The Glorious Future for the Remnant

King Hezekiah sits in recorded history as a King of Judah that was like David in character and godliness.  He reformed Judean worship.  At the same time the Assyrian king Sennacherib’s army is knocking on the door of Jerusalem and preparing to take it captive, as he did to Samaria.  When King Hezekiah was aware of the precarious situation he sent word to the prophet Isaiah.  His messengers reported on behalf of the King:

This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. ⁴ It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives.” ^[1]

The term that Hezekiah uses to describe those Jews still in Jerusalem is a deeply rooted, profound term.  He writes, "Pray for the remnant." Now he may have meant simply "those that have survived still remaining in Jerusalem."   But I would think that this godly king is using a more specific term here.  In layman's term, the technical use of the word "remnant" are those of the godly seed promised from Genesis 3:15 through the Patriarchs that remain faithful to God.  For example as this Bible Dictionary explains:

"The idea of a remnant surfaces in Genesis and appears throughout the Old Testament, developing more fully in the Prophets. In Genesis, Yahweh chooses Noah and his family as a remnant who will secure a future existence for humanity after the flood (Gen 7:23). The idea of a remnant appears again in the narratives of Joseph, when he tells his brothers that Yahweh sent him “to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors” (Gen 45:7 ESV) . . .  In Romans 9:27–29, the Apostle Paul quotes from Isa 10:22–23 and 1:9 when speaking about the remnant: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved” (ESV). The remnant will include Israelites who are children of the promise (Rom 9:8; see Rom 11:1, 3–5) as well as people from outside Israel who believe (Rom 9:24; 10:12; Gal 6:16)."^[2]

Sadly multitudes of Israelites would be cast off, separated from Christ, but a remnant would be saved.  God's sovereign choice of whom He will save is clearly seen through the Biblical story. We who believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior can, with great peace, rest in the fact that we belong to the “remnant.”  It is the remnant that is given the promises of God unto eternal life.   The Church neither became Israel, nor replaced Israel.  The Church is the fulfillment of the remnant that existed from the time of Adam and has flowered into a glorious people of all ethnicities, all in Christ, as Lord and Savior. Hezekiah's prayer was answered in Christ.  The remnant has and will survive, to the praise of His glorious grace.

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^[1] The New International Version. (2011). (2 Ki 19:1–4). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

^[2] Nierengarten, P. A. (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). Remnant. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Help Them Blur All Lines of Distinction

MY DEAR WARMWUD [1],

My displeasure is aroused that you have failed me so miserably.  It has come to my attention that your patient has become a follower of Jesus, our Enemy.  It will be necessary for me to shower you with the usual consequence for such incompetence.  However there is no need to fall into despondency. As many of our Patient's friends are fond of saying, "There is more than one way to skin a cat."   We do have peculiar insight into the minds and habits of these patients.

There is an approach that I have found to work very well (Except in the case of our Enemy). It is useless to mount a frontal assault on such patients.  They have been given a unique sense of certain types of falsehood.  Have them, my dear Warmwud, focus on something that appeals to their nature; and more importantly, use every effort to ensure that this pleasing notion is true, but only partly true.  I have found that these followers of our Enemy are enamored by Oneness and Unity.  (As I inferred, the Enemy also desires this – in part.)

Your goal to help the Patient blur all lines of distinction.  You will rejoice when you hear them say that distinction divides.  It will prove to be essential to your operation that sincerity and personal-truth become more important than precision of thought.  Distract them from hair-splitting over such mundane issues as repentance, conversion, baptism, and holiness.  When they claim to believe in their Jesus, make sure they celebrate that announcement.  If they engage in discussions of who He is and what He is, change the topic to more unifying, pleasing themes.

Blur the lines between our Enemy's absolute power and will and the will of these patients.  Help them to see that the Enemy thinks so highly of them that He has displaced some of His authority into their safe keeping.  When you bump into people who are loyal to a variety of churches ensure that they see that loyalty naive.  Universal oneness is our goal, dear Warmwud.

Help your Patient to see that God's ultimate goal is to erase all lines of dissimilarity. A good place to focus is on the gender of these creatures.  Blending the sexes will prove to be very advantageous to our efforts. Applaud their efforts for peaceful co-existence and with any attempt for accuracy or precision, frustrate them to no degree.  You will be most pleased with the results.

Your affectionate uncle

SCRUTAIP

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1. With my apologies to C. S. Lewis, author of Screwtape Letters, MacMillan Company Inc., New York, NY, 1976

Can We Be Glorified Without Being Sanctified?

Francis Turretin (17 October 1623 – 28 September 1687) was a Swiss-Italian Reformed scholastic theologian.  He is recognized for the "precision" of his work.  In the debate about the role of holiness to salvation-by-free-grace; or stated otherwise: to those who are justified by faith alone, how does their works, work with Christ's imputed righteousness? Or in relation to the innumerable debates regarding the instruction of James, e.g.,  James 2:14–26 (ESV)[i], how are we to understand this body of instruction?   Turretin is very helpful!  Here's what he says, translated in English:

“Works can be considered in three ways: either with reference to justification or sanctification or glorification.  They are related to justification not antecedently, efficiently and meritoriously, but consequently and declaratively.  They are related to sanctification constitutively because they constitute and promote it.  They are related to glorification antecedently and ordinatively because they are related to it as the means to the end; yea, as the beginning to the complement because grace is glory begun, as glory is grace consummated.”[1] [Emphasis mine]

Let me try to paraphrase.  Righteous works of holiness and good deeds are never irrelevant. They impact all three dimensions of the Christian life: salvation, sanctification and glorification.   In relation to salvation good works do not cause salvation, salvation does not occur because of them nor is salvation the prize of good works.  God has decreed that good works are the effect of salvation. In relationship to our growth in Christlikeness, i.e., works of holiness and good works, are the sum and substance of that experience.  In relationship to our final reward – our glorification -- no one will see God without good works. God has ordained that holiness and good works vindicate and verify His grace, on the final day. In this way a person is "justified [arrives in glory with a defensible status] by works and not by faith alone" (v24). Though we are not saved because of them, equally true is it that we cannot be saved without them.

Most of the time we err, not by denying these three essential points, but by not holding them in dynamic tension – in balance.    

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[1] –Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology, (17.3.15). Ed. James Dennison (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 1692/1996), 2:705.

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[i] "¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? ¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. ¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! ²⁰ Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead."

The Heavenly Council of War

1 Kings 22:17–23 contains the most fascinating prophetic exposé.  Ahab, king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, want to recapture Ramoth-gilead from the Syrians.  Ahab thinks it is a good idea to enquire of the Lord whether they should or not. The net result of asking 400 prophets was that they should go for it.  But the kings also ask a true prophet: Micaiah for his opinion.  Here’s what he reported:

¹⁷ Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’ ” ¹⁸ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?” ¹⁹ Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. ²⁰ And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ “One suggested this, and another that. ²¹ Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ²² “ ‘By what means?’ the Lord asked. “ ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. “ ‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’ ²³ “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”

Not unlike Job 1-2 (e.g. “One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them.” (Job 1:6, NIV)), the Sovereign Lord is hosting a heavenly court, where even rebellious Satanic spirits are present in servantly obedience to the King of kings.  In this case they are to decide how to carry out God’s sovereign decree of death for King Ahaz (1Kings 22:21-22).  Here we see the reality that God uses wicked agents to accomplish His purpose.  The interesting implication is that God does so without the slightest slur on His holiness.

“The sum of the whole is this,—since the will of God is said to be the cause of all things, all the counsels and actions of men must be held to be governed by his providence; so that he not only exerts his power in the elect, who are guided by the Holy Spirit, but also forces the reprobate to do him service.”^[1]

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^[1] Calvin, J., & Beveridge, H. (1845). Institutes of the Christian religion (Vol. 1, p. 272). Edinburgh: The Calvin Translation Society.

Baptism: A Public Profession

I was asked recently upon what grounds do I teach that baptism is a profession of faith.  That's a good question.  This is how I sought to answer it:

I believe that Believer’s Baptism is a “public affirmation of faith.”  By “public” I mean that the ordinance is external, not internal.  I am not so much thinking of the number of people or even the physical environment.  The word “public” has two nuances: 

1) it concerns people of a whole; and 

2) it is in open view.  

Both of these ideas are in play here.  That is why I believe the word “public” is a good word.  Believer’s baptism is an open confession and it concerns a corporate group of people, namely the Church.  I am basing this on Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV),

¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This command was given to the Apostles and it is a command that is in force “to the end of the age”.  Obviously they, and those that follow in the Apostolic teaching (ergo the New Testament), are commanded by our Lord to “baptize” disciples.  That’s why we call it an ordinance. The main imperative in the command is “make disciples” literally reading: “going therefore, disciple all nations”.   There are two participles: baptizing and teaching which modify the verb.  The point is that the Church is called to make disciples by baptizing them.  Baptism is something done to you.  It is applied externally as a function of the Church. Therefore by definition it is public.

So when Peter answered the questions of the enquirers after his sermon on Pentecost, “[he] said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38, ESV).   The verb “be baptized” is passive.  That means, “Go and have this done to you.”  Again, it is a clear command.

Paul writing in Colossians 2:12 (ESV) (¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.),  explicitly defined baptism as an act done through faith.  Likewise 1 Peter 3:21 makes plain, baptism is an appeal to God for a clean conscience, in faith of the resurrection of Christ.

So, it is public in the sense that the Church is baptizing the believer based upon their appeal to God in faith.   I also believe that because of the proximity to Believer’s Baptism with faith and salvation, that it is co-joined to the assertion of Paul in Romans 10:9–10 (ESV),

⁹ because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

In other words if 1 Peter 3:21 is the clearest New Testament definition of baptism, as I have asserted, then it is probably concurrent with the “confession that Jesus is Lord” based upon the resurrection of Christ.  The similarity and parallel structure of 1 Peter 3:21 and Romans 10:9-10 is such that I view Believer’s Baptism as one’s “confession with the mouth”. 

So Christ has authorized and commanded the Church to baptize those who cry out in faith to God and confess Jesus is Lord.  As the Church and the believer obey this what results is a public affirmation of faith in God through Christ, based upon the Gospel.

JESUS, LOVER OF MY SOUL

There are two perspectives in the modern Church.  There is a view that starts with man and ends with man.  There is a view that starts with God and ends with God.  Both views lie within the sphere of Christendom yet they are radically different.  One places man in the driver's seat, in first place; the other rightly assumes God has that position of honor.  The former is reluctant, to say the least, to be made low; and subtly doesn't mind being "made much of".   Church music is a mirror of these perspectives.  When a song title is attributed to two different sets of lyrics it becomes blatantly obvious – sadly obvious.

JESUS, LOVER OF MY SOUL[1]

JESUS, LOVER OF MY SOUL[2]

Jesus, Lover of my soul, Jesus, I will never let you go You’ve taken me from the miry clay You've set my feet upon the Rock, and now I know I love you, I need you, Though my world may fall, I’ll never let you go My Saviour, my closest friend, I will worship you until the very end

Verse 1 Jesus Lover of my soul Let me to Thy bosom fly While the nearer waters roll While the tempest still is high Hide me O my Saviour hide Till the storm of life is past Safe into the haven guide Oh receive my soul at last Verse 2 Other refuge have I none Hangs my helpless soul on Thee Leave ah leave me not alone Still support and comfort me All my trust on Thee is stayed All my help from Thee I bring Cover my defenceless head With the shadow of Thy wing Verse 3 Thou O Christ art all I want More than all in Thee I find Raise the fallen cheer the faint Heal the sick and lead the blind Just and holy is Thy name I am all unrighteousness False and full of sin I am Thou art full of truth and grace Verse 4 Plenteous grace with Thee is found Grace to cover all my sin Let the healing streams abound Make and keep me pure within Thou of life the Fountain art Freely let me take of Thee Spring Thou up within my heart Rise to all eternity

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[1] Daniel Grul | John Ezzy | Steve McPherson © 1992 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

[2] Charles Wesley | John Bacchus Dykes © Words: Public Domain

The Cause(s) of Salvation

To be proficient in a game of Snooker there are a number of factors that contribute to the success of a play.  Certainly the decision of what to strike and where is decisive.  But the place, weight, and quality of the cue stick is also critical.  The speed of the hit and the follow-through are also important.  If someone asked you why you made that shot in the game, to be honest, you would have to somehow convey all the contributing factors that made it so.

Philosophically, Aristotle understood this about life in general.  In physics if a ball is struck there is indeed a decisive cause that moves that ball.  But if we fail to see the adjacent causes we will fail to understand the complexities of moving a ball from 'A' to 'B'.   Aristotle noted that there were four causes to explain movement.  If one thinks of striking a snooker ball with the cue ball and a cue you can see that several causes are in place.

In the comprehension of salvation, A.W. Pink explained concretely that this idea of multiple causes is also in play in redeeming an unbeliever to glory.   Note:

"First, the originating cause of salvation is the eternal purpose of God, or in other words, the predestinating grace of the Father. Second, the meritorious cause of salvation is the mediation of Christ, this having particular respect to the legal side of things, or, in other words, His fully meeting the demands of the Law on the behalf of and in the stead of those He redeems. Third, the efficient cause of salvation is the regenerating and sanctifying operations of the Holy Spirit, which respect the experimental side of it; or, in other words, the Spirit works in us what Christ purchased for us. Thus, we owe our personal salvation equally to each Person in the Trinity, and not to one (the Son) more than to the others. Fourth, the instrumental cause is our faith, obedience, and perseverance: though we are not saved because of them, equally true is it that we cannot be saved (according to God’s appointment) without them."[1]

None of these causes can be dismissed, demeaned or rendered irrelevant.  They all contribute to the salvation of a soul.  Each cause is distinguishable and distinct but cannot be divided from the big picture. The decisive, determining cause – the vital cause – the uncaused cause behind all other causes is the sovereign, electing purpose of God.   One might say, it is the chief or ultimate cause.  But the Second to Fourth causes are no less crucial.  Although they are not determinative they are essential.  By definition they form the penultimate causes of salvation.

Today, if we are asked, "How were you saved?"  As Arthur Pink notes "It may be shown from Scripture that the cause of salvation is not a single one . . .."[2]  But having said that, there is a decisive, determining cause that cannot be diminished for the sake of the others.  It is this:

“… because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13–14, ESV)

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[1] Pink, Arthur W. (2012-06-18). A Fourfold Salvation (Arthur Pink Collection Book 23) (pp. 8-10). Prisbrary Publishing. Kindle Edition.

[2] Ibid, (p. 8).