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Whom Are You Kidding

I am but a little child: I know not …

The Preaching of the Cross

Pagan in the Churchs

Whom Are You Kidding?

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Mt 7:22-23 AV)

Man looks on outward things; God looks on the heart. The works that men see may not indicate the true condition of the heart at all. The heart of a man is known only by God. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jer 17:9-10 AV)

It is true that good works justify us in the sight of men, as James says [James 2:18ff], but they cannot justify us in the sight of God, as Jesus clearly shows in this passage. No amount of good works can breathe life into an empty faith.

Jesus gives a most solemn warning: it doesn’t matter how many good works you do, even to the working of miracles and preaching in the name of Christ. Even works done by the power of Christ Himself cannot justify the sinner, for the Lord can use even a donkey to do wonders [Numbers 22].

This passage shows that at the judgment, no works of man will be taken into account, for it is too late to be justified at this judgment. The soul that expects to be justified at the judgment of God on the basis of his works will not be saved. Jesus knows the nature of justification because He knows the nature of His heavenly Father.

It is not the pretension of submission to God that counts and certainly not the intoning of such mantras as “Lord, Lord” but actually doing the will of the Father. We also must not think that Jesus is saying that doing the “will of my Father” means keeping the law, for this would be a denial of His whole mission, which was to call all men to Himself, to faith and trust:

“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (Joh 6:28-29 AV)

“For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (Joh 6:38-40 AV)

It is simply not the will of God to justify sinners on the basis of any good works they do. Not before the foundation of the world; not in the history of this world; not in the judgment at the last days. Anyone who fancies that God will consider the quantity or quality of his good works in the last day is living in a dream world that will come crashing down around him. It is “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” (Tit 3:5 AV) It is the mercy of God alone that is the source of all good that comes to us, including regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.

The hypocrisy of that famous Pharisee was revealed by his very prayer in which he thanked God that he was not like other men, for he fasted, and tithed, and was not an extortioner, adulterer, or unjust. What this foul man could not see was that he could not be justified even by those works which he attributed to the gift of God and to the work of God in him. It is simply true that any trust that is directed toward any good that we do will not stand before the righteous judgment of God in the last day.

Nor is it a defense of the perverse doctrine of justification by works to cite Matthew 25, where the righteous go away into eternal life because they visited Christ in prison, fed Christ when He was hungry, etc. This passage cannot be cited in defense of works-righteousness simply because the righteous were unaware that they did any of these things. “Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?” (Mt 25:37-39 AV) Those who trust in their works are very smug in them and despise [find contemptible] others, as Jesus said. [Luke 18:9]

It is true that the good works of the elect of God are predestined from the foundation of the world, but these good works are not therefore the ground of their election nor of their justification before God, nor even proof of their election. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:8-10 AV) See also Romans 9:11 which clearly states that the election is not according to works, but is unto good works. Good works do not of themselves indicate their motive or the intent of those who do them, which is known only to God. Only God knows the heart.

This doctrine of justification by faith is so clearly taught in the Scripture that it was included in the Heidelberg Catechism in most unmistakable language:

Q60: How are you righteous before God?

A60: Only by true faith in Jesus Christ: that is, although my conscience accuses me, that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have never kept any of them, and am still prone always to all evil; yet God, without any merit of mine, of mere grace, grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ, as if I had never committed nor had any sins, and had myself accomplished all the obedience which Christ has fulfilled for me; if only I accept such benefit with a believing heart.

This doctrine is also clearly summarized by the great Apostle:

“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin…. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: … Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” (Ro 3:19-28 AV)

Don’t kid yourself. You will not fool God even if you draw a cloak over the eyes of men.

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I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

--King Solomon

“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Heb 5:14 AV)

We do not expect babies to digest pork chops and we mustn’t leave it to them to make good moral choices.

Liberal theology has had a devastating effect on American Christianity, and one of the most evil ideas is the one that children understand truth better than adults do. Because of this we are expected every few days to listen to the opinions of first graders or ninth graders on the effects of global warming, whether the war in Iraq is right, or whether sodomites should be allowed to marry other sodomites. Then we are expected to simper, “Isn’t that sweet? How wise the child is. I wish everyone could be so innocent and discerning.” Ugh. [See my article on “Become as Children?” at http://basketoffigs.org/misc/CHILDREN.htm].

I, for one, do not care what some ignorant kid thinks about anything, even about himself, UNLESS, his parents have been wise enough to exercise his senses “to disern both good and evil.” I have known young people who have been very mature in their moral choices, but that is not generally the case nowadays.

The Holy Spirit tells us that the “senses” must be “exercised to discern both good and evil.” The word translated “senses” means the understanding, the reason, the faculty of the mind that makes judgments or sees the differences between things. It does not refer to the emotion or the will, but to the faculty of reason that discerns the nature of things.

This faculty must be “exercised” in order to work properly. “Exercise” means to “exercise vigorously.” The ability to understand the difference between right and wrong is an ability that comes from vigorous mental exercise.

We would not send a youth into a football game without vigorous preparation which would involve exercises to increase strength, stamina, and skill, for by so doing we would endanger his health and perhaps his life. But we seem to think that they can face life without vigorous training in morals.

The morals of the young are not “up to them.” It is especially required of Christian parents to “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” It is criminal to ignore this training.

The Preaching of the Cross

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1Co 1:18 AV)

The death of Christ on the cross is certainly the focus of the Gospel and that a shift of focus away from the passive obedience of Christ will obscure the gospel and do harm. The active obedience of Christ is essential to the Gospel, just as is God’s eternal decree, but this must not be the focus.

1. The catechism states that my only comfort in life and in death is that I belong to Christ who has “with his precious blood” redeemed me from all the power of the devil.” Without this redemption, none of the other good things derived from this “belonging” would apply. The fact that “blood” is metonymic, does not at all detract from the importance of the word that is used metonymically. When a young swain asks for the “hand” of his sweetheart, there is importance given to the word “hand” by emphasis on the concept of “vow” or a pledge of the whole person. If nature is governed by “tooth and claw,” we by metonymy emphasize that there is cruelty and violence characterizing nature, which would not be emphasized if we said that “Bambi rules nature.” There is always an emphasis because of the word that is used in the figure. 2. The references to the Person of Christ in catechism questions 15 through 20 are there for the purpose of adding value or merit to the “satisfaction” that Christ made for sin. It is true that the active obedience is referenced in such questions as No. 18 in which Christ is said to be given to us for “complete redemption and righteousness,” but the focus of the catechism is on the “satisfaction.” Our mediator must be man, so that He could make satisfaction for sin to the justice of God in His human nature; He must be God so that He could bear in His manhood the burden of God’s wrath….”

3. This focus is seen throughout the catechism, especially in questions such as No 37-44 which are summarized below:

The sufferings of Christ included all the time he lived on the earth, but especially on the cross when He bore in body and soul the wrath of God against the sin of the whole human race. He was condemned by the temporal judge to deliver us from the severe judgment of God. He was crucified because he was cursed of God to redeem us from the curse, because the justice and truth of God required that satisfaction for our sins could be made in no other way than by the death of the Son of God. He was buried to show that He had really died. We therefore do not atone for our sins by our own death, but our death is a dying to sin and an entering into eternal life. We therefore benefit much from His death, for with Him our old man is crucified, slain, and buried, so that evil lusts may no longer reign in us, but that we may offer ourselves living sacrifices to Him. We are therefore redeemed from all the power, anguish, and torment of hell forever.

4. This focus is seen everywhere in the New Testament.

1. John the Baptist announced the coming of the Messiah by saying, “Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world,” focusing on His death which would redeem not just Israel but the whole world.
2. I Peter 1:18ff says that we were redeemed from our “vain conversation” not by corruptible things like silver and gold, but by the “precious blood of Christ” as of a lamb “without blemish and spot.” Certainly the focus of this is on the sacrifice of Christ and the active obedience [without blemish and spot] is referenced to indicate the value of the sacrifice. The justice of God could be satisfied only by a sacrifice that was commensurate with the offense.
3. A testament does not go into force until the death of the Testator [Heb. 9:16,17.] The context requires “testament” rather than “covenant” for no covenant goes into force because one of the covenanting parties dies [for instance, the death of the wife frees the husband from his covenant and he can marry another], but a last will and testament does go into effect by the death of the testator. So, without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin as the ceremonies of sacrifice from Adam to Christ testify. So Christ appears once in the end of the world to “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

Specifically, the Apostle Paul says that “For the preaching of the cross…is the power of God.” [See 1Cor. 1:18-24]

Again, even though “cross” in vs. 18 is metonymy, yet the focus is on the sacrifice of Christ, and Paul said that the fact that he preached “Christ crucified” was a stumbling block to the Jew and foolishness to the Greek. It was specifically this preaching that is the power of God and the wisdom of God among those who “are called.” This means that the preaching of the cross specifically connects with the elect, for it meets them on the level of the sin and guilt, without which connection no man can be saved. Everything in the Bible is to be believed and preached, but it is specifically the preaching of the cross which is both an offense to the flesh and power of God unto salvation.

E. Paul says that it is by the preaching of Christ crucified that the gift of the Holy Spirit is given: “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” (Ga 3:1-2 AV)

The focus of the Gospel and the reception of the Holy Spirit are said to be by the hearing of faith that receives, not the law, but the crucifixion of Christ. The focus is Christ “crucified.” The law must be preached in a lawful way, as Paul says elsewhere, but the focus of the Gospel is on the sacrifice of Christ, not on obedience. This is a fundamental error of the Shepherdites, who equate obedience with faith. Faith is not the equivalent of obedience, because faith has a different focus than obedience.

Note: The rest of this article “The Active and Passive Obedience of Christ” on the primacy of preaching the cross of Christ may be found at http://basketoffigs.org/cgi-bin/blog/view_post/250189. While you are there browse around a bit. There is a lot of stuff there.

Pagan in the Church

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. John 2:23-251

How much iniquity is tolerated in churches in terms of “evangelism”? Somebody says, “Don’t you want to win men to Christ?” is a question something like “Have you stopped beating your wife?” If you say “Yes, of course,” then the proposed program or device is automatically approved. If you say, “Yes, but we must obey God,” then you are not approved because you are an old fogy, stuck in the old ways, and unwilling to do what needs to be done to save souls.

It is bogus, of course. The real response is, “Yes, we want to win men to Christ, but it is not possible to win men to Christ without the faithful witness of the Gospel.”

The message, “Come to Christ and prosper” will attract covetous men, but not to repentance, but to an affirmation of covetousness. “Christian have great sex,” will appeal to the lascivious, but not to repentance. “Christians are happier than others,” will attract the self-absorbed, but not to repentance and faith, but to more intense pleasure seeking. “Christianity will enable you to change the culture and transform society,” will attract the worldly and those who seek their portion in the world, but not to repentance and faith. “Come to Christ and reign with Him” will attract those who lust for power and prestige, but not to repentance and Christ.

The simple truth is this: any appeal that seeks to harness Christ to the wagon of man self-centeredness and sinful desires will not make Christians of them. It is precisely the lie in the center of man’s being that is the very issue that God has with man. The lie is this, and is born in every son of Adam, “Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Bring men to Christ and sell refrigerators have nothing at all in common and those who think so will utterly fail in the ministry of the Gospel.

“And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Lu 9:61-62 AV)

Jesus was not content with shallow disciples, because He certainly knew the nature of God’s requirements. True faith transforms the inner man and does not leave him sunk in his worldly lusts and selfish idolatry.

This transformation is the condemnation of the old man inherited from Adam and the implanting of a new man in the image of Christ. This is the beginning of newness of life that Paul describes this way, “He that hath begun a good work in your will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ.” [Phil 1:6] We are called to consider the old man dead with Christ and ourselves alive unto God in Jesus Christ. [Rom. 6:11] By the grace of God, we have been predestined to be conformed to Jesus Christ and this will of God cannot fail and nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:29, 35ff]

The problem with every humanistic appeal on behalf of the Gospel is this: it will invariably re-enforce the very thing that keeps men from God: the affirmation of self and the unwillingness to submit to the righteousness of Christ. There is therefore death in the pot—instead of transforming the world after the image of Christ, it will transform the church into the image of the world to the corruption of both the world and the church.

The Gospel message is precisely the opposite of this. We are called by the Gospel not to affirm the spirit of the world but the spirit of the Cross of Christ. I must agree with the verdict of the Cross, that I am worthy of death, without hope and without life apart from the grace and mercy that is in Christ. By faith I identify with the cross of Christ that I might be joined with Him in His resurrection. This is so contrary to my nature that only the work of the Spirit in my heart will cause this to happen. Our life flows to us from the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

John summarized the Gospel message, “ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passed away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1Jo 2:15-17 AV)

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