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GOD’S CHURCH, GOD’S WAY, Part 2

Published January 20, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: 1 Timohty, False Teachers, God's Church God's Way

Fight Against False Teachers, 1:3—11

Very quickly Paul gets into the main reasons for writing this letter. He spent all of two verses on the niceties, and with verse three he jumps right into why he is writing this letter to Pastor Timothy. Verse three begins with an urgent plea for Timothy to stay put in Ephesus, and so we will begin this teaching with the same urgency.

1. Stay where you are! 1:3, 4

³As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer ⁴nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith.

The very first thing Paul urges Timothy to do was clearly the most urgent thing Timothy must do: remain in Ephesus. Literally, Paul wrote this: “Remain still there in Ephesus.” It is a vigorous command; we might say, “I want you to stay put where you are for now!”

We don’t know a whole a lot about what Paul was doing during these concluding years of his life and ministry, but we are able to deduce that he was drawn to Macedonia and it seemed as though Timothy wanted to travel with him there. This makes sense because Paul was elderly and in poor health and Timothy was young and vigorous and had proven himself to be a great asset to Paul’s preaching ministry. It would have made perfect common sense for Timothy to travel with Paul into Macedonia. However, sometimes the Lord wants His people to do things that go against our much lauded “common sense.”

There are times in life when it is easier to pack it in and move on than to remain in a difficult or uncomfortable situation. There is an instinct buried deep within all of us to escape from seemingly impossible situations or onerous responsibilities. The easy way out, or the path of least resistance, often looks very attractive to us and “common sense” would dictate that it would be better to move on than to continue banging our heads against a brick wall. To escape to greener pastures and have a fresh start just seems to be the right thing to do under certain circumstances. But when God says, “Stay put!” He has good reasons for it! Sometimes God says “Go” and sometimes He says “Stay,” but whatever He says, God always has good reasons and we must be sure that we are obedient to His Word and will regardless of how we feel about it or whether or not it makes sense to us. God’s will always makes perfect sense to Him.

Paul had been released from his two-year stay in a Roman prison and he apparently made a missionary visit to Ephesus. While he was there, he encountered a problem that needed immediate attention, so he left Timothy there to pastor this important first century church and to correct the problem. The problem was a common one: certain men had come into the church teaching false doctrines. The church has always had false teachers; within a few scant years of its founding, in fact, false teachers had infiltrated its ranks. Paul does not mention their names, referring to them only as “certain men.” Probably Timothy knew full well who these “certain men” were so Paul tactfully does not name them. In verse 20 Paul mentions the names of two trouble makers—Hymenaeus and Alexander—who had succumbed to false teaching, so maybe they are included in the “certain men.”

What was the nature of their false teaching? Paul gives us a hint, saying it involved “myths and genealogies.” Most scholars believe these false teachers who wanted to be the “big shots” at the Ephesian church were Gnostics, who peddled a warped combination of Christian/Jewish/pagan mythology. Verse 7 suggests that they were actually Jewish teachers who were caught up in ancient Jewish myths and legends found in various apocryphal writings during the Old Testament period. In a parallel passage, we read this—

…pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. (Titus 1:14)

Paul makes it clear that these new teachings were controversial and did nothing to promote the genuine work of the Gospel. It may seem hard to imagine that people who had sat under the teachings of a man like Paul could be swayed by the ramblings of “wanna-bees,” but there is a segment of the church that is always anxious to welcome whatever is “new” or different. The situation in Ephesus brings to mind two other situations, one in Galatia and the other in Athens—

⁶I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6—7)

²¹(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) (Acts 17:21)

In Galatia, false teachers had been welcomed into the church and were in the process of stealing its members. Here were people who had heard the Gospel, responded to it in faith, had been growing in their faith, yet when the “new” and “exciting” teachings came along, they too easily jumped ship to run after them. In Athens, the people liked to debate and pit their ideologies against whatever they considered to be old fashioned notions taught by “fuddy duddies,” like the Apostle Paul.

In every age there are people who love to indulge in strange mixtures of truth and error. And it was Timothy’s job as pastor to guard his congregation against such teachings by teaching the truth and by administering discipline to those who went against the truth; that is “God’s work.” The word translated “work” is oikonomian, which literally means “stewardship.” The objective of every pastor and church leader should be faith-centered stewardship based on the Word of God. Any teaching that gets in the way of that objective or any individual that leads others away from that objective needs to be dealt with accordingly.

2. Practice brotherly love, 1:5—7

⁵The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ⁶Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. ⁷They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

All church discipline should be administered in love. The highest goal of all preaching and teaching is love—agape love. It is the Word of God that draws God’s people together. For church leaders, an expression of that love is combating error with truth through the faithful teaching and exposition of God’s Word and the protection of their congregation from false teachers.

For their part, the false teachers seemed to have gotten a foothold in Ephesus, and while their “new” teachings fascinated some, they only served to cause trouble and push the people apart. That is a distinguishing mark of false teachers and false teaching: controversy and consternation.

According to Dr. McGee, there three things that every church should manifest:

Faith. A church should manifest faith in both God and in His Word.
Love. Love is more than a word or an emotion; it is an active concern for others in the Body of Christ. It means that you treat your fellows with respect and concern; you don’t gossip and tell tales. It means you build them up, not tear them down.
A good conscience. Conscience is man’s “moral intuition.” Although your conscience should never be your guide—that task should be left up to the Holy Spirit—it can serve as a kind of umpire, passing judgment on your current state, your thoughts, and your emotions. In the believer, God often uses the conscience to “produce godly sorrow” which leads to repentance, 2 Corinthians 7:10.

These three things, according to Paul, needed to be manifested first by Timothy, then by his congregation. These false teachers, though, had completely missed the mark and turned from the truth to “meaningless talk.” The Greek word is very descriptive and used only here in the New Testament; it means “empty babbling.” Nothing is emptier than teaching devoid of God’s Word. Somebody can stand behind a pulpit, look the part, speak well and sound impressive, but if what they are teaching is not of God, they are mere “wordmongers,” saying nothing of value to anybody. Paul’s opinion of these men couldn’t be clearer: they thought they are so smart, but in reality they knew nothing, they didn’t even understand what they were trying to teach others. They deluded people for they themselves were deluded.

3. Proper teaching, taught properly, yields results, 1:8—11

⁸We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. ⁹We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine ¹¹that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

Paul had identified the false teachers at Ephesus as men who had appointed themselves as learned teachers of the Law, and now he points out that HE knew all about the Law, and that the Law was good, but that these false teachers had taken it and perverted it. God never gave the Law to His people as a means of salvation, which was part of the false teaching.

An interesting phrase that needs our attention is: “[the] law is not made for the righteous.” What was Paul getting at? Did he mean that the righteous no longer need to concern themselves with mundane things like right and wrong? Of course not! As Paul taught elsewhere, the Law served our “schoolmaster” to lead us to Christ, and to know Christ is to have that Law inscribed on our hearts. This is part of the “new covenant” as prophesied by Jeremiah—

³³ “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)

But that written Law condemns sinners; it points out the wrong in their lives. Paul gives a list of the kinds of sin and behavior the Law condemns. As if to drive his point home, at the end of his list, Paul adds, probably with a twinkle in his eye: and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine. In other words, the teaching of these false teachers directed at Timothy and his congregation would be better directed at themselves! The false teachers immersed themselves in wild and fanciful teachings because they never saw their true state: sinners in need of the Gospel. Christians who fall for false teaching need to take heed of this fact. What does it say about a Christian who is so easily swayed by a phony Gospel? What does it say about their conscience? What does it say about the Law that is supposedly inscribed on their hearts?

It is difficult to imagine any teaching more powerful than the “glorious gospel of the blessed God.” This was the teaching entrusted to Paul and to Timothy. Sound doctrine demands that a person keep God’s Law. At the same time, sound doctrine declares that a person cannot keep it; it reveals that without Christ that person is lost. The Gospel is glorious, and sound doctrine must be taught because people need to know their true condition and the only remedy for it: the pure Word of God. False teaching is attractive because it never demands that a person see themselves as God sees them: a hopeless sinner, lost forever. Nobody wants to see themselves like that, so they cling to the kind of teachings that make them feel good about themselves.

God loves you and He values your soul to the point where He would rather make you feel uncomfortable about yourself so that you’ll change than stroke your ego and let you go on living in a fool’s paradise.

God’s church, done God’s way promotes real love founded on the truth of God’s Word and the proclamation of sound doctrine. It’s easy to manipulate people’s feelings and emotions, but God calls for changed lives and He wants His truth written on our hearts so that we will manifest love for Him and for each other, faith, and be able sleep at night with a clear conscience.

Don’t get flim flammed by false teahers.

(c) 2010 Witzend

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, 1

Published January 18, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Apostle, Gospel, John

Introduction

The Gospel of John might well be the most amazing thing ever written. Most people assume it is easy to read and understand, which is why new Christians are encouraged to read it and often given copies of it upon their conversion. John’s simple way of writing—often using very short, simple words—is deceiving, however. Consider the very first verse of John’s Gospel—

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

There is not one complicated word in that verse. Taken individually, even a child can tell you what each word in verse 1 means. But when we put them together the way John did, we come up with one of the most profound verses in the entire Bible. St. Jerome observed:

John excels in the depths of divine mysteries.

St Jerome was, I think, making an understatement!

This Gospel was probably the last of the Gospels to have been written. Its readers would have been second or third generation Christians and what they knew about the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ they gleaned from what John and the other Gospel writers wrote, what Paul and others wrote in letter form, and what they heard by word of mouth, either from their parents or from wandering, itinerant preachers. There were no seminaries at this time, preachers were not taught by theology professors and they did not have racks of commentaries to study from or, in fact, a standardized Bible from with to teach. Understandably, then, as some historical evidence suggests, there were some common misconceptions about Jesus circulating among the members of the early Church. It was essential to set the record straight for future generations. This was John’s burden.

Who exactly was John, the man behind the Gospel? Biblical information tells us that he was the son of a man named Zebedee, a fisherman by trade, whose wife was named Salome (Mark 15:40; 16:1; also Matthew 27:56). Most scholars believe that his older brother was named James. It seems that the John’s family was a family of means; they had hired servants (Mark 1:20), and according to John 19:27, he took Mary in and cared for her after the death of Jesus.

He was probably a disciple of John the Baptist before becoming a follower of Jesus (John 1:35—40). The Apostle John was a member of Jesus’ inner circle, along with his brother James and Peter. On numerous occasions during the last half of Jesus’ ministry, these three men alone were drawn closer to Jesus in a relationship not enjoyed by the other disciples (Matthew 17:1—8; Mark 9:2—8; Luke 9:28—36, 49ff; 22:8). Peter and John were the only disciples to follow Jesus to the place of judgment (John 18:15, 16); John alone went with Jesus to Golgotha (John 19:26); and it was John and his friend Peter who raced to the tomb on the first Easter morning (John 20:3—4).

The apostle is mentioned in the book of Acts nine times and there he is overshadowed by the leadership of Peter, though Paul names John as one of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem (Galatians 2:9)

The Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, a letter really, was written by the same John and is the only other book in the New Testament to reference the apostle. Exiled on the rocky island of Patmos for a time, John is seen not only as an apostle, but as a prophet.

From bits and pieces of history, we know that John did not die on Patmos, but spent his declining years in Ephesus. Early Church father Jerome mentions that in his “extreme old age,” John was helped to and from worship services by his loyal “disciples.” To his dying day, John’s message was one of love; loving one another and loving God.

While most conservative Bible scholars place this Gospel’s composition around 95 AD, the events it records took place between 30 and 36. That means it took John some 60 years to get around to writing his Gospel. In fact, the other three Gospels, like John’s, were all written decades after the events they recorded. The epistles or letters, even though they are located after the Gospels in our New Testaments, were mostly written long before the Gospels were. Why did it take Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John so long to write their accounts of the life and times of Jesus Christ? There were two main reasons:

The disciples and members of the first century Church took literally the promise made by Jesus Christ that He would return soon. If a couple of angels came up to you and told you that Jesus Christ would return the same way He left, as they did the followers of Christ in Acts 1:11 at the time of His Ascension, you would probably go about your days keeping an eye open for this to happen. We can imagine that as the first century drew to a close, the disciples, the eyewitnesses to the life of Christ, were getting old and feeble and they realized that they needed a permanent record of the things they saw, experienced, and subsequently taught. So John and Matthew wrote their Gospels as old men. Mark, who was not a disciple and considerably younger than any of the Twelve, wrote his Gospel and Luke, who traveled with and cared for Paul, and who spent years interviewing the men and women who knew Jesus personally, wrote his Gospel to “set the record straight” for a generation who never saw Jesus personally.
To correct false impressions and false teachings about the facts surrounding the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By the mid-first century there were all kinds of myths and legends swirling around the Man called Jesus Christ. Some of these false teachings were perpetrated in ignorance by men who were genuinely saved but preaching wrong things because they themselves had been mistaught. Other false teachings were spread by Judaizers and Gnostics who sought to disrupt and eventually destroy the Church of Jesus Christ.

John in his Gospel helps the reader understand exactly why he wrote his Gospel by stating his reason in John 20:30—31,

³⁰Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

There are at least four key ideas expressed by John in these two verses that need to be examined in order to grasp why he wrote what he wrote and why what he wrote is so different from what Matthew, Mark, and Luke wrote.

1. Miraculous signs

These verses are really the conclusion of the Gospel, summarizing the author’s strategy, subject, and purpose in writing it. Thomas’ glorious confession in verse 28 gives John’s purpose power. Thomas realized who Jesus Christ was after seeing our Lord’s resurrection, the greatest miracle or sign of all. The resurrection and subsequent appearances of Jesus to His followers and others led credence to the fact that Jesus Christ was who He claimed to be. John realized how powerful the miracle of the resurrection was and in similar measure, how powerful the other miracles of Jesus were, and so he wrote about them in his Gospel, preserving them for all time for others to read about.

The Greek word John used in verse 30 was semeion, and in classical Greek literature usually meant:

A mark or sign by which something is known;
An omen or a sign from the gods;
A sign or signal to do something; ie., a signal for battle.

In Koine Greek, or the common Greek the New Testament was written in, semeion came to mean “miracle” or “wonder” and “a sign.” As John used it in his statement of purpose, the word carries two distinct ideas. First, John meticulously recorded many, but not all, of the miracles Jesus performed during His earthly ministry. In fact, John records some miracles not mentioned in the other Gospels. Second, John indicates why he recorded so many miracles: That you many have faith that Jesus is the Christ, to Son of God (literal). In John’s mind, the miracles of Jesus were really a “call to action,” and that action was the act of placing faith in Christ Jesus.

2. Believe (or faith)

Even though “faith in Christ” is the key ingredient in all Christian preaching and teaching, it is odd that John never uses that word, “faith” (pistis) in his Gospel. However, he does use the verb pisteuo, “believe,” a derivative of pistis (the noun “faith”) almost 100 times. In fact, “believe” is the key word in John’s history of Jesus Christ. As far as John was concerned, “faith” had to be an action—a verb and not a noun. Belief in Christ was to be the only appropriate response to the Son of God. Faith or belief in Jesus Christ is really made up three ingredients:

Belief
Trust
Loyalty

L.H. Marshall makes an interesting and helpful observation:

Just as gunpowder is not gunpowder if any of its three elements—carbon, saltpeter, or sulphur—is missing, so is faith a genuine faith only if all of its elements are present.

3. Jesus is the Christ

He is the chief subject of the Gospel, not the signs and wonders. John artfully presents Jesus as “the Christ,” or “the Messiah” and the “Son of God.” The word “Christ” properly means “Anointed One,” and in Jewish literature always refers to the One chosen by God to be Israel’s Deliverer, who would come to free the nation from bondage and to restore the David Kingdom. As recorded by John, Jesus was given this title very early on in His earthly ministry by the men He would later refer to as His Apostles—

⁴¹The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). (John 1:41)

Interestingly, all of Jesus’ disciples knew who Jesus was, but in John’s Gospel, he seldom refers to Jesus as “the Christ” and, in fact, Jesus did not refer to Himself as “the Messiah.” This was a shrewd calculation of our Lord’s part. That appellation carried with it extreme political connotations that Jesus would not and did not fulfill during His first coming. Jesus was very careful not to portray Himself as some kind “Jewish” political savior, leading some kind of political revolutionary movement. Jesus made it clear to Pilate that His kingdom was “not of this world” (John 18:36).

However, in their zeal to find their political savior, the Jews of John’s day completely missed the spiritual aspect of their coming Messiah: that of a spiritual deliverer. This aspect of the Messiah’s mission Jesus fulfilled completely at His first coming. John tells his readers in no uncertain terms their Savior had already come. He does this by his style of writing; carefully choosing and ordering his words and the events of Christ’s ministry to show that God’s Son—the Incarnate Word—is the complete and final fulfillment of centuries of their own prophet words.

4. Life

Zoe, “life,” is another favorite word John uses over 30 times. Not only does he use it often, but “life” is a major theme of his Gospel. It frequently means “the life of believers which proceeds from God and Christ” (Arndt and Gingrich). As John used the word frequently, “life” designated the “new life” that an individual experienced as a result of faith in Jesus Christ even as they lived in this world. Sometimes John wrote about life and eternal life, blurring them together, not distinguishing between the two! In Johannine theology, the moment a person placed their trust and faith in Jesus Christ, they received a new life that they would carry into eternity.

Conclusion

John’s Gospel is not only amazing; it is beautiful. We see Jesus Christ, the Word, in His pre-incarnate glory, so that we may appreciate His love in coming to earth with the sole purpose of saving sinners. During His earthly ministry, we see Jesus revealing Himself to more and more people, yet rejected by His own. Nevertheless, the all-powerful Son of God did not lash out in anger, but tenderly appealed to them, sinners all, to accept Him by faith. Despite His messages of peace, militant forces marshaled against Him in bitter opposition. By the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, He manifested Himself to be precisely who He claimed to be. Mathew, Mark, and Luke all record the same story, but John’s account is most touching and most assiduous.

(c) 2010 WitzEnd

A SURVEY OF THE MAJOR PROPHETS, 7

Published January 13, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment

The New Covenant, Jeremiah 31:31—37

This mountain-top Old Testament passage has been hailed as one of the most significant passages of Scripture in the entire Bible. It is also seen as a major influence on New Testament doctrine and theology. Some scholars see these verses as the climax of Jeremiah’s ministry and his greatest contribution to biblical truth. Despite this, most Christians are shocked to discover that Jesus was not the first person to speak of a “new covenant.” The Church is familiar with the New Testament reference to the “new covenant” and assumes it is all about the Church—

In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:25)

In fact, like so much of the Bible, the “new covenant” is all about Israel, as we shall see.

1. Context of the new covenant, verses 31, 32

The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. ³² It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.

When we consider the time in which he lived, we can understand where Jeremiah’s concept of a “new covenant” came from. During the reforms of King Josiah, the prophet had seen the people of Judah coming back to the Lord in an outward display of worship and devotion, yet with no corresponding inner change, reminding us of this New Testament verses—

²People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵having a form of godliness but denying its power. (2 Timothy 3:2—5)

Certainly the Judeans flocked to and practiced the national religion of the day, but that religion did nothing to change the hearts of individuals. This is were all religion breaks down eventually; it never calls for the necessity of the individual’s responsibility in repentance and living a changed life.

Jeremiah wrote these verses while he was shut up in the court of the guard. As Jeremiah routinely used the phrase “the time is coming,” the “time” he refered to is the far future; the time of the Messiah and the Day of the Lord. This age will be the consummation of Israel’s history. This promise of a “new covenant” represents a radical change in the way God will deal with His people. As Jeremiah watched the apparent “successes” of Josiah’s reforms, he must have realized that an outward show of righteousness was meaningless if a person’s heart was far from God. This is why he wrote 4:3—4,

³ This is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. ⁴ Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done—burn with no one to quench it.

As the years wore on, Jeremiah became more and more convinced that the hope of Judah rested in the individual and his personal commitment to his faith and not on a national religion. His own experience bore out that truth; his faith was personal; God met Jeremiah face to face, as it were, and had personal fellowship with him. This special relationship was immediate, real, and internal. What happened to Jeremiah would have to become the norm for every individual in Judah.

2. Content of the new covenant, verses 33, 34

³³ “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. ³⁴ No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

These verses, when studied phrase-by-phrase reveal much more than a casual reading does. First of all, we are told that the covenant will be national; it will be with the “house of Israel,” not with any particular individual, though every individual in the nation will be involved. Second, the time factor is spelled out: “after that time.” In other words, after the return from exile, the new covenant will come into effect. Third, God tells the people how they will be able to obey a new covenant when they had demonstrated throughout their history their complete inability to obey the old covenant. His solution: He will write His law within them, on their hearts. The old covenant was written on stone tablets, but the new one will be different, for it will be change the heart and mind of the individual; it will be an internal, not an external covenant.

The new covenant will also inaugurate a new relationship. Under the old covenant, God’s related to His people on a very formal, national level; under the new covenant, God’s relationship with His people will be personal and spiritual. The result of this new relationship will be perfect knowledge of God. What a wonderful day it will when nobody teaches wild and crazy notions of God! Every person will the truth about the God that saved them and the God they worship.

3. Permanence of the new covenant, verses 36, 37

³⁶ “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the LORD, “will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me.” ³⁷ This is what the LORD says: “Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the LORD.

Finally, the new covenant will be the last covenant God will ever have to make with His people because it will be permanent. In fact, because the covenant will be permanent, the nation of Israel must of necessity be permanent as well. Surely this is grandest promise of all for God’s people. Their nation, founded in antiquity, will endure for all eternity. As unchangeable as the laws of nature will be God’s new covenant with His endless nation.

This is a marvelous prophecy for it shows us something of the nature of God’s mercy. The nation of Israel has been a rebellious nation throughout its history, and yet God made this eternal promise to them; a promise that does not depend on anything they do or do not do. God’s Word is faithful and true and it stands regardless of anything else; God forever remembers His promises, rather than man’s demerits.

4. The new covenant and Christians

In his prophecy, Jeremiah names those involved in this new covenant: Judah and Israel. Christians read this wonder if the new covenant will have anything to do with them. In response, we would say that the “new covenant” could never have been made with the Church because there was never an “old” covenant made with them. The only covenant made between God and His people was the Mosaic Covenant, entered into at Mt. Sinai, between God and the nation of Israel, and that was the Old Covenant. Therefore the new covenant will simply replace the old one, being entered into by the original parties: God and Israel (and Judah).

Does this mean that Christians have no part in this new covenant? Of course not! This new covenant began with the death of Christ and all aspects of the death of Christ are for all people of all time. The plain, clear teaching of the New Testament is that because Israel rejected Christ and the covenant in His first coming, Gentiles have been graciously included in its blessings. This was essentially what Paul wrote to the Romans—

³⁰What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. ³²Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone.” ³³As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” (Romans 9:30—33)

As for Israel, even though the new covenant is in effect now, and has been since the crucifixion of Christ, God’s people will yet ratify it at the consummation of their history. Another prophet, Zechariah, wrote about that day in Zechariah 12 and 13, which in part says—

¹⁰And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. (Zechariah 12:10)

Apparently at some point in the eschatological future, the nation of Israel will at last realize the truth about Jesus Christ and He will be recognized as their long-awaited Messiah. At that moment, they will join redeemed people from every generation and be brought into the new covenant forever.

The new covenant spoken of by Jeremiah and Jesus is one and the same covenant. It will be made with believers of every generation and every nation even though it was designed for Israel. The author of the letter to the Hebrews explains how this one covenant can be applied to both Jew and Gentile in Hebrews 8: it is because Jesus is and will be the mediator of it. If this seems confusing, this is because it is a “mystery,” as described by Paul—

⁶This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 3:6)

While the Church and Israel are separate and distinct entities, and the Church has no claim on certain national promises made to Israel, we may rejoice in the knowledge that because of God’s gracious provision we are included in His wondrous plan of redemption. Israel, though excluded at the moment, continues to hold a special place in God’s heart and plan. It behooves all believers of every nationality to pray for the salvation of and peace in Israel. They are our brothers and sisters and we have a common Messiah, who shed His blood and gave His life for all who call upon His name, Jew and Gentile alike.

(c) 2010 WitzEnd

GOD’S CHURCH, GOD’S WAY, Part 1

Published January 12, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: 1 Timothy, God's Church God's Way, Pastoral Epistles

Where I live, the only buildings you see with more frequency than churches are drug stores. There are drug stores everywhere in southwest Virginia. That means that the good people of southwest Virginia are either the sickest, least spiritual people in America or the healthiest, most spiritual people in America. When you drive into the community in which my church is located, by the time you get to my church you have passed two hospitals (each with their own pharmacy), three large pharmacies, one small pharmacy, and some 16 churches; all these drug stores and churches serving less than 5,000 people. Beyond my church are even more churches!

As far as all those drug stores go, to be honest, they all look the same to me. They all peddle the same drugs and sundries for about the same price. I’m not sure why we have so many drug stores because the competition is pretty much nil. The situation with all those churches is a bit different, however. Each church does things slightly different. Some sing hymns that sound like dirges, others sing the same peppy chorus over and over and over again. Some have song leaders and worship leaders, some have small bands and some sing only the psalms with no musical instruments. Some churches have their members standing up, then sitting down, then standing up several times during the service; others have their members sitting down throughout the service while people dance around the front of the church waving flags and such. Some of these churches are pastored by men, others by women, and others are run by a committee. In some of these churches, the pastor wears a suit, and in others he wears a robe and a clerical collar. Sometimes the sermon is short, in other churches it goes on forever. Have you ever wondered why there has to be so many churches? Does a small town of under 5,000 people really need all those churches? What church is the right church? What church is doing it God’s way?

Brief introduction to the Pastoral Epistles

Mind-numbing questions to be sure, but very important ones to discover the answers to. As with 95% of life’s questions, the answers are found in God’s Word; specifically in what we call the Pastoral Epistles. 1 Timothy, Titus, and 2 Timothy are known as “the Pastoral Epistles,” and were probably written in that order. They are very similar in content, written by an elderly Paul to two young pastors, Timothy and Titus. The fact that the content of the letters is so similar suggests, to me at least, that all pastors face similar challenges. So, if we want to assess our churches to see if they measure up to the only standard that really matters—God’s standard—then the Pastorals is where we need to start.

As was stated, Paul wrote these letters very late in his life and career. Most scholars suggest the first two Pastorals were written shortly after Paul was released from his Roman imprisonment, sometime around 61 or 62 AD. Tradition tells us that Paul was again imprisoned in Rome and martyred on or near to 68 AD, and that he wrote 2 Timothy very near to the end of his life. So we can be fairly certain that Paul’s letters to these young pastors were written throughout the 60’s.

Brief introduction to 1 and 2 Timothy

Paul’s first letter to young Timothy was written from Macedonia and his second letter was, in all probability, written from Rome, from a prison cell, very shortly before the apostle’s death.

The Pastoral Epistles are a veritable treasure trove of information on how to pastor a church. Every young pastor (and those of us who used to be young!) should regularly read and study these short letters. Every seminary student should pour over Paul’s letters to his young colleagues. But these letters are not just for the professional minister; anybody who loves the Church of Jesus Christ should know what Paul taught concerning the purpose of the Church and the responsibilities of those called to shepherd the hearts of a congregation.

In short, according to Paul’s theology, the main purposes of the Pastor of a church are to defend and teach sound doctrine and to maintain sound discipline within his church. Specifically, in regards to Timothy, we read this in 1 Timothy 1:3—

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer.

Throughout 1 Timothy, Paul deals with other problems a Pastor may encounter and gives Timothy the benefit of his experience in offering priceless advice to the young Pastor.

2 Timothy is a different kind of letter all together, for it is intensely personal. Paul knew his days were numbered and that his execution loomed just ahead. His friends had either deserted him or had gone on in their work for the Lord; he was lonely and he was cold. Nobody can read 2 Timothy without a tear in their eye as they read verses like these—

⁹Do your best to come to me quickly, ¹⁰for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. ¹¹Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. ¹²I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments. (2 Timothy 9—13)

Here was Paul, once a fiery preacher of the Gospel, asking for his favorite cloak. No doubt he was cold. Perhaps that coat had been a gift from one of the churches he started. Maybe he didn’t want to be publicly executed wearing the old, tattered clothes he had with him. And he wanted his scrolls. What do you suppose those scrolls contained? Like any preacher, Paul probably loved scrolls, or books. In his last days, he wanted is books nearby. Maybe they were things he had written, things other scholars of the early church had written, or maybe some of the scrolls belonged to Luke, containing research he would later incorporate in his gospel and his historical record of the founding of the Church. Maybe Paul just wanted to pass along those treasured books to the people who meant the most to him at this time in his life; Timothy and Mark.

The Salutation,1 Timothy 1:1—2

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, ²To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

The first few verses of every Greek letter written during the first century began much like Paul began his first letter to Timothy. The sender identifies himself—Paul—and mentions those to whom the letter is addressed—Timothy. Even though this particular letter was a written exchange between two very close and dear friends, Paul maintained a formal and dignified tone. John Wesley once remarked,

Familiarity is to be set aside where the things of God are concerned.

Paul’s authority, verse 1

In all but four of his letters (Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Philemon), Paul refers to himself as an “apostle.” Timothy was close to Paul, close enough for Paul to refer to him as his own “son,” yet Timothy needed to know this letter was not merely a communication from one friend to another, filled with timely, fatherly advice. This letter floats above the purely human level; for even though Paul was a friend, he was first and foremost an apostle of Jesus Christ.

The word “apostle” comes from the Greek apostolos, which means literally, “one sent on a mission.” This was the title Jesus gave to His original twelve disciples (Luke 6:13). Matthias assumed the title of “apostle” after the death of Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:23—26), and the first two missionaries, Paul and Barnabas, were also called “apostles.” While the Apostle Paul was never considered to be one of “the Twelve,” he did consider his apostleship as authoritative as theirs for the risen Christ had appeared to him, called him, and commissioned him into service. Paul was endowed in special measure with the Holy Spirit and both signs and wonders accompanied his work.

The word carries with it great weight and significance, for an “apostle” in the deepest, fullest sense was an apostle for life, wherever he went. He was literally clothed with the authority of the One who sent him, and that authority covered both doctrine and practice. Furthermore, Paul was not an apostle by choice; he was marked out and called by “the command of God.” What a marvelous way to view the call of God. Here was Paul, raised and groomed to become a Rabbi in the strictest sense, suddenly thrown for a loop, his life turned upside down and almost without warning the reason for his life completely changed. The presence of Jesus Christ in one’s life does that; He changes everything; He sets the course of your life and gives you a new purpose and power to fulfill that purpose. In fact, there was nothing more important in Paul’s life than fulfilling his calling, as seen in what he wrote to the Corinthians—

Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16, KJV)

Paul refers to God as “our Savior.” That is an unusual way to refer to God. We would expect Paul to write something like, “Jesus Christ, our Savior.” Why refer to God in such a manner? It is seen only in the Pastorals, nowhere else in the New Testament is God described as “our Savior.” We cannot possibly know what was in Paul’s mind when he used the phrase “God our Savior,” but certainly it is the work of God that saves us! God is the Prime Mover, calling all sinners to Himself. But perhaps Paul is demonstrating the obvious and dynamic partnership of the three Persons in the Trinity in the work of man’s redemption; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, all at work in perfect harmony and unity in saving human beings.

Paul goes on to describe Jesus Christ as “our hope.” Elsewhere in Scripture, Jesus is referred to as “our peace” and “our life.” But here He is presented as “our hope.” Jesus Christ is the ground and the object of our confidence in both our future salvation and present salvation. We will be saved from an eternity of separation from God and glory, and we are being saved from a life of purposelessness because He gives our lives purpose and meaning.

Taken together, “God our savior and Christ our hope” beautifully point back to a wonderful redeeming work and look forward to the fulfillment of many glorious promises.

So then, the authority with which Paul wrote this letter came from a Source greater than himself.

Timothy, the young preacher, verse 2

The letter is addressed to a man named “Timothy.” The first mention of this person is in Acts 16:1, an account of Paul’s second visit to Derbe and Lystra during his second missionary journey. Timothy was the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother. In all likelihood, Timothy’s mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, found Christ as Savior during Paul’s first visit to the area. It was during this first visit that the Apostle was the victim of terrible persecution, and he was cared for by Lois. It is not unreasonable to think that while he was recuperating in the home of Lois that a very young Timothy came to know Paul and Paul introduced the young man to Jesus Christ.

We know that Paul thought very highly of Timothy. Consider how he referred to him elsewhere—

My son, whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 4:17)

Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. (Philippians 2:22)

Timothy must have been a remarkable man. It is unfortunate we don’t know more about him, but what we do know is impressive. He was converted some time around 47 AD and had matured so well as a Christian that barely two years passed when he was being trained by Paul as his apprentice. He eventually became one of Paul’s most trusted associates in the work of the Lord.

I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. (Philippians 2:20)

Timothy serves as a powerful example and challenge to every young Christian to follow in their relationship with Christ and their life of devotion and commitment. The name, “Timothy” is actually made up to two Greek words which describe the man’s character perfectly: his name means, “that which is dear to God.” And he who was dear to God was also extremely dear to God’s servant, Paul.

Finally, Paul adds the traditional greeting. In all ten of his other letters, Paul uses his standard two-fold greeting: “grace and peace.” Here, though, as in 2 Timothy, he adds the word “mercy.” Why did Paul change his usual greeting when he wrote to Timothy? John Wesley’s comments are helpful,

St. Paul adds “mercy,” the most tender grace towards those who stand in need of it.

Certainly Timothy’s health was not the greatest (5:23) and so he was definitely in need of special mercy from God. But even more than that, Timothy was engaged in the greatest work a human being can be involved in: caring for God’s people. Anybody doing that needs mercy from the Lord. Those who open themselves up to be used of the Lord in such a manner encounter difficulties and situations where God’s mercy and help are the only solutions.

“Grace” is one of Paul’s favorite words; he used it almost a hundred times in his letters. It comes from a Greek word that means, among other things, “gracefulness” and “graciousness.” As Paul used it though, it always referred to “God’s favor,” which He freely bestows on all who believe in Him and love Him.

“Peace” is something every human wants but can never seem to find. We spend large amounts of money looking for it, we go to war to preserve it, we take drugs to induce it, and we always seem to just miss it. In a world filled with war, uncertainty, and hate, this word is like a beacon. In Christ, we can all have peace of mind and peace of heart.

It is so sad that the one thing lacking in a person’s life is the one thing they want the most and but they can never possess apart from a living relationship with Jesus Christ. When grace and mercy are present in a person’s life, peace naturally follows. Without the presence of Jesus Christ, a person has no grace and no mercy, and therefore no peace. That which was destroyed by sin is restored, made whole, and found only in God’s grace. When a person experiences this restoration and wholeness, only then can they know true and lasting peace.

In the midst of a tumultuous ministry during tumultuous times, tangible peace belonged Timothy. I hope you have this peace, as well. If you don’t, it can be yours for the asking. All you need is a relationship with Jesus Christ. If you know Jesus but don’t have this peace, reach out to Him in faith, ask Him for more grace and mercy, and devote yourself to a deeper walk with Him.

(c) 2010 WitzEnd

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Archive for January, 2010

GOD’S CHURCH, GOD’S WAY, Part 2

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THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, 1

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A SURVEY OF THE MAJOR PROPHETS, 7

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GOD’S CHURCH, GOD’S WAY, Part 1

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