospel message is that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4).  Jesus died in our place, “the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). In order for us to be reconciled to God, we must simply trust in Jesus as our Savior (John 3:16; Acts 16:30-31). When we trust in Christ as our Savior, we are forgiven all our sins (Eph 1:7; Col. 1:14), given eternal life (John 3:16; 10:27-28), and receive the righteousness of God as a free gift (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). And when we trust in Christ as our Savior, God saves us from the penalty of sin (John 5:24; Rom 6:23; 8:1), the power of sin (Rom 6:11; 8:13), and ultimately the presence of sin (Phil 3:21; 1 John 3:2, 5).      Soteriology touches a number of biblical topics such as the holiness of God, the sinfulness of mankind, election, atonement, penal substitution, redemption, faith, regeneration, forgiveness, expiation, justification, propitiation, and reconciliation, just to name a few. These and other topics will be addressed throughout this volume.   [1] Lewis S. Chafer, “Biblical Theism Divine Decrees” Bibliotheca Sacra, 96 (1939): 268. [2] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 359. [3] Doctrinal Statement, Tyndale Theological Seminary and Biblical Institute, https://tyndale.edu/about/doctrine/ [4] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 3, 7. [5] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Faith Alone: The Condition of Our Salvation: An Exposition of the Book of Galatians and Other Relevant Topics, ed. Christiane Jurik, Second Edition. (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2016), 5. [6] Ibid., 12–13. [7] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 3, p. 10.

     Concerning the transmission of original sin, Jesus is the sole exception, for Mary's virgin conception meant Jesus was not born with the taint of original sin. Being free from original sin, Jesus also had no sin nature. Furthermore, Jesus lived His entire life and committed no personal sin. Scripture reveals Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 2:22), and in whom “there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). His sinless life qualified Him to die a substitutionary death in our place, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). Jesus died for everyone and paid the penalty for our sin (John 3:16; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2). Though His death is sufficient for all to be saved (unlimited atonement), the benefits of the cross are applied only to those who believe in Him.      Related to the subject of sin is the biblical concept of total depravity, which means that sin permeates every aspect of our being; our mind, will, sensibilities and flesh are all contaminated by sin. Total depravity does not mean we are as bad as we can be, for there are many moral unbelievers in the world. Being contaminated by sin means whatever morality we produce can never measure up to the perfect righteousness God expects. Is there any person who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?” (Prov 20:9). The answer is an emphatic NO! The human heart is corrupt, for “the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick” (Jer 17:9). And “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins” (Eccl 7:20), and “There is none righteous; not even one. There is none who understands; there is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become useless. There is none who does good, there is not even one” (Rom 3:10-12; cf. Rom 8:8). Some might argue that we can perform good works and help to save ourselves. This is wrong. Scripture states, “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God” (Isa 59:2), “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isa 64:6), and we are “justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3:28), and salvation comes “to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly” (Rom 4:5), and we are “not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16), “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9), and God “has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim 1:9), and “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5). By human estimation, even the worst person can do some good. But human estimation is lower than God's estimation and it is God's standards that define what is truly good. According to Ryrie, “Total depravity must always be measured against God's holiness. Relative goodness exists in people. They can do good works, which are appreciated by others. But nothing that anyone can do will gain salvational merit or favor in the sight of a holy God.”[1] J. I. Packer states: "The phrase total depravity is commonly used to make explicit the implications of original sin. It signifies a corruption of our moral and spiritual nature that is total not in degree (for no one is as bad as he or she might be) but in extent. It declares that no part of us is untouched by sin, and therefore no action of ours is as good as it should be, and consequently nothing in us or about us ever appears meritorious in God's eyes. We cannot earn God's favor, no matter what we do; unless grace saves us, we are lost."[2]   [1] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology, 253. [2] J. I. Packer, Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1993