Dual Authorship of the Bible

 “Unless the Lord builds the house,

                  those who build it labor in vain.”[1]

Who is building in this familiar Psalm? Is the LORD building? Or are people building?

It was 1983. God moved into my life in transforming power. A neighbor invited me to attend his church. It was not long before the Associate Pastor involved me in a Bible Study that was studying foundational truths of Christianity. The study textbook was written by a Dr. Bruce Milne, entitled Know the Truth: A Handbook of Christian Belief. The very first section was on The Final Authorities in Matters of Faith. It covered topics like authority, revelation, and Scripture. Dr Milne gave several theories of inspiration but the one preferred, he named “supervision.” God “supervised” the chosen men who penned the pages of the Bible. I will discuss that later.

The Biblical authors were not hesitant to claim their own authorship. Therefore, Luke could write, “it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you . . ..”^[2]  And we also find in the New Testament that many authors were not ashamed to affirm themselves as authors. For example:

a.    “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, . . . To all those in Rome.” (Ro 1:1–7).

b.   “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the  Dispersion:” (Jas 1:1)

c.    “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles.” (1 Pe 1:1)

d.    “I have written something to the church.” (3 Jn 9)

e.    “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called.” (Jud 1).

The Doctrine of Inspiration did not make the human authors robotic, nor was it conducted (for the most part) through word-by-word dictation. Through this miracle, God wrote, and man wrote. Thus, the word that Milne uses, i.e., “supervision” is not a bad word. (I struggle to find a better word, yet I might choose the phrase, “providentially ordained.” I.e., working all things in accordance with His will.) He goes on to explain:

“This theory asserts that in the process of giving to us the Scriptures, God sovereignly supervised and ordered the background, heredity and circumstances of the individual writers; as a result, when they recorded events, meditations or sermons in writing, the words used were consciously the free composition of the authors and at the same time the very Word of God.”[3] [Emphasis mine]

So, from the very beginning of my Christian journey, I believed that God used chosen men to write Scripture. I believed their writings were largely their very own composition, yet at the very same time the very Word of God. I accepted this as a mystery, yet a necessary and essential truth. Milne summarizes: “Their inspired words, therefore, are clearly stamped as ‘theirs’ and address their immediate situation but are also in God’s providence part of his eternal Word to his people in every age.”

Much to my surprise, I didn’t realize that some people didn’t believe that. Opponents to the position that I present in this article will agree that man had a role in the production of Scripture, but they would say that the words “did not originate in man.” Although not entirely bowing to a theory of dictation, they would argue that the work of “inspiration” gave to the writers the God-thoughts. In other words, they prefer to refer to these men as recorders of the Bible, not authors. They’re problem is a misunderstanding of the word “inspiration.” The Biblical word “inspiration” does not mean as it does today. Someone might say, “God inspired me to write these lyrics.”  That is not how the Bible speaks of inspiration. Mounce is helpful here:

“θεόπνευστος, “God-breathed,” occurs only here in the Greek Bible, being found rarely in pre-Christian literature. It has generally been translated “inspired,” but the niv translation “God-breathed” accurately reflects the etymology of the compound word (θεός, “God” + πνειν [aorist *πνευ (ς)-], “to breathe” + verbal adjectival ending-τος) and its meaning as asserting the divine origin of Scripture. It denotes not the manner of the inspiration of Scripture but rather its source.”[4]  [Emphasis mine]

We could paraphrase 2 Timothy 3:16 accurately by rendering it: “All Scripture is sourced in God.” Of course, the position of this paper affirms that. Paul is not teaching “how” the transmission of Scripture takes place in 2 Timothy 3:16. Likewise, the ESV Study Bible comments: “The term stresses the divine origin and thus the authority of Scripture. Paul does not point to the human authors of Scripture as inspired people but says that the writings themselves (“Scripture,” Gk. graphē, “writing,” which in the NT always refers to biblical writings) are the words spoken (“breathed out”) by God.”[5]

But but the reader will say, “That is fine, but what about 2 Peter 1:21, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Surely this passage will confirm that Biblical authors simply wrote what God moved them to write. It was not original to them. I respond by calling us to a careful reading of the text.

a.   The subject (v.16) is the making known to the reader, the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In short Peter is writing about the Second Coming of Christ.

b.   Peter uses the Transfiguration as a prelude or anticipation of this Return (ESV Study Bible).

c.   The Return of Christ is certain, even as it was certain that Peter experienced the glory of Christ on Mount Transfiguration. Yet the prophetic truths about Christ and His return are more certain than Peter’s experience.

d.   Peter affirms Old Testament prophecies about Christ’s return by his statement in v.21.

e.   Peter is assuring that all the Scriptural prophecies about Christ’s return were not produced by someone’s personal notions but in fact were given to them by the Holy Spirit.

We note then that 2 Peter 1:21 is not a general statement on the authorship of Scripture. It is affirming that no human being of their own origin or volition could predict the Coming of the Lord. Those prophecies could only exist because of the pheromenoi of the Spirit — bringing, bearing work of the Spirit on the human author. So, back to my argument. The text of the Bible is for the most part[6] “wholly” belonging to the human author and “wholly belonging to God.”[7]

This mystical dynamic that occurs in the creation of holy Scriptures is not unlike the mystical union between the two natures of Christ. It is well known that for much of the first three hundred years of Church history, believers were engrossed in shaping and describing this Union of Christ, correcting and refuting error. The tendency was to make one Nature of Christ superior to the other or misrepresent one of the natures. The same can be true about the mystical authorship of the Bible. There will be those who make too much of the human effort and those who make too little of it by overshadowing it with Divine authorship. Warfield, I think strikes the balance that is needed (Notice the sounds of Nicene in this quote.):

“The human and divine factors in inspiration are conceived of as flowing confluently and harmoniously to the production of a common product. And the two elements are conceived of in the Scriptures as the inseparable constituents of one single and uncompounded product. Of every word of Scripture is it to be affirmed, in turn, that it is God's word and that it is man's word. All the qualities of divinity and of humanity are to be sought and may be found in every portion and element of the Scripture. While, on the other hand, no quality inconsistent with either divinity or humanity can be found in any portion or element of Scripture.”[8]

Warfield constrains us to think this through carefully. There is nothing contrarian or inconsistent with the Human/Divine authorship reality. They are distinct yet inseparable. Every word originates from both and can be found throughout Scripture. They are at no time inconsistent with each other. This is profound. The well-known theologian A.H. Strong will affirm that you can never look at Scripture, anywhere as “merely human” or “merely divine.”[9]   Strong will then make this provocative statement: “Inspiration, therefore, did not remove, but rather pressed into its own service, all the personal peculiarities of the writers, together with their defects of culture and literary style.”[10]  Grudem expands,

“In cases where the ordinary human personality and writing style of the author were prominently involved, as seems the case with the major part of Scripture, all that we are able to say is that God’s providential oversight and direction of the life of each author was such that their personalities, their backgrounds and training, their abilities to evaluate events in the world around them, their access to historical data, their judgment with regard to the accuracy of information, and their individual circumstances when they wrote, were all exactly what God wanted them to be, so that when they actually came to the point of putting pen to paper, the words were fully their own words but also fully the words that God wanted them to write, words that God would also claim as his own.”[11] [Emphasis mine]

Charles Hodge builds on that when he writes, “Moreover, as inspiration did not involve the suspension or suppression of the human faculties, so neither did it interfere with the free exercise of the distinctive mental characteristics of the individual. If a Hebrew was inspired, he spake Hebrew; if a Greek, he spake Greek; if an educated man, he spoke as a man of culture; if uneducated, he spoke as such a man is wont to speak. If his mind was logical, he reasoned, as Paul did; if emotional and contemplative, he wrote as John wrote. All this is involved in the fact that God uses his instruments according to their nature. The sacred writers impressed their peculiarities on their several productions as plainly as though they were the subjects of no extraordinary influence.”[12]

God yet used and providentially superintended every aspect of the human authorship with Divine purpose. They were authors of literature such that their personalities, culture, language, abilities were all incorporated so that their authorship was a true reality. I even will go as far as to say along with Lewis: “There is a . . . sense in which the Bible, since it is after all literature, cannot properly be read except as literature; and the different parts of it as the different sorts of literature they are.”[13]

Because the Bible is given to us by Human/Divine authorship and we are careful not to deny the human part, we therefore realize that if we do not read the Bible as literature, we will not understand God’s inspired Word. To be clear, the human author, the historical and cultural context, the genre, the language, the sentence structure, the syntax, the flow of thought, and so on, all contribute to proper interpretation and understanding. To dismiss the literary structure of the Biblical authors will in the end mar the truth of Divine authorship. The Bible teaches that it is directly and sovereignly inspired by God and is therefore to be submitted to in how He has inspired it. “If we acknowledge its authority, we must bow to it at this point too: in its dual claim that it is God’s inspired Word and that we should approach it with reverence and submission. To take another view is to stand in opposition to clear biblical teaching.”[14]  [Emphasis mine]

The Bible student, the preacher, the teacher, the author, will then carefully engage with the human author, looking to understand his personality, the cultural, historical context that he is writing in and his own purpose for composing his literature. His grammar, his style, his sentence structure, his flow of logic and so on become essential to the interpreter. At the same time, this student will recognize that the human author is not ever inconsistent with other authors, that what he writes is free from error and he carries the very words of God in all their authority, sufficiency, and power.

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[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Ps 127:1). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Lk 1:3). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

[3] Milne, Bruce, Know the Truth, InterVarsity Press, 2012

[4] Mounce, W. D. (2000). Pastoral Epistles (Vol. 46, pp. 565–566). Word, Incorporated.

[5] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2342). Crossway Bibles.

[6] I write “for the most part” because in some cases, God Himself to the author to write something, e.g., Moses in Exodus, or John in Revelation. These examples are few. Most of Scripture comes from the human author and Divine author.

[7] Frame, J. M. (2006). Salvation belongs to the Lord: an introduction to systematic theology (p. 66). P&R Publishing.

[8] https://theologue.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/thedivineandhumaninthebible-bbwarfield.pdf

[9] Strong, A. H. (1907). Systematic theology (p. 212-213). American Baptist Publication Society.

[10] Ibid,

[11] Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: an introduction to biblical doctrine (p. 81). Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.

[12] Hodge, C. (1997). Systematic theology (Vol. 1, p. 157). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[13] https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/c-s-lewis-on-holy-scripture/

[14] Milne, Bruce, Know the Truth, InterVarsity Press, 2012

Seven Christian Truths That Will Not Change In 2022

 

1. Those who repent and believe the Gospel will be saved.  Acts 2:21 (ESV): “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

2.  God’s enabling grace will sanctify you. Ezekiel 36:27 (ESV): “And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.“

3. God’s regenerating mercies will keep you persevering in faith. Jeremiah 32:40 (ESV): “And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.“

4.  God will sovereignly and providentially guarantee to you the greatest good, i.e., to be like Christ. Romans 8:28–29 (ESV): “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

5.  He will not abandon you. Hebrews 13:5–6 (ESV): “for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” 

6.  Nothing can separate you from His love. Romans 8:38–39 (ESV): “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

7. God will accomplish His redemptive purpose for your life. Jude 24 (ESV): “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy . . ..”

Saved To Sin No More!

Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed - Part 2

In the previous Blog, I left the reader with this question: Is this about ethnic Israel being restored and saved; or is the subject about the eschatological Israel of God, ultimately saved from her enemies?  Is it the Jerusalem of Palestine that is preserved; or is it the New Jerusalem - the Church?   It would be easy to just assume that "Israel according to the flesh" is the subject – and it might be.  But the flow of thought in this prophecy of Zechariah doesn't permit us to do that.

Chapter 11 is clearly an accounting of events relating to ethnic Israel and their demise.  So we would expect that when Chapter 12 talks of Israel it helps us understand their end.  What makes this difficult as Thomas McComiskey writes, "We have found however, that sections of this book adumbrate [foreshadow] the church and that is true here."[1]

Having said that the oracle clearly represents the physical city of Jerusalem and Israel as an historic nation. The view I take is not conclusive but I think it represents an honest exegesis of Zechariah 12-13:6 that presents an eschatological view somewhat like this graph:

What is prefigured is more distant, but it cannot be dismissed from the exposition.  Zechariah 12-13:6 enables us to see what is near.  This preserved remnant is mighty through the Sovereign God.  God will make the remnant (metaphorically speaking: Jerusalem) impregnable. “On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.’” (Zechariah 12:3–5, NIV)

McComiskey explains that the phrase "when all the nations of the earth" is better translated "if all the nations of the earth."[2]    According to verse 10, the Lord's gracious activity to these people occurs because of their spiritual renewal. In a sovereign act of grace He will awaken their hearts giving them a new spirit. This cannot be anything but the fulfillment of the New Covenant.  “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26, NIV) .  As McComiskey says:

"This sovereign activity of God within their hearts will impel Jerusalem's inhabitants to look to this pierced figure in sorrow. That the mourning of this verse is not hopeless anguish over their rejection of him, but heartfelt repentance, is clear from the resultant cleansing from sin that the discourse goes on to describe (13:1-6)." [3]

““On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” (Zechariah 13:1, NIV)  This is well worth the read:  "Likened to a gushing spring, this divine forgiveness cleanses from sin and uncleanness.  Not only are the people and their leaders cleansed of their overt disobedience to God, but also of the uncleanness that their disobedience created.  When this rushing fountain opens it will cleanse the land of all uncleanness."[4]   This, of course, leads to Chapter 14, which is unmistakably the eternal state: the new heavens and new earth.

There Is A Fountain [5]
Verse 1 There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Immanuel's veins And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains Lose all their guilty stains Lose all their guilty stains And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains	Verse 3 Dear dying Lamb Thy precious blood Shall never lose its pow'r Till all the ransomed Church of God Be saved to sin no more Be saved to sin no more Be saved to sin no more Till all the ransomed Church of God Be saved to sin no more

Saved to sin no more.  Father I cannot conceive of such joy. What must it be like!  Oh the blood of Jesus that cleanses from all sin.  Mercy that knows no bounds.  Hallelujah, what a Savior. Grant me the grace to live in light of that day -- IN THAT DAY!  With all my brothers and sisters, Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free, from every tongue, every tribe, every nation -- saved to sin no more.  Praise God!  And can it be that I should gain such interest in His blood.   The thought is beyond comprehension.  Thank You, Father.  Amen!

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[1] Zechariah, Thomas Edward McComiskey, The Minor Prophets, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, Mich., USA, 1998, Page 1209.

[2] Ibid, Page 1210

[3] Ibid, Page 1215

[4] Ibid, Page 1218

[5] William Cowper, © Words: Public Domain, Music: Public Domain

Remembering the Way God Remembers

I've been developing some concern about our sacred institution of Remembrance Day.  As a former peace-time, infantry officer; and as one who has hardly missed involvement in November 11th, I think I have some sweat equity in the event.   I served for about 10 years as a Legion chaplain and became even more cynical. So here goes!

The mantra from sea-to-sea in our country, is "we remember our fallen heroes."  Most speeches include a sense of gratitude for the freedoms we have today.  Undoubtedly that is true.  But it's not placid gratitude that ought to drive our Remembrance Day ceremonies.  Lieutenant-Colonel McCrae said it best in the last stanza of his infamous poem:

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

   The torch; be yours to hold it high.

   If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

         In Flanders fields.

We ought to remember the way God remembers.   When we read in the Bible that "God remembers", we might get an image of a senile old man that try as he wish, he can't seem to recall what he is supposed to know.   That's not the God of the Bible.  That's not the eternal, self-existent, self-sufficient, omniscient, omnipotent God that is.  When the Scriptures use the term that "God remembered", the Holy Spirit is teaching us that God is acting upon His promises.   He is acting.  The best thing that can be said for any person is that God remembered them.

• Genesis 8:1 (NIV) ¹ But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.
• Genesis 19:29 (NIV) ²⁹ So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.
• Genesis 30:22 (NIV) ²² Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive.
• 1 Samuel 1:19 (NIV) ¹⁹ Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.
• Jeremiah 31:20 (NIV) ²⁰ Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the Lord.
• Psalm 105:42 (NIV) ⁴² For he remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham.

Remembrance Day ought to be a call to action, not simply a time of reflection, albeit thankfulness. There ought to be a firm resolve with all who "remember" to "take up the quarrel with the foe."  The Bible says that “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.” (Proverbs 14:34, NIV). The greatest foe to Canada today is rampant unrighteousness.  The enemy is not a foreign nation, it is a foreign deity. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12, NIV).

My grandfather and uncles served in both World Wars.  Neither war was ultimately driven by geo-political agendas.  The Divine diagnosis is simple, yet profound: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.” (James 4:1–2, NIV)

This is why I weary of Remembrance Day festivities.  It's because we never get to the root of the problem.  We never resolve to do what is necessary based upon the real issue.  We throw out empty and meaningless rhetoric and somehow go home feeling good.  It is the epitome of a secular society borrowing equity from religious ritual. Why not call communities to repent?  Why not call communities to return to God?  Why not plead with the Holy Spirit to rend our hearts and give us hearts that fear God and love neighbors?  I know its too radical.  That's because it is too real.  

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.” (Acts 3:19–20, NIV).

Billy Graham is right when he said, "Only the gospel, God’s Good News, has the power to change lives, heal hearts, and restore a nation." 

Remembrance Day should be about reflection; about resolve, but it should also be about repentance and restoration of a nation to its God -- otherwise it is an empty facade.  The worst news possible is that all of humanity has fallen under the eternal condemnation of God for all of us have violated His glory and His holiness, for which we were created.  The best news possible is that because of God's immense love, He sent His Son, who took on humanity, lived a perfect life and died a substitutionary death for all who will, but put their trust in Him. 

Faith in this redemptive act, applies all of God's grace and goodness, by the Holy Spirit, to the believer; and placates God's righteous wrath against us.  His saving power enables the Christian to no longer live for themselves, but for Christ. His saving power grants the ability to conquer sin's power and live a life pleasing to God.  

The Final Blow!

Paul now brings this letter to the Galatian churches to a close.   But in the process it would seem that he takes the pen from his amanuensis and writes the final conclusion himself.  An amanuensis was someone who wrote down what the Apostle was dictating.  They were scribes, secretaries.

We know that Paul did not physically write some of his letters. It seems like he may have dictated all of them to a scribe. The Book of Romans closes with the following statement: “I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.” (Romans 16:22, NIV).  In many letters Paul concluded the letter with his own hand (e.g. 1 Corinthians 16:2, Colossians 4:18, etc.) It was a sign of authenticity; and in this case he summarized the letter. So we read in Galatians 6:11–18 (NIV),

¹¹ See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! ¹² Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. ¹³ Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. ¹⁴ May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁵ Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. ¹⁶ Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God. ¹⁷ From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. ¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

This conclusion does several things:  One, it gives a fresh and straightforward knock-out punch; it restates the point in the clearest of terms; and it concludes with Paul's personal testimony and greeting.  First the warning:

“Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh.” (Galatians 6:12–13, NIV) 

"To this end, therefore, they teach circumcision as necessary to salvation, that they may remain in favour with them and avoid the persecution of the Cross . . . Your teachers (saith Paul) are vain heads, and not regarding the glory of Christ and your salvation, they seek only their own glory.  [1] Paul is able to cut right to the heart of the matter in those who are trying to lead the Galatians astray. They were trying to avoid persecution.  Thus they found a compromise.  But it was a compromise that robbed the Cross of its power and its significance. They also seemed to view the Galatians as a challenge, a game.  They wanted to be able to boast that they won them over to this odious doctrine. 

Then Paul makes a broader, more astounding claim: “Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh.” (Galatians 6:13, NIV).  "For he saith, that not only the false apostles, but all the nation of the Jews which were circumcised, keep not the law, yea rather that they which were circumcised, in fulfilling the law fulfil it not." [2]  Luther then writes on to make plain the issue of keeping the Law in the flesh:

"Wherefore, although they keep the law outwardly in their actions; yet in keeping it, they keep it not. For without Holy Ghost the law cannot be kept. But the Holy Ghost cannot be received without Christ; and where the Holy Ghost dwelleth not, there dwelleth an unclean spirit, that is to say, despising God, and seeking his own [gain and] glory." [2] 

If one is not born of the Spirit.  If one does not have the Spirit.  If one does not rest in the enabling work of the Spirit -- they cannot keep the Law.  Paul makes this clear in Romans 8:6–9 (NIV),

⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

Without the Holy Spirit, the entire nation of Israel in the flesh are covenant-breakers, hostile to God. They cannot obey Him.  They need to be born-again.  They need that special work of the Spirit. More about that tomorrow.

Father, what a brilliant conclusion to this Letter.  What a challenging conclusion!  I wonder how much trouble and persecution I try to avoid but instead seek to water-down, compromise the Gospel? How easy it is to dance with the Devil.  Father, this compromise can be so easily rationalized.  These men thought they were keeping the Law.  They were filled with self-righteousness.  They hoped to win support to their new "christianity."   All they did was add one little element called circumcision to faith in Christ and they assumed everyone would be happy.  Just one little element!  No, it is Christ alone.  On Christ, the solid Rock I stand.  All else is sinking sand.  My hope alone is in You, Lord Jesus.  Nothing in my hands I bring.  Simply to the Cross I cling.  Wash my Savior or I die.  Today, Father I am refreshed in the truth that apart from the regenerating, enabling work of the Spirit, I cannot please You.  Help me Father to truly walk in the Spirit.  For the glory and beauty of Christ. Amen!

 

__________________________________________

1.  Luther, M. (1997). Commentary on Galatians (Ga 6:12). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

2. Luther, M. (1997). Commentary on Galatians (Ga 6:13). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

The Spirit-Filled Support of the Gospel Brings A Harvest

Galatians 6:7–8 (NIV),

⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸ Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Paul is teaching on Spirit-filled benevolence.  He continues the point he made before but now will be broadening it to include charity to more than teachers but to all in need.  The principle that binds all this paragraph together is this: “. . . A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians 6:7, NIV).  Luther also ties this thought to the previous instruction on supporting ministers.  "Paul horribly threateneth here such tyrants, and such mockers of God, who so carelessly and proudly do scorn the miserable preachers, and yet will seem to be gospellers, and not to be mockers of God, but to worship him very devoutly." [1] 

So Paul elucidates the principle that in our acts of benevolence and charity, when done in the Spirit, will bring a harvest of righteousness -- or eternal blessings (as opposed to temporal blessings).  "If a man spends his money on what gratifies his fleshly nature, he will reap a fleshly harvest. And since the flesh is mortal and will one day pass away, the harvest will pass away also. On the other hand, if a man uses his money to promote spiritual causes and to feed his spiritual nature, the resulting harvest will remain . . . Thus, as in the case of ministers, if congregations refuse to support them and so forfeit good teaching, preferring to spend their money on themselves, the results will be corruption. But if, on the other hand, they support good teachers, a spiritual harvest will result." [2]

What is the deception from which we are warned?  "Though a man may fool himself (by sowing little but expecting much), he cannot fool God and the results of his poor sowing will be manifest." [2] 

Luther correctly asks a question at this juncture.  Is Paul saying that good works result in eternal life? The answer is yes and no.  We cannot forget what the Apostle has taught before, that salvation is by faith alone.  But it is equally true that those who have faith must be exhorted to good works. "For if works follow not faith, it is a manifest token that their faith is no true faith." [3]  Secondly, as noted above, the spiritual fruit is not necessarily in their own lives, but through the ample support of God's ministers, it will result in a harvest of righteousness to others. 

Father, Christ has already taught us to “. . . open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35, NIV). What might be all that is needed to send out laborers?  Perhaps its my money or the affluent excesses of the western church? Spirit-filled people are generous people. Spirit-filled people plant seeds that bear spiritual fruit. I thank you that I serve a generous congregation. This is all of Your grace.  But we do not give sacrificially -- or at least I don't. Lord forgive my stingy fleshly sowing and grant to me and my wife a generous spirit -- especially in the aid of helping Gospel workers who are going where we cannot go; and are doing what we cannot do. Indeed the laborers are few -- perhaps simply because of lack of support.  Open the floodgates of support to these ready and willing workers, dear Lord.   I pray for a harvest of righteousness, here and around the world.  For the glory of the Lord and the happiness of all the nations.

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1. Luther, M. (1997). Commentary on Galatians (Ga 6:7). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

2. Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:Galatians/Exposition of Galatians/III. The Call to Godly Living (5:1-6:10)/D. Two Practical Exhortations (6:1-10)/2. The use of money (6:6-10), Book Version: 4.0.2

3. Luther, M. (1997). Commentary on Galatians (Ga 6:8). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

 

Self Is Essentially Selfish!

Galatians 5:15–16 (NIV),

¹⁵ If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. ¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Paul has moved from the truth of the Gospel: salvation is by faith in Christ -- alone, apart from works.  The Christian is free from the power of sin and the condemning demands of the Law.  This freedom is a "from-freedom" not a "to-freedom".  The Cross frees us to serve; to serve Christ and His Church.  Now Paul moves to some practical implications of the Gospel.  Gospel people do not “. . . bite and ravage each other . . ..” (Galatians 5:15a, The Message).

The picture is of a group "continually biting and devouring like wild animals in deadly combat, i.e., a picture of church strifes." [1]  "And when once the concord of the Church is broken, there is no measure nor end of the evil; for the authors of schisms, dissenting among themselves, do teach, one that this work, another that another work is necessary to righteousness." [2]

At this point we need to ask an important question.  Isn't Paul confused?  Hasn't he just written that the Church is free from the Law and now he imposes another law?  He answers that in the next sentence. "As if he should have said: I have not forgotten my former discourse concerning faith, neither do I now revoke the same in that I exhort you to mutual love, saying that the whole law is fulfilled through love, but I am still of the same mind and opinion that I was before. To the end therefore that ye may rightly understand me, I add this moreover: “Walk in the Spirit” &c." [3]

Paul equates the 'law of love' with the fulfilling of the Law.  And he equates all that with "walking in the Spirit."   This is profound. Luther argues that the reason this is not works righteousness is because none of us has the capacity to love as God would have us.  While here on earth we all have indwelling sin.  "Therefore when I teach you to observe the law, and exhort you to love one another, think not that I go about to revoke that which I have taught concerning the doctrine of faith, and that I now attribute justification to the law or to charity: but my meaning is that ye should walk in the Spirit, and that ye should not fulfil the lusts of the flesh." [3]

Fulfilling the Law does not justify someone, it is the natural outcome of justification and it can only be achieved in some manner as we walk in the Spirit.  "Wherefore Paul would have us to walk in the Spirit, lest we fulfil the lust of the flesh. As if he should say: Although ye be moved with wrath and displeasure against your brother, offending you or doing anything heinously against you, yet notwithstanding resist and repress these [violent] motions through the Spirit; bear with his weakness, and love him according to that commandment: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” [3]

"“Flesh” refers to the part of human nature that causes people to put their own selfish needs ahead of everything else." [4] "The double negative with the aorist subjunctive means you will never gratify the sinful desires originating in and overflowing from the lower nature . . . The Christian can conquer the self-life and have continual victory by walking by the Holy Spirit." [5]

Father the flesh in us is essentially selfishness.  That is the root diagnosis.  The power of selfishness has been removed by the Cross.  But Lord I know too well that the presence of selfishness is always rearing its ugly head in my life.  The accompaniment of saving faith is love for You and love for others. So suddenly I realize that as a Christian, Father, I am propelled into a war -- a battle.  I have in my a desire to do what I want and the answer isn't Law, it is the Spirit.  The answer isn't for me to do more, but for me to participant more fully in the life of the Spirit.  This is fundamentally what it means to live as a Christian -- to walk in the Spirit.  Now Father my heart is anxious for I long to know what all that means.  I am confident You will give me an answer.  For now, Lord, help me to know in part what it means to walk by the Spirit -- loving others today.  Amen!

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1. KJV Bible Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (2398). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

2. Luther, M. (1997). Commentary on Galatians (Ga 5:15). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

3. Luther, M. (1997). Commentary on Galatians (Ga 5:16). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

4. Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 5:16). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

5. KJV Bible Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (2398). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

 

You Obey The Law By Not Doing The Law!

Galatians 3:10 (NIV),

¹⁰ For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

We enter into what might be one of the most significant and important "contradictions" and arguments in this Book.  Paul has established that Christians are justified by faith in Christ, not in the Law.  “know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:16, NIV).

Now in this part of the discussion he appeals to Moses in Deuteronomy 27:26 (NIV),

²⁶ “Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

Paul has established that "the blessing was given to faithful Abraham before the law and without the law. Now like as Abraham believed in Christ which was to come, the giver of the blessing: so and by the same faith we believe in Christ which is come and present, and so are we now justified by faith, as Abraham was then justified by faith. They therefore which are under the law, are not blessed, but remain under the curse." [1] But then he goes on to say "that all men which are under the law, or under the works of the law, are accursed, or under the curse; that is to say, under sin, the wrath of God, and everlasting death." [1]  Paul and Moses seem to be at odds with each other.  Paul says if you do the works of the Law you will be cursed (i.e. you don't have faith in Christ alone) and Moses says if you don't do the works of the Law you are cursed.  

Luther argues that to "do the Law" is to obey the Law both externally and internally and do it perfectly. Then he asks, "But where shall we find him that will so accomplish the law?" [1]  Of course that man is Jesus Christ.  "Wherefore Moses together with Paul doth necessarily drive us to Christ, through whom we are made doers of the law, and are not accounted guilty of any transgression. How so? First by forgiveness of sins and imputation of righteousness, because of our faith in Christ. Secondly, by the gift [of God] and the Holy Ghost, which bringeth forth a new life and new motions in us, so that we may also do the law effectually."

We do the Law by first not doing the Law!  "For Christians are not made righteous in doing righteous things, but being now made righteous by faith in Christ, they do righteous things." [1] "It is impossible therefore, to accomplish the law without the promise, which is the preaching of Christ who was promised to Abraham, that through him the world should be blessed." [1]

In contemporary discussions this debate and "seeming contradiction" is posed to us from Catholics, legalists and often by well-meaning fundamentalists.  Some would argue that to expect salvation simply by faith alone will produce antinomian lifestyles.  But that is to misunderstand Law and Gospel.  For as Luther has rightly stated, the person that truly repents and turns to Christ for forgiveness of sin is made righteous and granted the Holy Spirit's help to live out this new life.  If there is no new life, one can argue that there has been no justification.

Father You do not grade our lives on a curve.  There is but one standard and that is perfect perfection.  I along with the entire human race have not lived one millisecond of perfection.  Your standards condemn us all, yet none of us can enter into an eternal relationship with You apart from perfection.  With Luther we ask, "Where can we find a man who can do this?"  Thanks be to You, Father, for the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the Man.  He is the Perfect Man.  Jesus lived a perfect life and You Father have freely given to all who believe His perfection.  He died fully and completely for every millisecond of transgression: past, present and future.  He gave to those who have faith, the gift of the Holy Spirit to enable us to obey the Law, not to save us, but because we are saved. I am truly overwhelmed by Your grace.  Truly there is none like You.  To rest in the Law condemns us.  To rest in Jesus saves us and fulfills the Law.  That is truly amazing.  May I show today by my love and obedience to You that I have and am resting in Jesus.  Amen!

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1.  Luther, M. (1997). Commentary on Galatians (Ga 3:10). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.