Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

This is reprinted from the source cited in the right column, all the way at the bottom.  Enjoy.  --Troll--

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

Enfield, Connecticut
July 8, 1741
"Their foot shall slide in due time""
Deuteronomy 32:35

In this verse is threatened the vengeance of God on the wicked unbelieving Israelites, who were God's visible people, and who lived under the means of grace; but who, notwithstanding all God's wonderful works towards them, remained (as verse 28.) void of counsel, having no understanding in them. Under all the cultivations of heaven, they brought forth bitter and poisonous fruit; as in the two verses next preceding the text. -- The expression I have chosen for my text, their foot shall slide in due time, seems to imply the following things, relating to the punishment and destruction to which these wicked Israelites were exposed.

1. That they were always exposed to destruction; as one that stands or walks in slippery places is always exposed to fall. This is implied in the manner of their destruction coming upon them, being represented by their foot sliding. The same is expressed, Psalm 72:18. "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction."
2. It implies, that they were always exposed to sudden unexpected destruction. As he that walks in slippery places is every moment liable to fall, he cannot foresee one moment whether he shall stand or fall the next; and when he does fall, he falls at once without warning: Which is also expressed in Psalm 73:18,19. "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction: How are they brought into desolation as in a moment!"
3. Another thing implied is, that they are liable to fall of themselves, without being thrown down by the hand of another; as he that stands or walks on slippery ground needs nothing but his own weight to throw him down.
4. That the reason why they are not fallen already and do not fall now is only that God's appointed time is not come. For it is said, that when that due time, or appointed time comes, their foot shall slide. Then they shall be left to fall, as they are inclined by their own weight. God will not hold them up in these slippery places any longer, but will let them go; and then, at that very instant, they shall fall into destruction; as he that stands on such slippery declining ground, on the edge of a pit, he cannot stand alone, when he is let go he immediately falls and is lost.

The observation from the words that I would now insist upon is this. -- "There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God." -- By the mere pleasure of God, I mean his sovereign pleasure, his arbitrary will, restrained by no obligation, hindered by no manner of difficulty, any more than if nothing else but God's mere will had in the least degree, or in any respect whatsoever, any hand in the preservation of wicked men one moment. -- The truth of this observation may appear by the following considerations.

1. There is no want of power in God to cast wicked men into hell at any moment. Men's hands cannot be strong when God rises up. The strongest have no power to resist him, nor can any deliver out of his hands. -- He is not only able to cast wicked men into hell, but he can most easily do it. Sometimes an earthly prince meets with a great deal of difficulty to subdue a rebel, who has found means to fortify himself, and has made himself strong by the numbers of his followers. But it is not so with God. There is no fortress that is any defense from the power of God. Though hand join in hand, and vast multitudes of God's enemies combine and associate themselves, they are easily broken in pieces. They are as great heaps of light chaff before the whirlwind; or large quantities of dry stubble before devouring flames. We find it easy to tread on and crush a worm that we see crawling on the earth; so it is easy for us to cut or singe a slender thread that any thing hangs by: thus easy is it for God, when he pleases, to cast his enemies down to hell. What are we, that we should think to stand before him, at whose rebuke the earth trembles, and before whom the rocks are thrown down?
2. They deserve to be cast into hell; so that divine justice never stands in the way, it makes no objection against God's using his power at any moment to destroy them. Yea, on the contrary, justice calls aloud for an infinite punishment of their sins. Divine justice says of the tree that brings forth such grapes of Sodom, "Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground?" Luke 13:7. The sword of divine justice is every moment brandished over their heads, and it is nothing but the hand of arbitrary mercy, and God's mere will, that holds it back.
3. They are already under a sentence of condemnation to hell. They do not only justly deserve to be cast down thither, but the sentence of the law of God, that eternal and immutable rule of righteousness that God has fixed between him and mankind, is gone out against them, and stands against them; so that they are bound over already to hell. John 3:18. "He that believeth not is condemned already." So that every unconverted man properly belongs to hell; that is his place; from thence he is, John 8:23. "Ye are from beneath:" And thither he is bound; it is the place that justice, and God's word, and the sentence of his unchangeable law assign to him.
4. They are now the objects of that very same anger and wrath of God, that is expressed in the torments of hell. And the reason why they do not go down to hell at each moment, is not because God, in whose power they are, is not then very angry with them; as he is with many miserable creatures now tormented in hell, who there feel and bear the fierceness of his wrath. Yea, God is a great deal more angry with great numbers that are now on earth: yea, doubtless, with many that are now in this congregation, who it may be are at ease, than he is with many of those who are now in the flames of hell. So that it is not because God is unmindful of their wickedness, and does not resent it, that he does not let loose his hand and cut them off. God is not altogether such an one as themselves, though they may imagine him to be so. The wrath of God bums against them, their damnation does not slumber; the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them; the flames do now rage and glow. The glittering sword is whet, and held over them, and the pit hath opened its mouth under them.
   
5. The devil stands ready to fall upon them, and seize them as his own, at what moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their souls in his possession, and under his dominion. The scripture represents them as his goods, Luke 11:12. The devils watch them; they are ever by them at their right hand; they stand waiting for them, like greedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back. If God should withdraw his hand, by which they are restrained, they would in one moment fly upon their poor souls. The old serpent is gaping for them; hell opens its mouth wide to receive them; and if God should permit it, they would be hastily swallowed up and lost.
6. There are in the souls of wicked men those hellish principles reigning, that would presently kindle and flame out into hell fire, if it were not for God's restraints. There is laid in the very nature of carnal men, a foundation for the torments of hell. There are those corrupt principles, in reigning power in them, and in full possession of them, that are seeds of hell fire. These principles are active and powerful, exceeding violent in their nature, and if it were not for the restraining hand of God upon them, they would soon break out, they would flame out after the same manner as the same corruptions, the same enmity does in the hearts of damned souls, and would beget the same torments as they do in them. The souls of the wicked are in scripture compared to the troubled sea, Isa. 57:20. For the present, God restrains their wickedness by his mighty power, as he does the raging waves of the troubled sea, saying, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further;" but if God should withdraw that restraining power, it would soon carry all before it. Sin is the ruin and misery of the soul; it is destructive in its nature; and if God should leave it without restraint, there would need nothing else to make the soul perfectly miserable. The corruption of the heart of man is immoderate and boundless in its fury; and while wicked me live here, it is like fire pent up by God's restraints, whereas if it were let loose, it would set on fire the course of nature; and as the heart is now a sink of sin, so if sin was not restrained, it would immediately turn the soul into fiery oven, or a furnace of fire and brimstone.
7. It is no security to wicked men for one moment, that there are no visible means of death at hand. It is no security to a natural man, that he is now in health, and that he does not see which way he should now immediately go out of the world by any accident, and that there is no visible danger in any respect in his circumstances. The manifold and continual experience of the world in all ages, shows this is no evidence, that a man is not on the very brink of eternity, and that the next step will not be into another world. The unseen, unthought-of ways and means of persons going suddenly out of the world are innumerable and inconceivable. Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen. The arrows of death fly unseen at noon-day; the sharpest sight cannot discem them. God has so many different unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world and sending them to hell, that there is nothing to make it appear, that God had need to be at the expense of a miracle, or go out of the ordinary course of his providence, to destroy any wicked man, at any moment. All the means that there are of sinners going out of the world, are so in God's hands, and so universally and absolutely subject to his power and determination, that it does not depend at all the less on the mere will of God, whether sinners shall at any moment go to hell, than if means were never made use of, or at all concerned in the case.
8. Natural men's prudence and care to preserve their own lives, or the care of others to preserve them, do not secure them a moment. To this, divine providence and universal experience do also bear testimony. There is this clear evidence that men's own wisdom is no security to them from death; that if it were otherwise we should see some difference between the wise and politic men of the world, and others, with regard to their liableness to early and unexpected death: but how is it in fact? Eccles. 2:16. "How dieth the wise man? even as the fool."
9. All wicked men's pains and contrivance which they use to escape hell, while they continue to reject Christ, and so remain wicked men, do not secure them from hell one moment. Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it; he depends upon himself for his own security; he flatters himself in what he has done, in what he is now doing, or what he intends to do. Every one lays out matters in his own mind how he shall avoid damnation, and flatters himself that he contrives well for himself, and that his schemes will not fail. They hear indeed that there are but few saved, and that the greater part of men that have died heretofore are gone to hell; but each one imagines that he lays out matters better for his own escape than others have done. He does not intend to come to that place of torment; he says within himself, that he intends to take effectual care, and to order matters so for himself as not to fail. But the foolish children of men miserably delude themselves in their own schemes, and in confidence in their own strength and wisdom; they trust to nothing but a shadow. The greater part of those who heretofore have lived under the same means of grace, and are now dead, are undoubtedly gone to hell; and it was not because they were not as wise as those who are now alive: it was not because they did not lay out matters as well for themselves to secure their own escape. If we could speak with them, and inquire of them, one by one, whether they expected, when alive, and when they used to hear about hell, ever to be the subjects of misery: we doubtless, should hear one and another reply, "No, I never intended to come here: I had laid out matters otherwise in my mind; I thought I should contrive well for myself -- I thought my scheme good. I intended to take effectual care; but it came upon me unexpected; I did not look for it at that time, and in that manner; it came as a thief -- Death outwitted me: God's wrath was too quick for me. Oh, my cursed foolishness! I was flattering myself, and pleasing myself with vain dreams of what I would do hereafter; and when I was saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction came upon me."
   
10. God has laid himself under no obligation, by any promise to keep any natural man out of hell one moment. God certainly has made no promises either of eternal life, or of any deliverance or preservation from eternal death, but what are contained in the covenant of grace, the promises that are given in Christ, in whom all the promises are yea and amen. But surely they have no interest in the promises of the covenant of grace who are not the children of the covenant, who do not believe in any of the promises, and have no interest in the Mediator of the covenant.

So that, whatever some have imagined and pretended about promises made to natural men's earnest seeking and knocking, it is plain and manifest, that whatever pains a natural man takes in religion, whatever prayers he makes, till he believes in Christ, God is under no manner of obligation to keep him a moment from eternal destruction.

So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked, his anger is as great towards them as to those that are actually suffering the executions of the fierceness of his wrath in hell, and they have done nothing in the least to appease or abate that anger, neither is God in the least bound by any promise to hold them up one moment; the devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and would fain lay hold on them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their own hearts is struggling to break out: and they have no interest in any Mediator, there are no means within reach that can be any security to them. In short, they have no refuge, nothing to take hold of; all that preserves them every moment is the mere arbitrary will, and uncovenanted, unobliged forbearance of an incensed God.

Application

The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons in this congregation. This that you have heard is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ. -- That world of misery, that take of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell's wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor any thing to take hold of; there is nothing between you and hell but the air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up.

You probably are not sensible of this; you find you are kept out of hell, but do not see the hand of God in it; but look at other things, as the good state of your bodily constitution, your care of your own life, and the means you use for your own preservation. But indeed these things are nothing; if God should withdraw his hand, they would avail no more to keep you from falling, than the thin air to hold up a person that is suspended in it.

Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards hell; and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider's web would have to stop a falling rock. Were it not for the sovereign pleasure of God, the earth would not bear you one moment; for you are a burden to it; the creation groans with you; the creature is made subject to the bondage of your corruption, not willingly; the sun does not willingly shine upon you to give you light to serve sin and Satan; the earth does not willingly yield her increase to satisfy your lusts; nor is it willingly a stage for your wickedness to be acted upon; the air does not willingly serve you for breath to maintain the flame of life in your vitals, while you spend your life in the service of God's enemies. God's creatures are good, and were made for men to serve God with, and do not willingly subserve to any other purpose, and groan when they are abused to purposes so directly contrary to their nature and end. And the world would spew you out, were it not for the sovereign hand of him who hath subjected it in hope. There are the black clouds of God's wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of the dreadful storm, and big with thunder; and were it not for the restraining hand of God, it would immediately burst forth upon you. The sovereign pleasure of God, for the present, stays his rough wind; otherwise it would come with fury, and your destruction would come like a whirlwind, and you would be like the chaff of the summer threshing floor.

The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose. It is true, that judgment against your evil works has not been executed hitherto; the floods of God's vengeance have been withheld; but your guilt in the mean time is constantly increasing, and you are every day treasuring up more wrath; the waters are constantly rising, and waxing more and more mighty; and there is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, that holds the waters back, that are unwilling to be stopped, and press hard to go forward. If God should only withdraw his hand from the flood-gate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God, would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and would come upon you with omnipotent power; and if your strength were ten thousand times greater than it is, yea, ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in hell, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it.

The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood. Thus all you that never passed under a great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls; all you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life, are in the hands of an angry God. However you may have reformed your life in many things, and may have had religious affections, and may keep up a form of religion in your families and closets, and in the house of God, it is nothing but his mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction. However unconvinced you may now be of the truth of what you hear, by and by you will be fully convinced of it. Those that are gone from being in the like circumstances with you, see that it was so with them; for destruction came suddenly upon most of them; when they expected nothing of it, and while they were saying, Peace and safety: now they see, that those things on which they depended for peace and safety, were nothing but thin air and empty shadows.

The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet it is nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment. It is to be ascribed to nothing else, that you did not go to hell the last night; that you was suffered to awake again in this world, after you closed your eyes to sleep. And there is no other reason to be given, why you have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but that God's hand has held you up. There is no other reason to be given why you have not gone to hell, since you have sat here in the house of God, provoking his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending his solemn worship. Yea, there is nothing else that is to be given as a reason why you do not this very moment drop down into hell.

O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell. You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder; and you have no interest in any Mediator, and nothing to lay hold of to save yourself, nothing to keep off the flames of wrath, nothing of your own, nothing that you ever have done, nothing that you can do, to induce God to spare you one moment. -- And consider here more particularly,

1. Whose wrath it is: it is the wrath of the infinite God. If it were only the wrath of man, though it were of the most potent prince, it would be comparatively little to be regarded. The wrath of kings is very much dreaded, especially of absolute monarchs, who have the possessions and lives of their subjects wholly in their power, to be disposed of at their mere will. Prov. 20:2. "The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: Whoso provoketh him to anger, sinneth against his own soul." The subject that very much enrages an arbitrary prince, is liable to suffer the most extreme torments that human art can invent, or human power can inflict. But the greatest earthly potentates in their greatest majesty and strength, and when clothed in their greatest terrors, are but feeble, despicable worms of the dust, in comparison of the great and almighty Creator and King of heaven and earth. It is but little that they can do, when most enraged, and when they have exerted the utmost of their fury. All the kings of the earth, before God, are as grasshoppers; they are nothing, and less than nothing: both their love and their hatred is to be despised. The wrath of the great King of kings, is as much more terrible than theirs, as his majesty is greater. Luke 12:4,5. "And I say unto you, my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that, have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear: fear him, which after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell: yea, I say unto you, Fear him."
2. It is the fierceness of his wrath that you are exposed to. We often read of the fury of God; as in Isa. 59:18. "According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay fury to his adversaries." So Isa. 66:15. "For behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire." And in many other places. So, Rev. 19:15, we read of "the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." The words are exceeding terrible. If it had only been said, "the wrath of God," the words would have implied that which is infinitely dreadful: but it is "the fierceness and wrath of God." The fury of God! the fierceness of Jehovah! Oh, how dreadful that must be! Who can utter or conceive what such expressions carry in them! But it is also "the fierceness and wrath of almighty God." As though there would be a very great manifestation of his almighty power in what the fierceness of his wrath should inflict, as though omnipotence should be as it were enraged, and exerted, as men are wont to exert their strength in the fierceness of their wrath. Oh! then, what will be the consequence! What will become of the poor worms that shall suffer it! Whose hands can be strong? And whose heart can endure? To what a dreadful, inexpressible, inconceivable depth of misery must the poor creature be sunk who shall be the subject of this! Consider this, you that are here present, that yet remain in an unregenerate state. That God will execute the fierceness of his anger, implies, that he will inflict wrath without any pity. When God beholds the ineffable extremity of your case, and sees your torment to be so fastly disproportioned to your strength, and sees how your poor soul is crushed, and sinks down, as it were, into an infinite gloom; he will have no compassion upon you, he will not forbear the executions of his wrath, or in the least lighten his hand; there shall be no moderation or mercy, nor will God then at all stay his rough wind; he will have no regard to your welfare, nor be at all careful lest you should suffer too much in any other sense, than only that you shall not suffer beyond what strict justice requires. Nothing shall be withheld, because it is so hard for you to bear. Ezek. 8:18. "Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet I will not hear them." Now God stands ready to pity you; this is a day of mercy; you may cry now with some encouragement of obtaining mercy. But when once the day of mercy is past, your most lamentable and dolorous cries and shrieks will be in vain; you will be wholly lost and thrown away of God, as to any regard to your welfare. God will have no other use to put you to, but to suffer misery; you shall be continued in being to no other end; for you will be a vessel of wrath fitted to destruction; and there will be no other use of this vessel, but to be filled full of wrath. God will be so far from pitying you when you cry to him, that it is said he will only "laugh and mock," Prov. 1:25,26,&c.
   How awful are those words, Isa. 63:3, which are the words of the great God. "I will tread them in mine anger, and will trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment." It is perhaps impossible to conceive of words that carry in them greater manifestations of these three things, viz. contempt, and hatred, and fierceness of indignation. If you cry to God to pity you, he will be so far from pitying you in your doleful case, or showing you the least regard or favour, that instead of that, he will only tread you under foot. And though he will know that you cannot bear the weight of omnipotence treading upon you, yet he will not regard that, but he will crush you under his feet without mercy; he will crush out your blood, and make it fly, and it shall be sprinkled on his garments, so as to stain all his raiment. He will not only hate you, but he will have you in the utmost contempt: no place shall be thought fit for you, but under his feet to be trodden down as the mire of the streets.
   
3. The misery you are exposed to is that which God will inflict to that end, that he might show what that wrath of Jehovah is. God hath had it on his heart to show to angels and men, both how excellent his love is, and also how terrible his wrath is. Sometimes earthly kings have a mind to show how terrible their wrath is, by the extreme punishments they would execute on those that would provoke them. Nebuchadnezzar, that mighty and haughty monarch of the Chaldean empire, was willing to show his wrath when enraged with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; and accordingly gave orders that the burning fiery furnace should be heated seven times hotter than it was before; doubtless, it was raised to the utmost degree of fierceness that human art could raise it. But the great God is also willing to show his wrath, and magnify his awful majesty and mighty power in the extreme sufferings of his enemies. Rom. 9:22. "What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?" And seeing this is his design, and what he has determined, even to show how terrible the unrestrained wrath, the fury and fierceness of Jehovah is, he will do it to effect. There will be something accomplished and brought to pass that will be dreadful with a witness. When the great and angry God hath risen up and executed his awful vengeance on the poor sinner, and the wretch is actually suffering the infinite weight and power of his indignation, then will God call upon the whole universe to behold that awful majesty and mighty power that is to be seen in it. Isa. 33:12-14. "And the people shall be as the burnings of lime, as thorns cut up shall they be burnt in the fire. Hear ye that are far off, what I have done; and ye that are near, acknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites, " &c. Thus it will be with you that are in an unconverted state, if you continue in it; the infinite might, and majesty, and terribleness of the omnipotent God shall be magnified upon you, in the ineffable strength of your torments. You shall be tormented in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and when you shall be in this state of suffering, the glorious inhabitants of heaven shall go forth and look on the awful spectacle, that they may see what the wrath and fierceness of the Almighty is; and when they have seen it, they will fall down and adore that great power and majesty. Isa. 66:23,24. "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh."
   
4. It is everlasting wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long for ever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all. You will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that all is but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite. Oh, who can express what the state of a soul in such circumstances is! All that we can possibly say about it, gives but a very feeble, faint representation of it; it is inexpressible and inconceivable: For "who knows the power of God's anger?"

How dreadful is the state of those that are daily and hourly in the danger of this great wrath and infinite misery! But this is the dismal case of every soul in this congregation that has not been bom again, however moral and strict, sober and religious, they may otherwise be. Oh that you would consider it, whether you be young or old! There is reason to think, that there are many in this congregation now hearing this discourse, that will actually be the subjects of this very misery to all eternity. We know not who they are, or in what seats they sit, or what thoughts they now have. It may be they are now at ease, and hear all these things without much disturbance, and are now flattering themselves that they are not the persons, promising themselves that they shall escape. If we knew that there was one person, and but one, in the whole congregation, that was to be the subject of this misery, what an awful thing would it be to think of! If we knew who it was, what an awful sight would it be to see such a person! How might all the rest of the congregation lift up a lamentable and bitter cry over him! But, alas! instead of one, how many is it likely will remember this discourse in hell? And it would be a wonder, if some that are now present should not be in hell in a very short time, even before this year is out. And it would be no wonder if some persons, that now sit here, in some seats of this meeting-house, in health, quiet and secure, should be there before tomorrow morning. Those of you that finally continue in a natural condition, that shall keep out of hell longest will be there in a little time! your damnation does not slumber; it will come swiftly, and, in all probability, very suddenly upon many of you. You have reason to wonder that you are not already in hell. It is doubtless the case of some whom you have seen and known, that never deserved hell more than you, and that heretofore appeared as likely to have been now alive as you. Their case is past all hope; they are crying in extreme misery and perfect despair; but here you are in the land of the living and in the house of God, and have an opportunity to obtain salvation. What would not those poor damned hopeless souls give for one day's opportunity such as you now enjoy!

And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to him, and pressing into the kingdom of God. Many are daily coming from the east, west, north and south; many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state, with their hearts filled with love to him who has loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. How awful is it to be left behind at such a day! To see so many others feasting, while you are pining and perishing! To see so many rejoicing and singing for joy of heart, while you have cause to mourn for sorrow of heart, and howl for vexation of spirit! How can you rest one moment in such a condition? Are not your souls as precious as the souls of the people at Suffield, where they are flocking from day to day to Christ?

Are there not many here who have lived long in the world, and are not to this day born again? and so are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and have done nothing ever since they have lived, but treasure up wrath against the day of wrath? Oh, sirs, your case, in an especial manner, is extremely dangerous. Your guilt and hardness of heart is extremely great. Do you not see how generally persons of your years are passed over and left, in the present remarkable and wonderful dispensation of God's mercy? You had need to consider yourselves, and awake thoroughly out of sleep. You cannot bear the fierceness and wrath of the infinite God. -- And you, young men, and young women, will you neglect this precious season which you now enjoy, when so many others of your age are renouncing all youthful vanities, and flocking to Christ? You especially have now an extraordinary opportunity; but if you neglect it, it will soon be with you as with those persons who spent all the precious days of youth in sin, and are now come to such a dreadful pass in blindness and hardness. -- And you, children, who are unconverted, do not you know that you are going down to hell, to bear the dreadful wrath of that God, who is now angry with you every day and every night? Will you be content to be the children of the devil, when so many other children in the land are converted, and are become the holy and happy children of the King of kings?

And let every one that is yet out of Christ, and hanging over the pit of hell, whether they be old men and women, or middle aged, or young people, or little children, now hearken to the loud calls of God's word and providence. This acceptable year of the Lord, a day of such great favour to some, will doubtless be a day of as remarkable vengeance to others. Men's hearts harden, and their guilt increases apace at such a day as this, if they neglect their souls; and never was there so great danger of such persons being given up to hardness of heart and blindness of mind. God seems now to be hastily gathering in his elect in all parts of the land; and probably the greater part of adult persons that ever shall be saved, will be brought in now in a little time, and that it will be as it was on the great out-pouring of the Spirit upon the Jews in the apostles' days; the election will obtain, and the rest will be blinded. If this should be the case with you, you will eternally curse this day, and will curse the day that ever you was born, to see such a season of the pouring out of God's Spirit, and will wish that you had died and gone to hell before you had seen it. Now undoubtedly it is, as it was in the days of John the Baptist, the axe is in an extraordinary manner laid at the root of the trees, that every tree which brings not forth good fruit, may be hewn down and cast into the fire.

Therefore, let every one that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation. Let every one fly out of Sodom: "Haste and escape for your lives, look not behind you, escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed."

Parallel lines

The Gospels tell us stories that seem to repeat.  We all realize that the Synoptics tell many of the same tales from slightly different perspectives.  You have heard Troll tell how the whole book of Revelation is the story of redemptive history told from seven different perspectives, seven being the number of God.  Today, Troll will look at two parallel passages in Luke.  The first passage concerns a debate over who is the greatest disciple.  The second concerns the sending of the disciples out in pairs.  This was the subject of last week’s homily.  Sorry, we are just getting to it today.  Troll was busy eating rocks and water buffalo last week.

Let’s start with Luke 9:46-48.  Notice first of all, that these three verses seem to be just stuck into the narrative randomly.  But this passage echoes throughout the Gospels.  See the same or similar in Matthew 18:1-5, 20:20-28 and Mark 9:33-37, 10:35-45.  What is it about being a child that is so important?  Or, if we follow the latter citations, what is it about being a servant that is so important?

Nothing, that isn’t the point.  We need to let go of our legalistic and pietistic lenses and remember that Jesus is talking about something else entirely.  It is not being innocent like a child or humble like a servant.  Those ideas turn this passage into an imperative.  The issue here is that the disciples are asking the wrong question.  Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?  The background of that question is in the Jewish political expectations of the messiah.  The disciples still believe that Jesus is going to create His Kingdom on earth right then.  As His lieutenants, they are thinking in terms of the honor and glory attached to being in the vanguard of the messiah.  They are completely off base.

Check out the Luke verse that precedes this.  Jesus foretells his death, for the second time in that chapter.  The apostles just don’t get it.  That is why they ask this question.  That is also why the apostles and disciples don’t understand His answer.  Serve the least among you.  Be as a servant to the least.  Jesus came into the world to be a servant of man.  His whole life, death and resurrection was a Ministry of Reconciliation.  He came to provide all of the components of our external righteousness in Him.  He is prophet, priest and king.  He is the perfect sacrifice that expiates and reconciles us to God, to Himself.  He condescended to us.

The imperative here is the ledger of the Law under the heading of Love your neighbor.  As we know, the Law has two components.  Jesus is answering this question with the implied imperative to follow the second ledger of the Law.  At this point in the redemptive story, the disciples just don’t get it.  The parallel later passage in Luke is 22-24-27.  This time, Jesus tries to help them unlock the code.  This is occurring just after the introduction of the Last Supper.  But still the Apostles do not get it.  It is interesting that Jesus offers the glimpse of Redemptive history in the next verses, telling the Apostles of their thrones of judgment over the twelve tribes.  But this is not his point concerning the greatest.  Again, He reminds them His life was in service to them and all of His elect.

Now let’s back up a bit in the same chapters and look at Jesus sending out first his apostles, and then 70 or 72 disciples, in pairs, to preach the Gospel.  Starting with Luke 9:1-6, Jesus gives instructions to go out and take nothing with them.  This is echoed in Matthew and Mark in similar passages.  In Luke 10:1-12, Jesus expands the mission to 70 or 72 disciples.  The discussion of wiping off sandals and shaking out the garments is an OT reference to judgment from Nehemiah 5:13.  And so we see that there will be judgment upon those who forsake the messengers of God.  The importance of the 70 witnesses may be to represent the number of nations represented in Genesis 10.  But the real issue is the going out in pairs.  This is the prescribe method of giving witness.  (Have you ever noticed that Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons travel in pairs?  They do get that part right.  That is the danger of their apostasy, that they mimic the scripture in some things, while denying it in crucial places.) The issue of witnessing is described in Deuteronomy 17 and 19, although it is in the context of testifying in crimes, similar to the Matthew passage we looked at last week.

So, what is the difference between Luke 9 and 10 and this passage in Luke 22?  Now, the instruction is changed.  What has happened?  First, we are in a very different moment in redemptive history.  Jesus is no longer training his disciples to have faith in Him to provide.  He is warning them, on Maundy Thursday, that the big event is looming.  Be prepared.  Things are about to get very bad for all of you.

Another interpretation is that Jesus is saying that it is time to be armed spiritually.  Take up arms figuratively to defend the faith.  Since he tells Peter to put down his sword a few minutes later, this more spiritual interpretation may be appropriate.

Whichever, it is clear that the time for training is over.  The time for preparation is upon us.  The Great Commission is coming.  It is upon us now.

--Troll--

Imputation follow up

First of all, this is a response to a comment on another post.  My comment was too long to put there, so here it is now.  I may delete this later, as it doesn't really fit with my usually post type, so read, copy or whatever before it's gone.

Here is the original post with the comment in question.

And now here is the quote of the comment.

I have only one potential argument - the rest, we are in full agreement on.
What is your stance on this? You say that on Judgement Day we will be made righteous. Do you not agree that we were already made righteous when Christ finished His work on the Cross?

If you don't, then here is my rebuttal:
Because of our vital union with Christ, His death is our death, His life is our life, and His exaltation is ours. Our physical position may be on earth, but our spiritual position is “in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

All of the verbs in regard to our vital union in Christ are in the past tense. The apostle Paul is stating what has already taken place, not what is future. The resurrection, the quickening and raising up of Christ’s people were in an important sense accomplished when He rose from the dead and sat down at the right hand of God.

The believer is vitally related to the body whose head is Christ. The life of the whole body is in the head, and therefore when the head rose, the body rose. The first to rise from the dead was Christ. Then we who are in Christ positionally rose and are seated with Him.

Paul describes this new life in Christ as being “raised up with Him.” We now have this life in a present spiritual sense, and we also look forward to the future bodily resurrection. Christ made us alive, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins. He accomplished this spiritual resurrection by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our spiritual resurrection places us in union with Christ. God made us alive together with Christ. We are now united together with Him (Eph. 1:22-23), and we now share His resurrection life and power (vv. 19–20).

“Raised up with Him,” and “seated” enthroned with Christ in heaven. The glorified body of Jesus Christ is now in heaven in the presence of God the Father.

We are even now described as citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20). Because we are in Christ we have a right to the privileges, blessings, and responsibilities of citizens of the kingdom of God. Even now, spiritually we occupy the heavenly city. We have a foretaste of what it shall be like in glory with Christ.

This post was about imputation.  Imputation is a major component of justification.  The two go hand in hand.  Justification is about judgment.  While it is certainly true that the Gospel of Christ crucified is external to us and historical, it is also true that the Last Day has not arrived.  While I agree with the idea that we are justified by actions of Christ in the past tense, it is also true that those actions will be accounted to the elect, as I wrote, on the Last Day, when judgment occurs.

Therefore, I thought that I agreed with you, more or less, until I read your “rebuttal” in which you flesh out this opinion of a separation of body and spirit.  At first read, I thought this sounded Gnostic, but I’m not sure that’s what it is that sounded strange.  After careful review, I think that I can state your position as follows.

From some unnamed point in the life of an individual, presumably Baptism since that is the imagery you evoked, we have “union” with Christ spiritually, already in heaven.  In the mean time, our body remains here on earth awaiting death, burial and resurrection, at which point body and soul are reunited.

If I got that wrong, let me know.  My rebuttal will start at that point.  BTW, when you say you disagree with me, please understand that you are saying that you disagree with the Reformation position that I am attempting to articulate.  This is a key point.  My bibliography is posted here and elsewhere.  I'm not sitting in my house making this stuff up on my own.  At the end of the day, the most important issue in this blog exercise for me is sorting out a consistent systematic theology.  I've written on that issue before, to which I refer you again.

I am not aware of any place in the Bible where either Jesus or any Apostle discusses a spiritual separation from the body.  All of the passages that discuss union with Christ are talking about a Covenant relationship with Christ. “This is My blood of the New Covenant….” It is through this covenant relationship that we have access by faith alone to the work of the Cross.  The Holy Spirit did not move to open my eyes 2000 years ago.  I’m not that old.  So while the events that justify us are past tense, our own justification is instantaneous at Baptism, if it is the Baptism of a truly elect person, and is looking towards judgment.  Our sanctification is both instantaneous and a lifelong process, a process that is outside the scope of this post.

What else happens by being in the covenant relationship?  Through it, I am freed from the bondage of sin.  This allows me liberty to act without fear that my actions will be imperfect, safe in the knowledge that my justification is secure.  My gratitude towards and obedience to my covenant master will direct my actions.  But my actions are not relevant to my justification.  When my actions are less than perfect, in other words, all the time, I repent of these sins, seek forgiveness, receive absolution, accept Grace through the Word and Sacraments, and go out and do it all over again.  Once again, Paul describes this Christian struggle in Romans 6-8.  This is the life of a Christian.

Concerning resurrection, this is a Last Day and Judgment phenomenon.  The reuniting of body and soul would obviously occur at that point.  We seem to have no problems with this idea.

The problem is the idea of being simultaneously a member of both this Age and the Age to Come.  You seem to infer that our spirit is in the Age to Come while our body remains in this Age.  I disagree.  Nowhere is there a separation of body from soul.  Body and soul remain united in this world until either death or the Last Day, whichever comes first.  At that point, the Last Day, we have union of soul with our resurrection body, as revealed to the Disciples at the Transfiguration, Mathew 17:1-8, (celebrated last Sunday on the Episcopal calendar.)

In redemptive history, when we speak of the body of Christ, whose head is Jesus, we are speaking of the church.  I’ve never seen, read or heard otherwise until now.  While we all live as members of the New Covenant in Christ, I would not presume that I have already ascended to heaven in any part while I remain under the curse of Adam.  No one still under that curse may enter heaven, body or spirit.  That is sort of the point of the resurrection, to deliver us from Evil, sin, so that we may be perfectly made in His Holy Name.  We have to shed this body to enter into His presence.

This idea that we are seated with Him now seems very presumptuous to me.  The elect will get there either at death or on the Last Day, but not while we are on this earth and the Last Day has not yet come.  I think you have been reading the new perspective guys on Paul.  I just do not see how you can draw the conclusions that you draw from the passages that you cite.

Yes, Jesus is there in heaven right now, as you said.  By the way, I don’t see how you can be a dispensationalist and still hold that thought, but that, again, is for another day.  Since I agree with that point, let us put it aside.

Yes, we are citizens of this Age and the Age to Come.  That’s exact what Philippians 3:20-21 and a host of other passages say.  This does not say that we are already seated with Jesus in heaven.  I have the ESV and I’ve reread that verse five times.  There is absolutely no mention of us being there now.  It does say that we await Jesus, who is from there, to come and transform our bodies so that we may join Him.  We await Him because of our citizenship in the Age to Come.  I just don’t see what you see at all.

Ephesians 1 is similar.  We now know or our inheritance in Christ (verse 17-18,) but it doesn’t say that we already have it, either spiritually or bodily.  The spirit of revelation of the knowledge of Him is the Holy Spirit doing what the Holy Spirit does: reveal the Gospel of Jesus Christ to His elect.  Yes, Jesus is the first member of the Age to Come (verse 20-21.) But it says nothing about us already being there with Him.

I have heard this idea of living like resurrection people.  This is sort of synonymous with the idea of Christian Liberty.  This does not mean that we are already resurrected.  I hope that you can see the difference.  You seem to have been taught that the Holy Spirit does things other than what Jesus says that It does, and that our own spirits do things other than what Paul says that they do.  If I misinterpreted your position, I’ll delete this and try again.

--Ogre--

Forgiveness

This post is in response to a conversation I had yesterday.  I suppose everyone, if you have lived long enough, has been wronged by someone.  I know that I’ve been on both sides of that divide more times than I can imagine.  Today, I want to look at a transgression and to work through the theology of forgiveness.

Let us say that your home was violated and many of your belongings were liberated from your possession.  Among those items, most of which were replaceable, was one item that had particular sentimental value besides having enough absolute value that it was stolen.  For the loss of this one item you were heartbroken.  After some time, your emotions changed to anger and distrust.  You did not have an object for your emotions, no accused upon whom you could heap blame, but you were just angry in general.

In this first example, you have sinned against God.  You have placed an idol above your love of God.  Under the standard of the Law, you have failed in perfection.  You have done nothing wrong, in fact you are the victim of a crime, in the world of man.  But at the same time, in the Kingdom of God, you have sinned.

Now suppose that a young vagrant is arrested for the crime.  One of your blankets and some cash is found in his possession.  Now you have an object of your emotional rage.  You hate this man.  He denies his culpability in the crime and says that he found the blanket and some clothes by the side of the road.  He needed the blanket and so he kept it, but he sold the clothes to a second hand store to get the cash.  You don’t believe him.  You hate him.

In this second example, you have sinned against God.  You have committed murder.  According to Jesus’ interpretation of the Law, and He wrote it, so He is allowed to explain it to us, hateful thoughts are just the same as murder.  Now you have violated another commandment.  You have not actually done anything to the man, according to the law of man.  But according to the Law of God, you have committed murder.

The police realize that the man in question actually spent the night in the drunk tank at the local jail on the night that your house was robbed.  He could not possibly have committed the crime.  In fact, his whole story checks out and he is released from custody, uncharged and vindicated.  The police return your blanket and the cash from the sale of your clothes to you.  As you stare at the items, you realize that you have not forgiven the man.  You find that you cannot release your hatred towards this man, partly because you have no other place to put your anger.  You grab your blanket and the cash and storm home.  You have just wronged your neighbor.  You had identified a person who had a greater need of those things, and you took them from him.

In this third example, you have sinned against God and your neighbor.  In addition to all of the above, you have now added direct transgressions against your neighbor.  Consider this line from the prayer of confession.  We confess that we have sinned by thought, word and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.  You left undone the Love for your neighbor.

Summarizing the events, your house was robbed.  You have done absolutely nothing wrong from beginning to end according to the law of man.  You have done nothing but sin against God from beginning to end according to the Law of God.  Right now, you are not exactly on top of your game.  What should you do?

First of all, notice where your pile of debt resides.  What is required is repentance.  Whether you agree with every theological point of your pastor and church, this person is by office the representative of Christ’s church in this world.  Go to church.  Take the confession of sins seriously.  Whether it is done individually or corporately, this repentance is sorely needed.  Afterwards, the priest or pastor will say a prayer of absolution.  I wish sometimes we could ask him to slow down so we can savor every word of that prayer.  By office, you can believe that you have received absolution for your sins.  This is vitally important.  Although we as reformed Christians believe that our sin is completely covered by the justification that occurred through Jesus Christ, we remain in this world under the curse of Adam.  This process of repentance, absolution and reconciliation that occurs every Lord’s Day is crucial in maintaining our spiritual growth and sanctification throughout our lives.  Listen to this portion of the service clearly and carefully.  Receive the Grace of God through the Holy Spirit.

Now that you are feeling right with God again, you might go looking for the vagrant.  You might plan to give him the blanket and the cash, two blankets and twice the cash.  Perhaps you might want to feed him.  You might try to clothe him.  You might want to get him plugged into civil aid services.  You may know of a job.  The trouble is that you can’t find him.  Now what?

You take your donations to the local aid center.  You notice a sign that asks for volunteers.  You volunteer.  You learn about what aid is really needed and you learn how to give it.  This isn’t at a church sponsored aid mission.  Who says you have to help your neighbor through the church?  Who says the church is responsible for developing programs for aid?  The church doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel to be effective.  The church membership can be very effective through secular missions.  So, you volunteer.

Six months later, a man, who has been avoiding your town, wanders into a soup kitchen.  By chance you are there working.  He doesn’t recognize you, but he is very edgy.  After all, besides being homeless and hungry, he’s had a very bad experience in your town in the not too distant past.  Now is your chance.  You walk over to him….

Who knows?  Perhaps even God smiled that day.

--Ogre--

The Heretics: Rome at Trent

In 1517, the Reformation began with a German monk named Martin Luther.  The 95 thesis of Luther were the beginning of a movement that would define the sixteenth century.  Luther wanted an ecumenical council to discuss several key doctrinal issues.  The church in Rome convened these conferences, but the outcome was not exactly what Luther had anticipated.  The Council of Trent was a series of 25 sessions during the mid 16^th century in which each of the issues of the Reformation was addressed.  The sixth session dealt with the doctrine of justification.  This is the central doctrine of reformation theology and the key to understanding the break from Rome.  We will explore the reformation definition of justification, in terms of the five solas.  We will carefully spell out the key canons on justification from the sixth session of the Council of Trent.  We will contrast the two points of view.  Finally, we will discuss whether there is any room for a concordat between Rome and any reformed denomination.

According to the Reformers, justification is a forensic or legal declaration that is made concerning the individual’s right standing with God.  Justification is based upon substitutionary atonement and propitiation of the sinner with God.  The means of this transfer of righteousness from Jesus to the sinner, and the transfer of sin to Jesus, and the reconciliation of the sinner to God is the work of Jesus on the cross, by His death, resurrection and ascension.  The Holy Spirit provides the elect with faith, through the preaching of the Word, the Gospel, and the receiving of the sacraments, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, so that the elect will believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, justification is by faith alone, in the work of Christ on the cross alone, by the Grace of God through the work of the Holy Spirit alone, to the Glory of God alone as per the recorded testimony of scripture alone.  While this looks like quite a lot of information, you have probably seen it all before.  We will examine each item as we walk through the Canons of Trent on justification.

This link will show the full canons of the sixth session of Trent.

Canons I-III are the refuting of the Pelagian heresy.  In this, both Rome and Luther are in agreement.  I have recently written on this topic.  While many might at first say that they thought that Rome did believe in works righteousness, what is important to understand is that we will be dealing with some semantic issues.  Justification in the mind of Rome is a two part process that the reformed break into justification and sanctification.  Rome views justification part one as being according to faith, and part two is according to works.  Both justification and sanctification for the reformed are external acts of Grace accomplished by Jesus and given to us as a gift of the Holy Spirit.  There is the potential for confusion due to the categories used by Rome relative to the categories used by the Reformers.

In Canon III, a new term is introduced: prevenient inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  The idea here is that man cannot be justified without the intervention of Grace through the Holy Spirit.  While this sounds like the reformation position at first glance, remember that justification to Rome has two parts.  Prevenient Grace is referring specifically to part one of justification in their theological system.

Canon IV is where the fun really starts.  

CANON IV. If any one shall affirm, that man’s freewill, moved and excited by God, does not, by consenting, cooperate with God, the mover and exciter, so as to prepare and dispose itself for the attainment of justification; if moreover, anyone shall say, that the human will cannot refuse complying, if it pleases, but that it is inactive, and merely passive; let such an one be accursed"!   

This canon is a direct rebuttal of what is now known as Calvin’s Irresistible Grace.  The Calvinist believes that the elect must be caused to believe by the Holy Spirit and that this movement of an individual by the Holy Spirit is 100% effective.  Canon IV flatly affirms a synergistic position and pronounces anyone who holds to the doctrine of monergism as accursed.  Things are starting to get nasty.

Canon V is difficult to understand, as it seems to be a contradiction.  Again, remember that Rome has a two part justification and that they believe in synergism.   

CANON V.- If anyone shall affirm, that since the fall of Adam, man’s freewill is lost and extinguished; or, that it is a thing titular, yea a name, without a thing, and a fiction introduced by Satan into the Church; let such an one be accursed"!  

After affirming the doctrine of original sin, Rome turns around and says that sin is not a condition of man to the degree that free will still exists sufficiently uncorrupted to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in justification.  This canon to some degree misrepresents the reformed position of free will as I discussed in the escalator metaphor (second free will section of this post,) but there can be no mistake that the reformed are now accursed on two counts.

Canon IX is the next interesting canon.  

CANON IX.-If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema.  

Here we have the denial of the sola fide, faith alone, doctrine of the Reformation.  While this seems to contradict all of the canons that precede IX, remember that the usage of the word justification by Rome is different that the reformation usage.  This will help sort out the supposed incongruences.

Canon XI is the last canon I’ll discuss for now.

CANON XI.-If any one saith, that men are justified, either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ, or by the sole remission of sins, to the exclusion of the grace and the charity which is poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, and is inherent in them; or even that the grace, whereby we are justified, is only the favour of God; let him be anathema.  

Just how many times does a person have to be declared anathema or accursed to lose their salvation?  This is a pretty good description of penal substitionary atonement, and by it, Rome makes us anathema.

As a whole, it is clear that the Council of Trent was drafted as a direct refutation of the 95 thesis of Luther and the arguments of Calvin.  There is no room for doubt as to the position of Rome on these issues.  Rome has not changed its position on Trent in 500 years.  What is interesting about the concordats that are proposed between Lutheran and other protestant denominations with the Roman Catholic Church is that these protestant denominations truly believe that Rome has moved closer to their position.  Actually, the liberal move of Protestantism has resulted in our more closely resembling Rome.  Rome isn’t going to move at all.  The sooner we all realize this, the more quickly we will realize that we are selling the farm, and the blood of the reformation martyrs for a cheap ecumenical statement that affirms nothing helpful to the dialogue and compromises severely the reformed doctrine of justification.

And so while Rome considers the reformed to be anathema, the reformed sadly acknowledge that Rome ceased to be a church at the Council of Trent.  Undoubtedly there are saved persons within the Church of Rome, but institutionally, they have ceased to be a Christian church, based upon their frank denial of NT scripture as demonstrated by the Council of Trent.  There is no avenue back to one holy Catholic and Apostolic church as long as Trent is upheld.

--Troll--

The Christian Shaolin Master

One of my former martial arts instructors envisioned tying Christian theology to the movements and skills of these eastern arts.  It was sort of like being in an old Chinese movie about the Shaolin Temple monks, only it was set in Europe in the Middle Ages.  One of his favorite Bible passages was the following.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

The theological violence he did to this verse was equivalent to the physical violence in the gym.  He used this verse as an imperative.  We must train to win.  Only the winners get the prize.  Life in general, and martial arts in particular, were about being that one who receives the prize.  A decade later, let me try to unravel this verse a bit and set it back into its proper context.

1 Corinthians 9 is a tough passage for Paul.  He is letting loose on Corinth after some unflattering accusations concerning his Apostleship.  After throwing down the gauntlet that anyone with more knowledge of Christ should take up his mantle, Paul discusses the essence of his mission.  In verses 24-27, Paul uses a metaphor of athletics.  Corinth held biennial Isthmian games that were in competition with the more renown Olympic Games held every four years.  Therefore, the Corinthians were well versed in the athletic metaphor.  In fact, it is possible that Paul was in Corinth during one of these games around 50 A.D.  The use of this metaphor, therefore, was topical and apt by Paul.

Therefore, what is the prize?  In the games, the prize was a wreath placed around the head like a crown.  It was made of living branches or vines.  It was perishable.  To Paul, his crown was the people that he brought to Christ.  These now saved lives are imperishable; the Salvation that Paul offered via the Gospel was imperishable.  Paul is not undercutting the work of the Holy Spirit in this passage.  Rather, Paul is pointing out the goal of the missionary or preacher, the salvation of the elect.

Who receives the prize?  At first glance, only one will receive the prize.  However, that is not a very useful Gospel message.  Opening this verse up to the underlying tale of redemption to which Paul is referring in this metaphor, only One did receive the prize, and His name was Jesus.  But He imputed this victory to His elect, those who understand the race and the training that is required to participate.  The victory of the One is then shared with all who understand the work ethic and training required to participate.  This actually dovetails nicely with the whole thrust of James.  The works of the athlete do not guarantee victory, but are the required lifestyle of anyone who takes the games seriously enough to compete.  The Victory is guaranteed by faith in the One who won the race.

When viewed in this manner, and putting it back into chapter 9 with the other metaphors, we can view this last paragraph of chapter 9 as Paul exhorting the Corinthians to good works through their faith in the One winner of the race.  His own personal victory, Paul views as being as a result of his labors in getting as many people as he can to participate earnestly in the race.  He is a Jew to Jews, a Gentile to Gentiles, a man who meets the people where they are.  But Paul’s identity is always in terms of his Apostleship to the One who actually won the race.

Finally, my old Christian Shaolin master viewed this passage as a Law passage, as an imperative.  He did so without grounding it in the indicatives.  Rather than placing the emphasis on the training and then in receiving the glory through the One who won, he placed the glory only in winning.  While it is appropriate to give all of the Glory to God, it should be remembered that through Christ’s work, all believers are winners as well.  This passage is about Christian living, not about individual salvation.  Paul may take pride in the people who he brings to the Gospel, but ultimately, Paul understands to Whom the Glory of the Victory belongs.  The prize is eternal.  The race has already been won.  Today, we have faith in the Victor, while we emulate His example to the best of our ability.  In this way, we are given all the honor, rights and privileges of the Victor as a gift through His Mercy and Grace.

--Ogre--

The Rock

…whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

This phrase appears in Matthew twice, in 16:19 and 18:18.  The context of each passage is very different, but it is Jesus speaking both times.  Let us look at the first passage concerning Peter.  We’ll look at other Biblical references, at theories of the rock, and at the perspective of redemptive history.  We will likewise examine the second passage concerning the resolution of disputes.  We’ll look at the same three categories with this verse.  Finally, after taking a step back, with the backdrop of redemptive history in mind, we will examine this phrase in the larger context of Jesus’ work on the cross.  The idea of the Two Kingdoms will be used as a tool for understanding redemptive history.

In the first Matthew passage, Jesus is revealing part of his role in redemptive history.  The Son of Man is an OT name for the messiah.  While the phrase has a different meaning in Ezekiel, Daniel begins to change the meaning of the phrase in chapters 7 and 8.  It has eschatological meaning as the messiah from those passages.  Jesus always refers to himself as the Son of Man, using this messianic declaration.  Because it can also be viewed as a general reference to humanity, there can be confusion over the meaning.  In Matthew 16:16, Peter makes this direct link between the Son of Man and Jesus, and that He is the Christ, the messiah. 

It is interesting that there is actually discussion of the word rock after Jesus renames Simon as Peter or rock.  Many view this passage as stating that the church is built upon Peter specifically.  If Peter is the rock, specifically, why does Jesus undress him so severely in the same discussion in Matthew 16:23.  Others will say that the rock is the pronouncement by Peter that Jesus is the messiah.  Still others will refer to passages about the chief cornerstone, which are referenced in all of the Synoptics, and say that Jesus is referring to himself in this passage.  Let us stay with Peter for a moment, or perhaps Peter’s proclamation of Jesus, and continue onward.

The next verse starts with the reference to keys of the gates of heaven.  Who is receiving these keys?  It seems clear that this is initially granted to Peter.  The Roman Catholics use this verse as the grounds for Peter being the first Pope.  Peter is the first Apostle to preach to the Jews after Pentecost in Acts 2.  Peter is the first to preach to the Samaritans in Acts 8.  Peter is the first to preach to the Gentiles in Acts 10.  But Peter continues to report back to the Jerusalem council.  In fact, it seems in Acts 15 that James has the last word at that council.  Furthermore, in Ephesians 2:20, Paul is fleshing out this foundation idea with Jesus as the cornerstone and all of the Apostles and prophets forming the foundation.  Therefore, this office of preaching or proclaiming of the Gospel has been delegated to all of the Apostles early on in Acts, and eventually is delegated to others because the Apostles will certainly and eventually die.

Now there is a second aspect of the keys of heaven.  The Pharisees were in the habit of locking everyone out of the Holy of Holies, but Peter is charged with binding only some.  Those who he binds on earth will be bound in heaven.  Clearly, this is an office that must be passed onward as well as preaching.  Whether Jesus intended this to mean that Peter is in charge of church discipline or rather in the role of excommunication is difficult to ascertain from this passage alone.  In Galatians, Paul pronounced preachers of false gospel as accursed.  We will return to that passage later.  But let’s now go on to the other place that this first phrase appears, Matthew 18.

In Matthew 18, we are in a section concerning the resolution of disputes between Christians.  In this section, there is a discussion of witnesses and so forth.  Notice carefully the use of the word church in verse 17. 

If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Therefore, when we arrive at verse 18, the antecedent of the pronoun you has become the church.  We all become responsible for the discipline of our brothers in Christ.  This is part of the Ministry of Reconciliation of which Paul speaks in 2 Corinthians 5.  Not only are we to preach the Gospel, to teach about Christ’s reconciling us to Him by His work on the cross, but in doing so, we will also minister to each other in the church as part of the fruits of the Spirit.  We will help each other walk the walk.  These works are not works towards our justification.  These works are the necessary result of a people who recognize their sinful nature in Adam, but also know that through faith we are reconciled to Christ.

Notice John 20:23.  This occurs after Jesus reappears to the Apostles.  Whether or not Peter is the first to preach, it is clear that the office is given to all of the Apostles, and by extension, to all who are called to preach the Word and to give Absolution.  Two of the most important portions of the Sunday service are the Confession of sins and the  Absolution pronounced by the priest or pastor, parts of the service that are nonexistent in many Evangelical and Pentecostal churches.  Whether we look at these events as the actual loosening of these people in absolution for their sins, or as a mini drama of repentance and absolution through the justification provided by Jesus’ work on the cross, which occurs next in the service, it is important that God’s people are reminded each week that through faith in Jesus, we are justified, reconciled, offered atonement and propitiation, sanctified and saved.  Jesus was pretty busy on Easter.

How does a reformed person, of Covenant theology and Amillennial eschatology apply the concepts of the Two Kingdoms to these passages?  In Matthew 16, this is an eschatological passage, as Jesus is referring to himself as the Son of Man, a messianic title.  Therefore, this passage should be interpreted in terms of the Age to Come, or the Kingdom of Heaven.  The question here is whether verse 19 implies that Peter will pass judgment on individual men in terms of salvation.  Rome clearly reads this passage in that the Church and, more specifically, the Papacy, as the direct theological descendent of Peter, have this office.  The Reformation view does not agree.  The argument here is that Peter first, and then all of the Apostles, as per Ephesians 2:20 and John 20:23, are given the office of preacher, by which they spread the Word to the world, making salvation possible by the hearing of the Word and the movement of the Holy Spirit in elect hearers of this preaching.  The binding is not so much in terms of the denial of salvation, but rather in the correction of members of the church.  But this office of correction is not only given to the Apostles, and their preacher descendants, but to the church as a whole, as per Matthew 18:17.

And now, tying this into Matthew 18:18, a passage that is clearly about this Age and this world, Jesus here is discussing the settling of disputes on this earth.  He gives this authority to the church.  In this case, binding again becomes a question considering the action of making the offender be as a Gentile or tax collector.  Jesus used these same examples in Chapter 5 in a similar context.  It must be remembered that at this point in redemptive history, Jesus and the Apostles are preaching to Jews.  Therefore, these two groups represent outcasts, those considered unsaved under the Old Covenant.  One has to be careful in over reading Jesus’ intension in this section considering the company he keeps, the role of the tax collector in Luke 18, the ministry that comes first from Peter to the Gentiles, and the previous occupation of the Apostle Matthew (tax collector.) Still, the implication of discipline remains.

Therefore, in summary, we can say that this phrase

…whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

is a complex phrase in the Gospel of Matthew.  The interpretation can seem to mean several things.  What it is important to keep in mind are basic principles, particularly the Sovereignty of God.  Salvation is not an issue for man to determine.  Salvation is of God, by God, through God and at the whim of God.  This binding may be a delegation of some level of authority concerning the disciplining of the church membership, but it cannot mean a delegation of the determination of Salvation.  Even with Paul’s remarks in Galatians, let him be accursed is more of an expectation of an adverse judgment rather than actually rendering that judgment upon the false teachers.  The difference is huge.  And so, in the Age to Come, that began on Pentecost and will be fully realized on the Last Day, the Apostles and those that serve in the office of preacher are empowered to deliver the Word of God to the ends of the earth.  And in the Present Age, on this world, the church is charged with the discipline of its own membership.  Remember also that the church is charged with the teaching of Christ’s Ministry of Reconciliation, so that with discipline, we offer repentance and then receive reconciliation.

--Troll--