Discipleship

Matthew 24:34 – An exegetical study

POST OVERVIEW. In Matthew 24-25, we find the so-called Olivet Discourse, where our Lord tells His disciples of the things that are to come in the future.

This is a long and technical article that does a detailed exegesis of Matthew 24:34 in order to discover the correct understanding of this difficult verse.

Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. – Matthew 24:34 (NASB)

AN INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGE

The reason I want to study this verse is because it presents us with an interpretive challenge. Jesus, the Son of God, is the Person speaking in this verse. Because Jesus is the Son of God, we know that He is always correct when He speaks. Yet, as we read this verse, we encounter a situation in which it seems that Jesus may not be correct. What do I mean?

THREE SIGNIFICANT FUTURE EVENTS

In response to questions from His disciples (Matthew 24:3), Jesus has just spoken to them about three significant future events, namely, about the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem, which occurred in AD 70, and about the events of the end of the age and the sign of His coming (παρουσία), both of which have not occurred to this day. Since we are in the 21st century almost two thousand years after Jesus spoke these words, it is obvious that “this generation” (24:34) has long since passed away, yet it seems that “all these things” have not taken place. So, this is the interpretive challenge: “How do we reconcile Jesus’ words with our historical reality?”

TWO POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

As we consider this quandary, it becomes apparent that there are only two possible solutions to this dilemma. Either the correct understanding of “this generation” in Matthew 24:34 reveals that Jesus spoke truth in this verse, or the correct understanding of “all these things” reveals the truth of Jesus’ words. In our study, we will examine each of these possible solutions to determine which one is the most reasonable.

AN OVERVIEW OF MATTHEW 24:2-35

Before we begin to dig deep into Matthew 24:34, however, it would be helpful to get an overview of Matthew 24:2-35 so that we can see the context of these verses and better understand our Lord’s teaching about the end of the age.

Jesus begins the dialog (Matt. 24:2) by making a prophecy about the destruction of the temple buildings. We know that the temple was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, approximately forty years after Jesus spoke these words. The Greek and the English (NASB) of Matt. 24:2 follow.

Matthew 24:2

ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Οὐ βλέπετε ταῦτα πάντα; ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ μὴ ἀφεθῇ ὧδε λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον ὃς οὐ καταλυθήσεται.

And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

Matthew 24:3

This is a key verse in the discourse, because here the disciples ask the questions that will form the basis for Jesus’ prophecies about the future. The disciples ask three questions in Matt. 24:3 – “When . . . what . . . what?”

Just as an aside, it is likely that the disciples thought they were asking about one event with three different features. That is, they probably assumed that the destruction of the temple (“these things”), Jesus’ coming, and the end of the age would happen simultaneously in one cataclysmic event. In fact, however, they were asking questions about three distinct events.

  1. Prompted by Jesus’ words about the destruction of the temple and “all these things” in 24:2, the disciples ask, “When will (all) these things happen?” Here the disciples were asking the question, “When will the temple be destroyed?”
  2. Next, they ask, “What will be the sign of your coming?” Here the disciples were asking for the signs that will occur just before or during Jesus’ coming (παρουσία).
  3. Then they ask, “(What will be the sign) of the end of the age?” In other words, “What extraordinary events will occur in the last days of the last days that tell us that the end is near?”

These are the three questions the disciples asked Jesus, and these are the three questions that Jesus answers in Matthew 24:5-35. The disciples asked, “When . . . what . . . what?” and Jesus will answer their questions with “When . . . what . . . what.”

The verses that address each of the three questions are as follows:

  • Matt. 24:15-20 and 24:34 address the destruction of the temple (and of Jerusalem) (“all these things” in 24:2 and “these things” in 24:3). In 24:15-20, Jesus tells what will occur in AD 70 so that “not one stone will be left upon another” (24:2). Then in 24:34 Jesus tells when “all these things” will occur.
  • Matt. 24:5-14 and 24:21-28 tells what the signs of the end of the age will be. These are the extraordinary events that will occur which indicate the end is near. Within these verses there seems to be an intensification of evil as the end approaches. For example, 24:5-8 twice hints that things will get worse (24:6, 8), and then in 24:9-14 things do get worse until “then the end will come” (24:14). In 24:21-22, the “great tribulation” occurs and those days must be cut short to allow some of the elect to be saved. Finally, in 24:27-28, Jesus makes clear that His coming (“the coming of the Son of Man”) will mark the end of the age.  
  • Matt. 24:29-31 explicitly tells what the signs of the coming (παρουσία) of the Son of Man will be.

Now we will examine the two possible solutions.

FIRST POSSIBLE SOLUTION: CHANGE THE MEANING OF “THIS GENERATION”

In the first possible solution, the assumption is made that “all these things” includes all the events Jesus has mentioned in the discourse so far in 24:2-31. So, according to this view, “all these things” is interpreted to include the destruction of the temple in AD 70 (24:15-20) plus the events of the end of the age (24:5-14 and 24:21-28) plus the sign of the coming (παρουσία) of the Son of Man (24:29-31). We also know that, according to the Lord Jesus (24:34), “all these things” will take place before “this generation” passes away. Thus, the interpretive task for this possible solution is to find a meaning for “this generation” that allows “all these things” to take place before “this generation” passes away.

How would we go about completing this “interpretive task?” In considering the phrase “this generation,” one well-known Bible teacher, who holds to the view that “all these things” includes all the events Jesus has mentioned in the discourse so far in 24:2-31, explained his position this way: “ ‘This generation’ in 24:34 cannot refer to the generation living at that (sic) time of Christ, for ‘all these things’ (vv. 15-31) did not ‘take place’ in their lifetimes; rather (it is) a reference to the generation alive at the time when those final hard labor pains (v. 8) begin.” To state this position in other words, we might say that, when referring to “this generation” in Matt. 24:34, Jesus was not speaking about “this generation” at all but was speaking about “that generation” who would be living many years in the future.

A SOLUTION THAT IS NOT A SOLUTION

In the attempt to maintain the necessary condition that Jesus is always true in His prophecies, this proposed solution has ignored the plain meaning of the inspired text of Matt. 24:34 and has imposed another meaning instead. In the inspired text, our Lord said, “This generation (Greek ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη) will not pass away until . . .” The only proper meaning of “this generation” in this verse is as a reference to the people who were living at the time Jesus spoke these words. The following observations support this statement.

  1. When speaking in terms of time, the word “this” (οὗτος in the Greek) refers to now or the current time. For example, Joshua 24:15 says, “Choose you this day whom you will serve,” meaning “Choose now.” By contrast, in temporal terms the word “that” (ἐκεῖνος in the Greek) refers to not-now. For example, in eschatology, the end of the age will occur on that day, which is not-now. Therefore, when Jesus speaks of “this generation,” He is referring to the generation living while He was speaking, that is, the generation living “now.”
  2. In Matthew 24:2-35, in every instance when our Lord speaks about the future, He uses the word “that” (plural of “that” is “those”). We read in 24:19 about “those days” in the future when Jerusalem is being destroyed. Again in 24:22 we twice encounter “those days” talking about the future days of the great tribulation. In 24:29, “those days” also refers to the future. Thus, if in 24:34 Jesus had intended to refer to a future generation, He would have spoken of “that generation.” Since Jesus speaks instead of “this generation,” we conclude that He is referring to the generation living while He was on earth.
  3. Aside from 24:34, the phrase “this generation” appears five other times in the gospel of Matthew, in 11:16; 12:41, 42, 45; and 23:36. The context of the first four appearances requires that Jesus is referring to the generation to whom He was speaking. In the fifth appearance (23:36), while it is not required that Jesus is speaking just to His own contemporaries, it is certain that He is not speaking to an unspecified group of people living thousands of years in the future. This evidence indicates that, in 24:34, Jesus is referring to the generation living when He made this prophecy.

This cumulative evidence leads to the conclusion that, when our Lord said, “This generation (Greek ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη) will not pass away,” He was certainly referring to the people who were living at the time He spoke these words. Since that is the case, we are forced to reject the first proposed solution and turn our attention to the second alternative.

“UNTIL ALL THESE THINGS TAKE PLACE”

In our study so far, we have reached an exegetical dead-end in trying to interpret “this generation” in any sense other than the normal, natural meaning. We have concluded that “this generation” is “the generation living at the time Jesus spoke these words.” Therefore we will now consider the other possible solution, namely, a correct understanding of the phrase “all these things.”

Admittedly, at first reading of Matt. 24:34, it seems that, when Jesus says “all these things” in this verse, He is referring to all the events that He has mentioned since the start of the discourse. But we will discover that, although this might be our first assumption, this is not the required interpretation.

WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR. We know, from our previous work, that “this generation” refers to the generation living when Jesus spoke these words. We also know, from 24:34, that “all these things” will take place before “this generation” passes away. So, to put this into concrete terms, we know that “all these things” will take place within the time span of a normal generation, say, the next thirty to fifty years. We therefore conclude that “all these things,” whatever that includes, will take place between AD 60 and AD 80.

This deduction is especially helpful because, in Matt. 24:3, the disciples had asked Jesus a “when” question regarding the destruction of the temple. The disciples’ question, “When will these things happen?” in 24:3 was prompted by Jesus’ statements in 24:2 about the destruction of “all these things” in the temple. We had mentioned earlier that, when the disciples asked, “When . . . what . . . what?” in 24:3, Jesus had answered “When . . . what . . . what” in 24:5-35 but, until 24:34, Jesus has not given the disciples a “when” answer. But now we observe that the only place in the discourse where Jesus offers a “when” answer is here in 24:34. That is, Jesus’ only guidance on when the temple will be destroyed is here in 24:34 where He says, “Before this generation passes away.” Of course, we also know something the disciples did not know. We know that the temple was, in fact, destroyed in AD 70, about forty years after Jesus spoke these words and therefore also before “this generation” passed away.

THE INTERPRETIVE TASK. All of this leads us to a “crisis of interpretation.” From what we know and what we have just deduced, we are persuaded that, in Matthew 24:34, Jesus is only prophesying the destruction of the temple in AD 70. Thus, the interpretive task becomes justifying our claim that “all these things” in Matthew 24:34 applies only to the destruction of the temple and does not include Jesus’ coming or the end of the age. We will offer three pieces of evidence which justify the claim.

EVIDENCE / THE CASE

Our first piece of evidence involves Matt. 24:33 and this verse’s role in the discourse.

33 so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. – Matthew 24:33 (NASB)

EVIDENCE OF MATTHEW 24:33. In Matthew 24:33, it is apparent that Jesus is answering the disciples’ question (24:3) about His return and, by association, about the end of the age, but there is nothing in this verse to suggest that He is saying anything about the destruction of the temple. This is especially informative for us since we now know that the destruction of the temple and the return of Jesus are separated by at least two millennia. This means that when Jesus refers to “all these things” in 24:33, He is only referring to “the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age” (24:3).

We can also see in 24:33 that Jesus is answering a “what” question, not a “when” question. The phrase, “When you see all these things,” refers to “what will be the signs” in 24:3, but it supplies no information about when. That means that from Matthew 24:5-33, Jesus has not answered the disciples’ question about “when” the temple will be destroyed. We suggest that the missing answer is supplied in Matthew 24:34.

TEXTUAL COMPARISON OF MATTHEW 24:2 AND 24:34. To review, in Matt. 24:2 Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple when “all these things” will be torn down. Then in 24:3, the disciples ask Jesus, “When will these things happen?” certainly in reference to the destruction of the temple. In 24:15-20, Jesus details what the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem will be like and finally, in 24:34, He tells the disciples when this event will happen. The verses are below. (NASB – any emphasis is mine)

And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.” – Matthew 24:2

As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” – Matthew 24:3

“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” – Matthew 24:34

COMMENTS / OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE TEXT. Notice that the identical phrase, “all these things,” appears in both 24:2 and in 24:34. This could be interpreted as a rhetorical device to connect the two verses and to show that “all these things,” refers to the same things in both verses; namely, the destruction of the temple.

Also observe that in both 24:2 and in 24:34 Jesus uses the phrase, “Truly I say to you.” This is significant for two reasons. First, this phrase causes 24:2 and 24:34-35 to stand out and to show that they serve as bookends to this section (Matt. 24:2-35) of the Olivet Discourse about the events of the end times. The purpose of these “bookend” verses is to open the section and then to conclude the section. Here, Jesus opens the section predicting the destruction of the temple and concludes the section by telling when that destruction will take place.

But second, in this section of the Olivet Discourse (24:2-35), “Truly I say to you” appears only twice, only in 24:2 and in 24:34. As above with the phrase “all these things,” so also here this could be interpreted as a rhetorical device to connect the two verses and to show that they refer to the same things; namely, to the destruction of the temple.

These observations suggest that there are textual reasons to think that 24:34 is referring only to the destruction of the temple.

JESUS’ LIMITED KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE TIMING OF HIS COMING. The third piece of evidence in favor of understanding “all these things” in 24:34 as referring only to the destruction of the temple has to do with what Jesus says about His own knowledge about the timing of His coming (παρουσία). Note that in Matt. 24:36, Jesus says that “Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” Jesus is clearly speaking about His coming (παρουσία) and He admits that even He, the Son of God, does not know the timing of His coming or the timing of the end of the age. He therefore cannot make predictions about when all these things (including His coming) will take place. We conclude that, in Matthew 24:34, Jesus cannot be declaring that His coming will occur before this generation passes away, because He has admitted (24:36) that He does not know when His coming will occur. Because Jesus cannot tell the “when” of His coming or the “when” of the end of the age, the only “when” He can be giving in Matthew 24:34 is the timing of the destruction of the temple. So we conclude that all these things in 24:34 refers to all the events around the destruction of the temple.   

SUMMARY

Based on the work presented in this article, we conclude that all these things in Matthew 24:34 refers only to the events surrounding the destruction of the temple and does not refer to either the coming of Jesus or to the events of the end of the age.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 10/31/2023                 #676

Purpose flows from Identity for the disciple of Jesus

POST OVERVIEW. Developing the idea that Purpose is downstream from Identity. That is, Identity is primary and Purpose is derived from a clear Identity. These concepts of Identity and Purpose and how they operate in discipleship are topics in my upcoming book on the subject of discipleship and of discipling others.

Because man is made in the image of God, he has an inherent need for both Identity and Purpose. These ideas have been the subjects of many works of philosophy and psychology as people have tried to unlock the key to a life of meaning, because without a clear Identity and an invigorating Purpose, we seem to be adrift without a rudder. Also, as followers of Jesus we want to know how these ideas work in the life of a believer.

First, we need to understand that Identity must precede Purpose. This is true, by the way, for all people, not just for the disciple of the Lord Jesus. A clear personal Identity is necessary for anyone to have a compelling Purpose, and since very few people have such an Identity, the vast majority of people in the world have no compelling Purpose for their existence.

In stark contrast to the world, when a person initially trusts in Christ for salvation, he immediately obtains the Identity of “Disciple of the Lord Jesus.” And from this spectacular Identity flows an entire life of Purpose. The primary Purpose of the “Disciple of the Lord Jesus” is to conform their life to the description of a disciple given in the pages of Scripture. In other words, the disciple is to grow and to change so that their inward and outward selves are in accord with the characteristics of the disciple of Jesus given in the Bible. Having been made righteous in God’s sight by his faith in Jesus, the disciple of the Lord Jesus is to grow in sanctification so that his practical righteousness is progressively conformed to his positional righteousness. The disciple of Jesus has been wrapped in a robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10), and now his Purpose is to conform what is wrapped with the robe of the wrapping.

The raising of Lazarus in John 11 pictures this for us. Jesus’ friend had been dead four days, so he was extremely dead. But when Jesus called Lazarus by name, “the man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings” (John 11:44). After Jesus called him, Lazarus was as alive as he would ever be, but he was also bound with the grave wrappings and had his face wrapped with a cloth. He was alive, but he was also encumbered with wrappings and was effectively blind. So Jesus commanded the people, “Unbind him, and let him go” (11:44). Lazarus was fully alive, but for him to function as a living person, he needed someone to remove the wrappings so he could walk and see.

In a similar way, we were “dead in transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:1-3). But when the Holy Spirit called us through the gospel and we responded with repentance and faith, at that moment we were both as justified as we would ever be and as unholy as we would ever be. We were wrapped in God’s robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10) and, at the same time, wrapped in all the grave clothes of our former life of sin, righteous by position but unrighteous by practice. In this state, our Purpose becomes apparent. We are to make every effort to remove the “grave clothes” of our former life and put on every one of the “clothes” of the disciple of Jesus that we see modeled or commanded in the Scriptures (Ephesians 4:22-24).

We see another example of this in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20. The risen Lord Jesus Christ gives His church her mission for the remainder of this age when He says, “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (and) teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, (even) to the end of the age.” Although this passage has immense importance for the mission of the church, we also see here a clear prescription for how the disciple grows. “Go, make disciples,” in this context means, “Preach the gospel and gather those who believe in Jesus.” Now, those who profess faith in Jesus are to be identified as disciples by being baptized as a public profession of their faith. Therefore, water baptism gives the disciple his Identity as a disciple of the Lord Jesus. What flows from this Identity? Those who have identified as disciples of the Lord Jesus have the Purpose of observing (i.e., doing) all that Jesus commanded His disciples to do, and the church has the mission of teaching these disciples to obey. Once again, we see that Identity as a disciple of Jesus leads to the Purpose of growing in obedience and holiness.

SUMMARY. What we are saying is that, once a person has committed to the Identity of “a disciple of the Lord Jesus,” the discovery of Purpose is not complicated. In fact, the disciple of Jesus can immediately embark into their Purpose of becoming who they already are. The disciple’s Purpose does not need to be invented or created, but rather is discovered discipline by discipline and repentance by repentance as he becomes more conformed to the biblical description of a disciple of Jesus.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 8/7/2023                     #666

AN OVERVIEW OF DISCIPLESHIP

POST OVERVIEW. These are notes from my thinking of 7/19/2023 on a general approach to discipleship. These cover six broad topics that should be part of every disciple’s growth plan. This working document will be incorporated into my discipleship ministry and into my upcoming book on making disciples.

AREAS OF DISCIPLESHIP (“MODULES”)

  • THE WORD – Relate the “Hand Illustration” (from the Navigators) to show how the Word must be grasped tightly. GOAL: Ever-deepening and expanding knowledge of the Word throughout life. MATURE DISCIPLE’S GOAL: To have theological convictions, a Personal Biblical Theology (PBT), grounded in a firm grasp of the Scriptures. This PBT is “personal” in the sense that you OWN this theology. This collection of beliefs, convictions, understandings, and interpretations, and the connections and relationships between them, is constructed over years of pouring over the Scriptures until this theology is yours.
    • READING – “Where are you reading in the Bible?” Spur the disciple to have daily reading in the Bible. Goal1 – Read through the Bible from cover to cover every year. Goal2 – Develop a method of recording your thoughts from your daily reading, like a journal for daily reading notes.
    • STUDY – Teach and employ the ideas of the “Discipleship Bible Study” (DBS) for the systematic study of Scripture. “What are you discovering in your study of Scripture?”
    • MEMORIZE – “What Scripture are you memorizing right now?” Strive to continually expand your memory of Scripture. Review what you have memorized. This puts Scripture firmly into your mind.
    • MEDITATE – During drive-time or what would otherwise be dead time, meditate on the Scriptures that you have memorized to drive them deep into your soul and into your practice of life so they are accessible for help in time of need. Hide the Word deep in your heart (Psalm 119:11).
  • WITNESSING / EVANGELISM – The PURPOSE of this module is to make the disciple aware that the normal life of a disciple includes being vocal about your identification with Jesus. The normal disciple shines his light wherever he goes and he voices his love for Jesus. This is normal for the disciple. The OUTCOME of this module would be for the disciple to have regular, scheduled blocks of time devoted to the specific purpose of witnessing for Jesus to the end that 1) those who do not know Jesus would hear news about the Savior, and 2) that the lost would be brought into the sphere of Oakhurst Baptist Church and be saved. (Assumes an approach to evangelism that sees individual disciples casting the seed and proclaiming the gospel, and then the gathered church worshiping the Lord and welcoming the sinner to come to faith.)
    • “You shall be My witnesses.” (Acts 1:8; John 15:27; in Isaiah, also)
    • “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
    • “The sower went out to sow.” (Matthew 13:3)
    • “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ.” (2 Cor. 5:20)
    • “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)
  • OBEDIENCE / HOLINESS – The disciple of Jesus is to evidence his salvation by a life of increasing obedience to the commands of Scripture and increasing holiness. (The specifics of this component will become clearer as the Word is read and captured. That is, the more familiar the disciple is with the Word, the more apparent will be his sins and disobediences, and the more convicted he will be about the need to actively repent.)
    • AWARENESS OF PERSONAL SIN / FIGHTING PERSONAL SIN. The disciple is growing in his awareness of his personal sins and is actively fighting sin when it appears. Strongly recommended reading: “Mortification of Sin” by John Owen. Owen is a bit too harsh in some places but this book makes the dangers of sin clear. (Read the Puritans, men!)
    • REPENTANCE. Learn how repentance can become a proactive weapon against sin.  Repent before sin brings about your ruin. Required reading: “Doctrine of Repentance” by Thomas Watson. (Go through this book with your discipler.)
    • MOST COMMON SINS FOR MEN. In my experience, the most common sins for men are Anger, Lust/Sexual sins (obviously including pornography, which is a degrading, shameful sin), Greed, and Pride. Other prevalent sins among men include fear of man, laziness, refusing to grow up, and drunkenness / gluttony. The disciple should be alert for these tendencies in his life and repent of them.
    • OTHER HELPFUL IDEAS. “Purify me with hyssop” (Psalm 51:7). “Abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). Seek to manifest the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt. 5:6). Put sin to death (Col. 3:5).
  • IDENTITY, PURPOSE, VISION/GREAT WORK, ETC. This module is based on the principle that Purpose and Vision and legacy flow from IDENTITY. Identity is primary and the Discipler should take pains to ensure that the disciple is clear on their identity. IDENTITY = Disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Make every effort to instill and establish this IDENTITY in the mind of the disciple. With this Identity, the disciple can derive almost all their Purpose from the pages of the New Testament. The disciple’s Purpose is to become what they have professed themselves to be, an obedient and useful disciple who is pleasing to the Master. This module would also include disciplines and practices to further refine the disciple as he assumes various roles in his life (student, employee, unmarried, husband, father, steward of money, personal vision, mentor, legacy, preparing for death).
  • REPRODUCE, SERVE OTHERS, BEAR FRUIT. The disciple’s ultimate target is not simply to overcome overt, besetting sin in their own life, but is to produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, a hundredfold (Matt. 13:8). The disciple is called to love others, encourage others, serve others. While the first mark of maturity for a disciple would be living a holy life before God and man, the real aim is to pour his life out for others, in imitation of the Lord Jesus.
    • “And I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls” (2 Cor. 12:15). The disciple’s life is to be spent and poured out for others.
    • “The things that you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). The disciple is reproducing his life and his zeal for the Lord by pouring into other like-minded men.
    • “But if I am to live on in the flesh, it will mean fruitful labor for me” (Phil. 1:22). Paul was willing to defer his promotion to heaven because he knew that the Lord had more “fruitful labor” for him to do here on earth. For the disciple of Jesus, there are two future states of being. Now is the time of “fruitful labor” when we can work hard to bear much fruit for the Kingdom (consider John 15), but eventually we will “depart and be with Christ, which will be very much better” (Phil. 1:23).
    • “Now we who are strong are to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves” (Romans 15:1). The disciple is to press on to maturity (Hebrews 6:1) so that his usefulness increases. He desires to be one of the strong.
    • “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourself” (Phil. 2:3-4). Our Lord Jesus was perfectly unselfish, and the goal of the disciple is to continually grow in his unselfishness so that he imitates the Lord.
  • THE NECESSITY OF A GOOD CHURCH. Books have been written about healthy churches, and these are useful books. To maximize his fruitfulness and his speed to maturity, it is important for the disciple to be in a healthy church. But the idea of a “healthy church” is usually written from the pastor’s perspective. That is, the pastor is being challenged to evaluate his church and see if it is healthy according to these metrics or biblical principles. I am suggesting that the disciple of Jesus ask himself further questions when evaluating a church. Specifically, having located a healthy church, the disciple needs to evaluate if this is a church where the disciple will be able to find many and varied opportunities to grow in the areas we have listed in this document. To help the disciple in this regard, I plan to author a book or booklet, “A Disciple’s Guide to a Good Church,” giving the characteristics of a church that will be conducive to a person’s growth as a disciple. It is hard to overstate the importance of a good church for helping a disciple move toward maturity and to being fruitful. The church is where you learn to love others, serve others, submit to others, forgive others and be forgiven by others, encourage others, use your gifts, worship with others, suffer with others, rejoice with others, anticipate heaven with others.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 7/23/2023                   #663

Justified by faith or by works? (James 2:14-26) – Part 6

POST OVERVIEW. The sixth in a series of articles on James 2:14-26. The purpose of these articles is to give the believer a correct understanding of this passage by providing a number of different approaches to this text. The goal is that, through these studies, the believer will see that James’ teaching here does not conflict with the New Testament’s doctrine of justification by faith. (See also Post #652, 5/24,2023; Post #653, 5/25/2023; Post #654, 5/30/2023; Post #655, 6/5/2023; Post #658, 6/9/2023.) This article will compare the teaching about Abraham and Rahab in Hebrews 11 with parallel teaching in James 2:21-25.

We are in the midst of a deep dive into James 2:14-26. The reason we are going into considerable detail in studying this passage is that James 2 contains teaching about being “justified by works” that appears to be in direct conflict with the teaching of Paul on justification by faith alone. False teachers and the Catholic church have capitalized on this apparent conflict and have insisted that our human “works” merit for us our salvation. Our goal in this series is to demonstrate from a variety of different angles that there is nothing in this passage in James 2 to suggest that our “works” contribute anything to our salvation. In other words, James is in complete agreement with the rest of the New Testament in declaring that justification (being declared righteous) is by faith alone, apart from works (of the Law).

REFERRING TO THE HALL OF FAME OF FAITH IN HEBREWS 11

This next study will refer to Hebrews 11, the “hall of fame of faith,” and compare what is said there about Abraham and Rahab with what James also says about Abraham and Rahab in James 2:21-25. From this investigation, we will discover, once again, that James is not teaching a new doctrine of salvation by works that conflicts with Paul’s gospel. But before we begin our investigation of these texts, we need to make some comments about Hebrews 11.

COMMENTS ON HEBREWS 11. Hebrews 11 is a chapter devoted to the “works” that selected Old Testament believers did which manifested their genuine faith. “By faith” is the English phrase that is repeated eighteen (18) times in the chapter. This phrase indicates that these Old Testament characters already possessed saving faith, because you cannot act “by faith” if you do not already possess faith. This means that all the characters in this chapter had already been “justified” (i.e., declared righteous) by faith before they performed their works of faith. Then, already possessing saving faith, these men and women took dramatic action (“works”) that both required saving faith and manifested saving faith. Thus we see that each one of the characters in Hebrews 11 was “justified by works” in the same sense that Abraham and Rahab were “justified by works” in James 2. Their radical obedience to the Lord provided visible evidence that they were already believers.

ABRAHAM. Now we will look specifically at Hebrews 11:17 about Abraham.

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son. – Hebrews 11:17

First, it is apparent that this verse is about Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac on Mount Moriah from Genesis 22. Next, we observe that Abraham acted “by faith,” indicating that his sacrifice of Isaac was not done to merit his own salvation or to obtain righteousness from God, because he already possessed saving faith. Third, the Scripture says that Abraham was “tested.” God tested Abraham’s faith to determine its genuineness and its strength. And, because Abraham already had faith, he responded to the test with extreme obedience.

Having examined Hebrews 11:17 about Abraham, we now turn to the identical event described in James 2:21.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? – James 2:21

First, this is obviously about Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac from Genesis 22. Second, we read that Abraham was “justified by works.” From our study of Hebrews 11:17, we know that, at the time of this sacrifice of Isaac, Abraham already possessed saving faith and had already been declared righteous by faith (confirm James 2:23 quoting Genesis 15:6). The obedient offering of Isaac (a “work”) “justified” Abraham in that it gave an astonishing display of the strong faith he possessed. So, in the case of Abraham, we see once again that “justified by works” has nothing to do with meriting salvation by human effort.

RAHAB. Our procedure for studying Rahab the harlot will be the same as for Abraham.

By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. – Hebrews 11:31

First, Rahab obviously acted “by faith,” indicating that she already possessed saving faith before the spies arrived. When we investigate the background of this verse from the book of Joshua, we see that, by the time “she had welcomed the spies in peace,” Rahab had already declared her allegiance to the LORD (Joshua 2:9-11) and she had identified with the people of God (Joshua 2:21). Clearly, she was a woman of faith before the spies arrived in Jericho. Finally, we note that Rahab “did not perish with those who were disobedient.” Significant here is that she was obedient and she lived.

Now we turn to James 2:25 and his verse about Rahab.

In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? – James 2:25

“Rahab the harlot was also justified by works.” James is saying that, just as Abraham was justified by works, so also Rahab was justified by works. And how was Abraham justified by his “works?” His radical obedience (offering Isaac at the LORD’s command) “gave an astonishing display of his strong faith.” In the same way, Rahab’s courageous obedience in the face of dangerous consequences “gave an astonishing display of the strong faith that she possessed.” So, in this way, Rahab was “justified by works.”

CONCLUSION. A comparison of James 2:21 and 2:25 with parallel verses in Hebrews 11 has revealed, once again, that James is not teaching an errant doctrine of imputed righteousness by human works but is stating the biblical truth that genuine faith is “justified” by actions which display that faith.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 6/13/2023                   #659

Justified by faith or by works? (James 2:14-26) – Part 5

POST OVERVIEW. The fifth in a series of articles on James 2:14-26. The purpose of these articles is to give the believer a correct understanding of this passage by providing a number of different approaches to this text. The goal is that, through these studies, the believer will see that James’ teaching here does not conflict with the New Testament’s doctrine of justification by faith. (See also Post #652, 5/24,2023; Post #653, 5/25/2023; Post #654, 5/30/2023; Post #655, 6/5/2023.) This article will focus on the abundant New Testament teaching declaring that justification (“being declared righteous”) is by faith completely apart from “works.”

We are in the midst of a series of studies of James 2:14-26. These studies are going into considerable detail because this Scripture has unsettled many genuine believers (including the noble Martin Luther) and has been misused by false teachers and by the Catholic church to insist that our human “works” merit for us our salvation. Our goal in this series is to demonstrate from a variety of different angles that there is nothing in this passage to suggest that our “works” contribute anything to our salvation. In other words, James is in complete agreement with the rest of the New Testament in declaring that justification (being declared righteous) is by faith alone, apart from works (of the Law).

So far, our case has included a careful study of the word “justify” determining how James uses that word. We have also studied the concept of “works,” especially regarding the timing of “works” relative to a person’s conversion. Our most recent post looked at the personal relationship that James had with Paul. This post will examine the weight of biblical evidence.

A MISTAKEN IMPRESSION ABOUT EVIDENCE

One of the reasons this passage disturbs genuine believers has to do with a mistaken impression about the biblical evidence for the doctrine of justification by faith. This “mistaken impression” goes something like this. Perhaps in a Bible study or perhaps in a discussion about religious beliefs or doctrines, someone may comment about the teaching in James 2:21-25, in which James explicitly says that Abraham was justified by works (2:21). You open your Bible and read James 2:21 and, by golly, that is what it says. Then the person will point out that 2:22 says that faith and works go together to perfect faith and 2:24 explicitly says, “a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” Finally, 2:25 says, “Rahab the harlot was justified by works.” Not only has James said “justified by works” multiple times, but that seems to be his whole point. By this teaching procedure, you have gotten the “mistaken impression” that there is a contradiction in the Bible because there seems to be a good amount of evidence for justification by works. What do we do now?

MIGHTY IN THE SCRIPTURES

For now we are setting aside the other studies we have done and are just wrestling with the evidence question. Does the Bible contradict itself? Is there clear and equal evidence for a man being justified by faith and for a man being justified by works? The surest way to address these types of challenges and to answer questions about what the Scripture does and does not say is to be familiar with the Bible. There is simply no substitute for knowing the content and the meaning of the Scriptures in vivid detail. What does the Bible say about “that?” Can you give me chapter and verse or can you at least find it quickly? If not, why should I believe what you say? It was said of Apollos that “he was an eloquent man, mighty in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24). God will use a person who is mighty in the Scriptures, and He used Apollos in Achaia, where “he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ” (18:28). We would do well to follow Apollos’ example.

So we need to know our Bibles well so that we are not easily unsettled or knocked off our doctrinal foundation. Paul exhorted Titus to find Cretan elders, men who “will be able to exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9). In other words, find men who know their Bibles well. Paul instructed Timothy to be “a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). A person who can accurately handle their Bible is one who will not be ashamed when the false teachers speak up.

PRESENTING THE EVIDENCE

In light of this principle of knowing our Bibles well, we are going to present three classes of evidence to correct our “mistaken impression” above. First, we will present verses which demonstrate that “works” do not justify. Second, we will cite Scriptures which teach that, after conversion (i.e., salvation), “good works” or “good deeds” are mandatory. Third, we will give New Testament evidence that justification is by faith.

WE ARE NOT JUSTIFIED (DECLARED RIGHTEOUS) BY WORKS.

Romans 3:20. “By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight.”

Romans 3:28. “A man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”

Romans 4:6. “God credits righteousness apart from works.”

Galatians 2:16. (3X) “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law, since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

Galatians 3:10. “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse.”

Ephesians 2:8-9. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

AFTER CONVERSION, GOOD WORKS ARE EXPECTED. (JAMES’ POSITION)

Matthew 5:16. “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Ephesians 2:10. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

1 Timothy 2:10. “women to adorn themselves by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.”

Titus 2:7. “In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds.”

Titus 2:14. “(Christ Jesus,) who gave Himself for us to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

Titus 3:8. “those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds.

Hebrews 10:24. “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.”

1 Peter 1:7. “so that the proof of your faith, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor (“works”) at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

JUSTIFICATION (IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS) IS THROUGH/BY FAITH

Romans 3:22. “righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.”

Romans 3:28. “A man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”

Romans 4:3. “Abraham believed God (faith) and it was credited as righteousness.”

Romans 4:5. “To the one who believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”

Romans 5:1. “Having been justified by faith . . .”

Galatians 2:16. (2X) “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law, since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

Galatians 3:8. “God justifies the Gentiles by faith.”

Ephesians 2:8. “For by grace you have been saved (justified) through faith.”

WEIGHING THE EVIDENCE

Remember the reason that we went through this exercise. We are weighing the New Testament evidence supporting, on the one hand, justification (i.e., being declared righteous) by faith alone apart from “works” against the evidence supporting, on the other hand, justification (i.e., being declared righteous) by a person’s “works” plus faith. The results of our investigation overwhelmingly favor the positions that:

  1. We are not justified (i.e., declared righteous) by our “works.”
  2. After conversion, the believer is expected to produce “good works” as evidence of his faith. (This is the main point that James is making in 2:14-26.)
  3. A sinner is justified (i.e., declared righteous) by/through faith in Jesus Christ.

In fact, from our investigation we have discovered that the only place where we can find any possible biblical support for the Catholic doctrine of justification by works is by a misunderstanding of James 2:21-25.

CONCLUSION. An evaluation of what the New Testament teaches regarding justification, faith, and “works” reveals that the sinner is justified by faith alone without “works.”

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 6/9/2023                     #658

Being a neighbor, according to Jesus – Part 1 (Luke 10:25-37)

POST OVERVIEW. Taking a break from our study of James 2:14-26, we will be looking at one of the most famous of Jesus’ parables, the story of “The Good Samaritan” in Luke 10:25-37. This first article focuses on the key question the lawyer asks Jesus and how we are to understand Jesus’ answer.

The gospel of Luke is filled with parables spoken by the Lord Jesus Himself to tell us about mysteries of the kingdom of God. One of the most famous of Jesus’ parables is the story of “The Good Samaritan.” A lawyer (an expert in the Mosaic Law) asks Jesus how a person can “inherit eternal life,” and thus ensues a fascinating dialog. This short series will drill deep into the conversation between the lawyer and Jesus and will explore the meaning and the application of the parable about the traveler from Samaria who helps a fellow traveler. My text will be from the NAS translation of the Bible. I will only quote selected portions of the passage but will assume that the reader is following along in their Bible.

Since Luke writes the scenes of his gospel account “in consecutive order” (Luke 1:3), then we can assume that this encounter between Jesus and the lawyer occurs somewhere in the middle of His earthly ministry. As the scene opens, Jesus has been teaching a group that includes this expert in the Mosaic Law. We do not know exactly what prompts his question, but the lawyer stood up and “put Him to the test” with the question, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (The “rich young ruler” of Luke 18:18ff asks the identical question, so it would be an interesting exercise to study these two dialogs together. See Post #612 on 1/18/2023 for an article on the RYR.) In simple terms, the dialog then goes like this:

  • First, the lawyer tests Jesus by asking how a person can “inherit eternal life.”
  • Second, Jesus tests the lawyer by asking him about the Law.  
  • Third, the lawyer answers his own question from what is written in the Law.
  • Fourth, Jesus confirms that the lawyer’s answer is correct.

Let’s pause here for a second. At this point, Jesus has confirmed the answer to the lawyer’s question. “If you do what the Law demands, then you will inherit eternal life.” (NOTE: It is very interesting that Jesus has indirectly affirmed the theoretical possibility for man to inherit eternal life through the Law.) Therefore, the dialog should end here. But obviously the dialog does not end here. Instead, the lawyer asks Jesus another question. Why? What is going on here?

JESUS’ MEANING

When Jesus confirms the lawyer’s answer (10:27) by saying, “Do this and live,” Jesus means, “Perfectly love the Lord you God and perfectly love your neighbor as yourself, at all times and in all circumstances, from birth till death, and you will live.” Jesus speaks about obeying the Law in absolute terms, in terms of absolute performance without grace. Thus, there are two possible performances – perfect obedience or abject failure. If a person would inherit eternal life through the Law, then that person must themselves fulfill all the Law’s demands. This is what God the Son means when He says, “Do this and you will live.”

THE LAWYER’S UNDERSTANDING

The lawyer’s understanding of “love the Lord your God” and “love your neighbor as yourself” is dramatically different than Jesus’. The lawyer sees obeying the demands of the Law through a relative lens. According to him (or the Pharisee or the scribe), “Do this and live,” means “make sure your performance is relatively good and better than most, and you will achieve eternal life.”

We need to spend a moment here to grasp the chasm that exists between these two ways of thinking. Even though the lawyer and Jesus have agreed on the answer to the lawyer’s question, they are oceans apart in their interpretation of what the answer means. The lawyer is probably a little surprised by how easy it is to inherit eternal life and, at the same time, Jesus knows that He is the only one who will ever fulfill the Law’s demands (Matt. 5:17). The lawyer is fully confident that his performance of the Law is good enough, while Jesus is implicitly teaching the lawyer that his performance will never merit eternal life. Ironically, Jesus’ words that should have served as a severe warning to the lawyer have probably increased the lawyer’s confidence in his self-righteousness.

THE LAWYER’S SECOND QUESTION

At this point, then, the lawyer has received from the Teacher his answer to his first question, the question about eternal life. Love God and love your neighbor and you’re good. So now, if the lawyer can just get a little clarification about loving his neighbor, he should be able to move on. It is curious that the lawyer asks, “Who is my neighbor?” and not, “How do I love my neighbor?” The Law demands that you “love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18), but it gives no guidance on how to do that. It is this question, “According to Jesus, how do I love my neighbor as myself?” that prompts Jesus’ parable, and it is to that parable that we turn in our next article.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 6/5/2023                     #656

Justified by faith or by works? (James 2:14-26) – Part 3

POST OVERVIEW. The third in a series of articles on James 2:14-26. The purpose of these articles is to give the believer a correct understanding of this passage by providing a number of different approaches to this text. The goal is that, through these studies, the believer will see that James’ teaching here does not conflict with the New Testament’s doctrine of justification by faith. (See also Post #652, 5/24,2023 and Post #653, 5/25/2023.) This fairly long article focuses on the concept of “works.”

This is the third article in a series of studies of James 2:14-26. Let’s take a moment to review where we have been so far, where we are going in this article, and where we hope to go with the rest of the series.

BRIEF REVIEW

In my first post (#652), I had explained the main interpretive difficulty in the passage; namely, that it can seem that, in James 2:14-26, and particularly in 2:21-15, James is contradicting the core teaching of the New Testament about justification by faith. The apostle Paul teaches throughout his epistles that a sinner is “justified” (meaning “declared righteous”) solely on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, in Galatians, Paul states that a variation in the gospel on this point is anathema (Gal. 1:8, 9) and that those who preach this “other” gospel are cursed. Because of the New Testament’s teaching on “justified” and on “justification,” “justification by faith alone” became one of the five “Solas” of the Reformation. So, this is not a minor point. In my first post, I had proposed a plan of study that would allow us to examine James 2:14-26 using several different approaches to demonstrate that James is not contradicting any of the Bible’s teaching on what it means to be “justified.”

The second post of the series (#653) had begun to work through the points of the plan of study. Our first piece of information was that the verb “justify” has at least two meanings. Understanding how James uses this verb (and its related terms) in James 2:21-25 helps immensely in defusing the difficulties of the passage.

In this third article, we will focus most of our efforts on understanding the word and the concept of “works.”

THE CONCEPT OF “WORKS”

Broadly speaking, the concept of “works” relates to human effort or accomplishment. “Works” are things which the human does that affect the human’s relationship with the living God, either positively or negatively. The primary factor that determines whether “works” are pleasing to God or are perceived as “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6) is whether or not the one doing the “works” has believed in God and has been reconciled with God. In our day, the question would be, “Are you a follower of the Lord Jesus?” If the answer is yes, then your works are generally pleasing to God and, if not, then your works are an offense to Him and a stench in His nostrils.

Let me explain this a bit further and then clarify “works” by giving some examples. I said that the primary factor for evaluating “works” is whether or not the person working is a follower of Jesus. Why is that? It is because, when a person comes to faith in Jesus, their motivation for the “works” dramatically changes.

“WORKS” OF THE UNBELIEVER

When a person is not a believer in Jesus, he may still desire to benefit from religious activity or religious works. (In fact, a good working definition of a religion is a system of man-made human efforts intended to achieve some spiritual benefit.) Thus the unbeliever will do things prescribed by their particular religion to try to relieve themselves of guilt or to impress others or to make themselves good enough to be acceptable to their god(s) or to God. The point is that the one who “works” in this way is using their human effort to earn favor with the gods or with God.

The problem with these “works” is that they are as offensive to the living God as perhaps anything can be. These “works” offer man’s sinful efforts and his religious rituals as the means of making him acceptable to God, when God has sent His only Son Jesus into the world to be crucified on Calvary’s cross as the only acceptable sacrifice for sin and as the only means of reconciling God and man. In Acts 4:12, Peter declares,

“And there is salvation in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

The only way to be justified before our holy God is to bow the knee to Jesus and confess Him as Lord and Savior. But, instead of repenting of sin and submitting to Jesus, man wants to continue in his wicked ways and to continue in his sin, so he offers to God a token performance of “works.” Jesus has willingly come from heaven to earth to die on the cross as the only means of rescue from the wrath of God, but by means of his “works,” man rejects the Son of God and offers instead his sin-stained man-made efforts. This is why Paul and the other New Testament writers and solid Christian churches today vigorously oppose any teaching that claims that we can be declared righteous by our “works.” Justification is by faith alone in Christ alone.

Consider these biblical examples. Cain offered to God his “works” of the fruit of the ground (Genesis 4) and he was rejected by God and perished. It was his religious “works” that Saul of Tarsus offered to God (Phil. 3:5-6), but for the apostle Paul those works were all “rubbish” (3:8). Nadab and Abihu offered religious “works” of strange fire before the LORD and were consumed in the flame (Leviticus 10). In the gospels, the Pharisees had all their religious rules, but Jesus repeatedly called them hypocrites. “Works” can never bring an unbeliever closer to God or forgive the unbeliever of one single sin. Any “work” that is using human effort or human performance to achieve favor with God is cursed.

“WORKS” OF THE BELIEVER

We have just described the “works” of the unbeliever and have seen that they are offensive to God, since they offer human effort as a replacement for the death of Christ. So, if this is the only kind of “works” known in the New Testament and if James is suggesting that the unbeliever is justified (“declared righteous”) by his own “works,” we have a major contradiction and a major problem.

But what we find as we examine Scripture is, first, that there are “works” which are entirely appropriate to the believer and which are, indeed, expected for every believer, and second, that James is certainly not suggesting that an unbeliever is justified (“declared righteous”) by his own “works.” Let’s take these two points one at a time.

In our previous post (#653), we have already demonstrated that, in James 2:21-25, “justified” is used in the sense of the believer giving outward, visible evidence of their inward, invisible faith. Their claim of faith is “justified” when they give sufficient evidence of their faith. But not only does James use “justified” in a non-salvific way in our study passage, but we also see that his examples, Abraham and Rahab, are people who are already believers and who already possess saving faith. (We will address this further when we look at Hebrews 11 in parallel with this passage in James in a later post.) Abraham and Rahab are presented not as examples of those who earned saving faith by their works, but rather as examples of those who demonstrated their saving faith by radical acts of faithfulness.

Finally, then, this passage cannot be about how the unbeliever achieves his own salvation by his “works,” because there is not even an unbeliever anywhere in the passage.

What we see instead is that it is incumbent upon the genuine believer to live a life marked by “good works” which give evidence to his claim of salvation. Calls for “good works” or “good deeds” which attest to an already-possessed salvation are common in the New Testament, and this is certainly the type of “works” that James has in mind here.

The following are places where this type of “works” appears in the New Testament:

Matthew 5:16 “Let men see your good works.”

Ephesians 2:10. It is instructive to read Ephesians 2:9 and 2:10 together. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, not as a result of works. For we are created in Christ Jesus for good works.” “Works” do not save, but “good works” should follow salvation.

Philippians 2:12. “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

Colossians 1:10. Paul prays they would “bear fruit in every good work.”

2 Thessalonians 2:17. “Strengthen your hearts in every good work.”

1 Timothy 2:10; 5:10; 6:18. Good works are a mark of a faithful believer.

2 Timothy 2:21; 3:17. “prepared/equipped for every good work.”

Titus 2:7, 14; 3:8, 14. Believers are to be “zealous for good deeds.”

Hebrews 10:24. “Stimulate one another to love and good deeds.”

1 Peter 2:12. The Gentiles glorify God because of your good deeds.

SUMMARY

We have seen that “works,” which are presented by the unbeliever as an attempt to merit or earn from God a declaration of righteousness (to be “justified”), are offensive to God and are condemned because these “works” are offered instead of faith in the crucified Christ.

We have also seen that “good works,” which are produced in and by the believer as a visible manifestation (a “justification”) of their invisible faith in Jesus, are expected and are approved by God because these “good works” are wrought through the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is this latter category of “works” that James has in view in James 2:14-26.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 5/30/2023                   #654

Justified by faith or by works? (James 2:14-26) – Part 2

POST OVERVIEW. The second in a series of articles on James 2:14-26. The purpose of these articles is to give the believer a correct understanding of this passage by providing a number of different approaches to this text. The goal is that, through these studies, the believer will see that James’ teaching here does not conflict with the New Testament’s doctrine of justification by faith. (See also Post #652, 5/24,2023.)

A STUDY OF THE WORD “JUSTIFY”

Having given an introduction to this series of studies (See Post #652, 5/24/2023), we will begin with an examination of “justify.” This portion of our study will be a little technical, but it is necessary for us to look at definitions and to understand how this word and its related terms are used in the New Testament.

THE FIRST USE OF “JUSTIFY.” As we mentioned above, in the New Testament, the English word “justify” is a translation of the Greek word “δικαιόω.” This word is of profound significance in the gospel of salvation, because its most common usage has the meaning of “declare righteous.” The main message of the gospel is that any sinner who believes (“places their faith”) in the Lord Jesus Christ is immediately declared righteous, forgiven of all their sins, saved from the wrath of God, and has eternal life. In short, by faith he “has been justified.” (This is the passive use of the word “justify.”) This entire set of effects of faith in Jesus has been abbreviated as “justification by faith.” The consistent and abundant teaching of the New Testament is that we are “justified” (declared righteous, etc.) by faith and by faith alone in Christ alone and not on the basis of works. (See later in this series for a deeper understanding of “works” and also for how many times the Bible insists that being justified/justification is not by works.) This use of “justify” (declare righteous) is what the apostle Paul uses almost exclusively in his doctrinal teaching about the gospel of the Lord Jesus and his letters of Romans and Galatians are particularly filled with this doctrine. For this reason, most believers automatically think of “justify” and “to be justified” in terms of “not by works” and “justification by faith alone,” and become concerned and vocal when someone suggests that a sinner can earn salvation (be justified) based on his works. It thus becomes obvious why James 2:21-25 has created some confusion and controversy among believers because James blatantly affirms that Abraham and Rahab were justified by their works. What do we do with that?

A SECOND USE OF “JUSTIFY.” And here it is necessary for us to realize that, while the overwhelming majority of uses of “justify” or “be justified” relates to declaring someone righteous based on their professed faith in the Lord Jesus, there is also a minority use of the word, and it is this minority use of “justify” that James uses in our study passage. James uses “justify” in the sense of “giving outward evidence of an inward reality” or of “supporting a claim to possess an invisible quality.” Other synonyms could be “exhibited,” “demonstrated,” “proved,” or “gave evidence for.”

AN ILLUSTRATION OF “JUSTIFY”

When I was a purchasing manager several years ago, I had a supplier whose name was Jim Cooper. Jim was a big man. He was probably 6’ 5” and was broad and “thick.” When I shook his hand, my hand almost disappeared into his. He was big. One day we were talking and he mentioned that he was having some pain in his knees. “Yeah, it was probably from too many years playing football.” I paused for a second, then asked, “When did you play football? Were you ever a professional football player?” He said, “I played for the Dallas Cowboys in the late 70’s and 80’s.” I remembered the Cowboys of that era and that they were powerful teams, so I asked, “Do you have a Super Bowl ring?” “Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Super Bowl XII for the 1977 season.” “Would you mind bringing that ring in so I could see it? I have never seen a Super Bowl ring.” “Sure thing. Next time I come over I will bring it.”

Now, I did not doubt for a second that Jim could produce that ring. First, he was an honest man, so he was not lying to me, but second, he was a big man, and the possibility that he had played for the world champion Dallas Cowboys was not a stretch, at all. But at that point in time, Jim’s claim of having a Super Bowl ring was not justified. Jim would not “be justified” until his invisible claim of being on the 1977 Dallas Cowboys was validated (“justified”) by the visible evidence of a Super Bowl ring from Super Bowl XII.

And, true to his word, the next time Jim and I got together, he put his Super Bowl XII ring on the conference table so I could take pictures of it with my phone. Because he had produced tangible visible evidence of his unseeable claim, he was fully “justified.” Jim Cooper claimed to be a member of the World Champion Dallas Cowboys and then produced the ring that proved his claim. In this way, he was “justified.”

If, on the other hand, Jim had claimed to be on the Dallas Cowboys in 1977 but had no Super Bowl ring, there would have been a lot of doubt about his claim. Without tangible, visible evidence to validate his claim, his football career would remain a mere claim, a mere maybe.

This is the way that James uses the word “justify” in 2:21, 24, and 25. If a man claims to have saving faith, then he needs to “justify” (prove, validate) that claim by giving tangible supporting evidence. And the tangible evidence that James is seeking is the evidence of “works.”

SUMMARY OF “JUSTIFY”

After carefully examining the word “justify” and seeing that James uses the word in a very different sense than Paul and the other New Testament writers, we can conclude that there is no conflict or contradiction in James 2:14-26 when compared to other New Testament doctrinal teaching.

NEXT ARTICLE. In this article we have carefully looked at the word “justify.” In the next article, we will examine “works” by first defining what the biblical writers mean by “works” and second, by considering what the role of works is both before and after salvation (Point #2 in our list in Post #652, 5/24/2023). We will conclude the next article by documenting the verses in the New Testament which explicitly teach that “being justified” (“declared righteous”) and justification are always “by faith” and are never “by works.”

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 5/25/2023                   #653

Justified by faith or by works? (James 2:14-26) – Part 1

POST OVERVIEW. The first in a series of articles on James 2:14-26. The purpose of these articles is to give the believer a correct understanding of this passage by providing a number of different approaches to this text. Through these studies, the believer will see that James’ teaching here does not conflict with the New Testament’s doctrine of justification by faith. (Also see previous Post #393, 4/26/2021, on this same passage.)

“But how can a man be in the right before God?” – Job 9:2

THE CRUCIAL QUESTION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

From the time of the fall of man in Genesis 3 until the apostolic preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Job’s crucial question went unanswered. But after Pentecost, first the apostles and then the faithful church began to proclaim the good news that, now that Jesus has atoned for sins on the cross, all who repent and believe in Him can be declared righteous and can receive eternal life. That is the gospel we proclaim and by which we are saved. We are justified by faith alone in Christ alone.

HOW ARE WE JUSTIFIED?

But with this as a background, how do we understand James when he declares in his epistle, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works?” (James 2:21)? Perhaps even more unsettling is what we read a few verses later in James 2:24: “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” Then finally James writes, “Was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works?” (2:25). Is James teaching another gospel in which the sinner is justified by faith plus his own works? Has James abandoned “justification by faith alone,” the central doctrine of the Reformation? Does the Holy Spirit-inspired Bible teach that there are actually two ways to be saved, one by faith in Jesus and another by faith plus works?

These are important questions that I want to address in a series of articles which consider James 2:14-26 and discern what James is teaching in this section of his epistle. As we go through these teaching articles, there are several key points that we will consider.

  1. The word that is translated “justify” (δικαιόω in Greek) or, in the passive, “to be justified,” has two different meanings depending upon the author’s intent. Therefore, we need to understand more about this word “justify.”
  2. An understanding of “works” in the New Testament. What do we mean by “works?” The difference between the role of works before salvation and the role of works after salvation must be considered.
  3. The personal relationship between Paul and James and their complete agreement on the content of the gospel.
  4. The New Testament’s abundant, explicit teaching that justification (God’s declaration of righteousness) is never by works.
  5. A comparison of Hebrews 11 with James 2 allows us to conclusively determine that James is using “justify” in a non-salvific sense.
  6. Finally, a careful, unbiased reading of James 2:14-26 makes the author’s purpose and meaning unambiguously clear.

This, then, will serve as an introduction to this mini-series on James 2:14-26. My plan is to work through each of these points in the list above (not necessarily in order) so that we remove any confusion about justification that might be created by this passage and we also pay attention to the warning that James is communicating here.

My next post will be about the meanings of “justify.” (Point #1 from the list above.)

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 5/24/2023                   #652

Resurrection lessons from 1 Corinthians 15 (Part 3)

POST OVERVIEW. The third of a three-part study of 1 Corinthians 15, the great chapter on the Resurrection of the righteous that will occur on the last day. (See Post #648, 5/8/2023 and #649, 5/11/2023, for the first two parts of this study.) The objective of this series of posts is to give the Bible student a firm grasp of the doctrine of the Resurrection.

The previous post in this series (#649, 5/11/2023) finished with the “problem” presented by Paul at the end of 15:50; namely, that no believer in Christ who has a natural, earthly body, whether alive or dead, can inherit the kingdom of God. How, then, does a believer inherit the kingdom of God?

15:51. The solution to the problem is that, in the Resurrection, all believers will receive a glorified body that can inherit the kingdom of heaven.

PAUL’S “MYSTERY” OF THE RESURRECTION

KEY CONCEPT. In this verse, Paul “tells us a mystery.” In the New Testament, a “mystery” is an event or a detail that is currently unknown but that is certain to be revealed in the future. So here, the mystery that is yet to be revealed will explain what happens to those who are still alive when the Resurrection occurs.

THE DEAD ARE RAISED

Here is what I mean. Up to this point in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul has only been talking about believers who are dead in Christ when the Resurrection occurs (e.g., 15:42). We also note that the Bible’s supreme example of resurrection, the raising of Jesus Christ from the dead, was obviously a raising from the dead. Thus, by the undeniable fact of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead as “first fruits” (15:23), we can understand how the dead in Christ would likewise be raised from the dead at the final Resurrection. As Jesus was raised from the dead with a glorified body, so the dead in Christ will also be raised from the dead with glorified bodies. We can readily grasp this analogy.

It is also interesting that other prominent biblical pictures of the Resurrection are pictures of saints who are raised from the dead. In Isaiah 26:19, we see a picture of the Resurrection as “Your dead will live, their corpses will rise.” Isaiah gives us a picture of the dead being raised. In Ezekiel 37, the prophet is “in the middle of a valley and it was full of bones. Behold, there were very many bones on the surface of the ground, and very dry” (37:2). But then the Lord GOD says, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves” (37:12). This is obviously a vision of God raising His people from the dead. When Jesus speaks of the Resurrection in the gospel of John (5:28-29), He says, “An hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice (the Son of Man), and (all) will come forth.” Jesus is speaking about the dead being raised in the Resurrection. All these are pictures of those who are dead in Christ being raised from the dead on the last day.

But what about those who are still alive when the Resurrection occurs? We have no solid example from Scripture or analogy from nature that pictures this. How can those “who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:15) be raised from the dead in the Resurrection? It doesn’t seem to make sense. And so this is the “mystery” that Paul is going to discuss. To repeat the question from above, “What happens to those who are still alive when the Resurrection occurs?”

To answer this question, two things are required. First, we must remember the biblical definition of Resurrection. As we have already seen, it is common for believers to mistakenly think of resurrection only in terms of “being raised from the dead” because Jesus was raised from the dead in His resurrection (see above), but the biblical definition of Resurrection is “the receiving of our glorified bodies.” Being glorified is the primary event of the Resurrection, and both those who are dead in Christ and those who are alive are guaranteed to receive their “spiritual body” (15:44). So first, remember what you have already learned.

But second, we must read our Bible carefully and thoughtfully to understand what Paul is teaching. Paul has told us he is going to be teaching us about a mystery. Therefore, our attitude in reading these verses is to understand exactly what the apostle is telling us about the resurrection of those in Christ who are alive on the last day. Except for what is revealed to us in the Scriptures, we are wholly ignorant of this subject. We are “strangers on the earth” (Psalm 119:19), therefore we come to the Scriptures humbly to gain knowledge and understanding. What, then, does Paul teach us here about those who are alive at the Resurrection?

 Paul announces the mystery: “we will not all sleep,” which simply means that not all believers will physically die before they are resurrected. Some believers will sleep, but some will be physically alive at the Resurrection. (see 1 Thess. 4:15-17). But all believers, whether asleep or alive, will receive a glorified body because “we will all be changed.”

15:52. Paul gives a number of details of the Resurrection in this verse.

The Resurrection (“the change”) will be instantaneous, for it will happen “in the twinkling of an eye.”

The Resurrection will occur when the last trumpet sounds (see “trumpet” in Isa. 27:13, “in that day;” Matt. 24:31; 1 Thess. 4:16). 

“The dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” The dead in Christ (the “perishable”) are raised with glorified (“imperishable”) bodies, and those who are alive (“flesh and blood,” 15:50) are instantly glorified (“changed”). (This latter occurrence is the mystery.)

Note that this description of the Resurrection is in perfect agreement with what Paul writes in 1 Thess. 4:16-17. The dead in Christ are raised and glorified and those who are alive in Christ are changed and glorified. (See also Isaiah 26:19; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2.)

It is also important to note that, although Paul does not mention Christ’s coming (παρουσία) in this passage, the Scriptures make plain that the Resurrection occurs simultaneously with Jesus’ coming. From the lips of Jesus Himself, we also know that these events of the Resurrection occur on the last day (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54).

15:53. We know that “this perishable” refers to those who are dead in Christ (15:42, 52). What must occur for them? “This perishable must put on the imperishable.” The “imperishable” refers to the glorified body (15:42). The dead in Christ must put on their glorified bodies.

The Greek word for “must” is δεῖ, which can be translated “is (absolutely) necessary,” “is inevitable,” or “must.” What is being communicated here is that the only way that “the perishable” (those who are dead in Christ) can inherit the kingdom of God (see 15:50) is for them to “put on the imperishable.” For them to be fit for eternity in heaven, the dead in Christ must receive their glorified body. There is no other way.

Likewise, “this mortal must put on immortality.” “Mortal” here refers to those who are still subject to death, which is those who are still alive. The only way that “the mortal” can inherit the kingdom of God (see 15:50) is for them to “put on immortality.” For them to be fit for eternity in heaven, they must receive their glorified body. There is no other way.

15:54. When all the dead in Christ are raised in their imperishable glorified bodies, and when all those who are alive in Christ have been quickly changed into their immortal glorified bodies, then death will have been swallowed up in victory. All “those who are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Cor 15:23) will have donned their eternal glorified bodies and death will have been forever defeated.

SUMMARY

We should take a moment after this study to summarize what we have learned, for we have received strong teaching about the doctrine of the Resurrection from 1 Corinthians 15.

  • The Resurrection of all the righteous will occur on the last day (15:23-24).
  • The Resurrection occurs at the same time that the Lord Jesus descends from heaven. So it includes all “those who are Christ’s at His coming” (15:23).
  • The Resurrection speaks primarily about the event when those who are in Christ receive their glorified bodies.
  • All those who are in Christ are guaranteed to receive a glorified body at the Resurrection (15:44, 49).
  • The Resurrection will include the glorification of all the “dead in Christ” and all those who are “alive and remain.”
  • The Resurrection will be instantaneous (15:52).
  • The Resurrection will occur at the sounding of the last trumpet (15:52).

Finally, it is important to remember that, although we have discovered these doctrinal truths by carefully studying 1 Corinthians 15, the truths we have discovered are universal truths. That is, the doctrinal truths about the Resurrection discovered in 1 Corinthians 15 are true for the Resurrection wherever it is mentioned in the Bible. So there is not the doctrine of the Resurrection according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 and a different set of doctrines in Isaiah or in the gospel of John or in 1 Thessalonians. The events of the Resurrection as described in 1 Corinthians 15 must agree with the events surrounding the Resurrection in the other passages in Scripture because the Holy Spirit is the author of all Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16) and He does not contradict Himself. Other Scriptural passages about the Resurrection may add new details or may present the truths with other word pictures, but other Scripture cannot present a different Resurrection. An interpretation of the Resurrection that conflicts with the one taught in 1 Corinthians 15 should be replaced with the one taught in the Scriptures.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 5/15/2023                   #650