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Blood on the heavenly mercy seat, Part 1 (Hebrews 10:3-10)

OVERVIEW. The heart of the book of “Hebrews” is chapters 9 and 10 as the author describes the awesome work of Jesus, our High Priest, as He brings His blood into the heavenly holy of holies. This article examines Hebrews 10:3-7. A second article will look at 10:8-10.

The central doctrinal teaching of the book of “Hebrews” is the description of Jesus Christ’s work of atonement as our great High Priest, and that description reaches its climax in Hebrews 9:11-10:18. In this passage, the author of the book tells us in detail what God has done in Jesus’ incarnation to bring about the propitiation of the sins of His people. In two articles, we will examine 10:3-10 to understand how Psalm 40 also relates to this same theme.

The passage begins (10:3-4) with yet another illustration of how the priesthood and the sacrificial system under the old covenant failed to accomplish any cleansing or atonement from sin by virtue of the fact that the blood of sacrificial animals was itself impotent.

For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

The author has already alluded to this flaw in the sacrifices under the Law in 9:23 when he taught that “the heavenly things” were not cleansed with the blood of animals but were necessarily cleansed with “better sacrifices,” which speaks of the blood of Christ. 

But we know that the impotent blood of bulls and goats offered on the annual day of atonement was never intended to take away sins. Rather, the sacrifices of the day of atonement were intended to be a reminder of sins (10:3). The sacrifices of Yom Kippur were made every year to remind the people that, although they obediently offered the sacrifices required by the Law, their sin remained. Their obedience to the Law’s demands did not atone for their sin, but instead the annual ordinance reminded them that an atonement which finally quenched the wrath of God and fully cleansed God’s people from their sins was yet future. Under the Law, the people were required to offer the blood of bulls and goats, but one day there would be “better sacrifices than these” (9:23) which would finally and fully atone.

What follows in 10:5-10 is a breathtaking explanation of how the words of David in Psalm 40, written a thousand years before the death of Christ on the cross, depict the necessity both of the Incarnation and of the cross, and show Christ’s perfect submission to the will of the Father by becoming the final and perfect sacrifice for sins.

Hebrews 10:5-10 (NASB 1995) is given in its entirety below.

5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,

“Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,
But a body You have prepared for Me;
6 In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure.
7 “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come
(In the scroll of the book it is written of Me)
To do Your will, O God.’”

8 After saying above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

COMMENTARY. The Holy Spirit guides the author of Hebrews to this passage from Psalm 40 as he is making this precise point in his own argument. That is, by understanding the words of David in Psalm 40:6-7, we will see that, long ago, the weakness of the sacrifices offered under the Law had been declared and that the need for Someone to receive a physical body and then to do the will of God was likewise long ago announced.

In Hebrews 10:5-7, the author quotes from Psalm 40:6-8 where David gives a veiled prophecy about the necessity of the Incarnation. First, the psalmist declares that “sacrifice and offering You have not desired” (10:5) and “in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure” (10:6). These phrases speak of the weakness of the offerings of the Levitical priests under the Law, that these are not sufficient to atone for sin, they do not please God, and they do not satisfy His wrath against sin. The propitiation of sin must be accomplished with “better sacrifices than these” (Heb. 9:23).

But second, notice he also says, “But a body You have prepared for Me” (10:5). (Capitalization is mine.) This “body” is the flesh and blood physical body of the Lord Jesus, a body that was prepared for Him by God and that contained the blood that would atone for sin. Part of the necessity of the Incarnation was to provide the blood that the Messiah would sprinkle on the heavenly mercy seat (Hebrews 9:14, 23-26). So, a body was prepared for Jesus.

Third, the psalmist goes on to speak of someone who will come (“Behold, I come”) to accomplish the will of God (10:7). Again, this foreshadows the Lord Jesus in His incarnation as He perfectly submitted to the Father’s will (Philippians 2:5-8; John 17:4; Isaiah 53) to willingly offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin and “to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

SUMMARY. So, in Psalm 40 David tells of the failure of the sacrifices offered under the Law and also prophesies that a physical body is needed with better sacrificial blood to be sprinkled on the heavenly mercy seat. To fulfill this prophecy, Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, took on flesh in His Incarnation in order to become our great High Priest. He is the one who enters into the heavenly tabernacle to atone for all the sins of His people by sprinkling His own blood on the mercy seat in the heavenly holy of holies. Since Jesus’ own blood now stains the heavenly mercy seat, God’s wrath against the sins of His people has been forever quenched (propitiated) and wrath has been replaced by mercy.

My book, “The Resurrection,” is published!

Hey everyone! Exciting news! My second book has been published and is now available for purchase off the Amazon Website.

To purchase your copy, go to the Amazon Website and search based on my name (Roy Britton). This will be the first book listed. The book sells for $5.99.

Please buy your own copy then post a review of what you think of the work. Thanks!

(NOTE: I made a mistake when entering the information about the book and accidentally said the reading age for the book is 16-18 years. Anyone over the age of 16 years will benefit from reading the book. RMB)

The Lord speaks to His child through the eclipse

POST OVERVIEW. The feelings that I experienced as I reflected on experiencing a solar eclipse. The words that I imagined the Lord was saying to me through this amazing experience of God’s creation.

On April 8, 2024, much of the eastern US had an opportunity to view a total eclipse of the sun. Since our grandchildren lived a mere 30 minutes from the “zone of totality,” it seemed like a good idea for us to travel to see them and then go another half hour west to see a total eclipse. So we did. And I am glad that we did. I have seen a number of partial eclipses in my sixty-four years, but seeing a total eclipse of the sun is in an entirely different category. To conceive of our solitary moon being maneuvered in between us and the sun such that our tiny satellite completely blocks out our heavenly furnace is almost too much to grasp, but then to watch the last glimmer of the edge of the sun finally disappear and to be able to view the sun with the naked eye while there is dim twilight in the middle of the day is a sublime and surreal event. I felt my extreme smallness in the presence of something truly awesome. This was a divine event and the only appropriate response was worship. This was an act of the living God in which the Lord of the universe was reminding His creatures that nothing is too difficult for Him and that He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. The heavens are telling of the glory of God and the expanse declares the work of His hands.

As I reflected on the experience of the eclipse later, my desire to worship was replaced with what I felt the Lord was telling me. For the Lord did not create eclipses for Himself, to impress Himself. The Lord created eclipses, yes, so that His creatures would be in awe of Him, but more than that, he created eclipses for the delight and the pleasure of His people. In fact, the Lord has made this created world, including eclipses, so that His people can get a small foretaste of the beauty and the joys of heaven. And so I imagined the Lord speaking to me as I basked in the impossible beauty of the eclipsing of the sun.

“My adopted child, the one I have chosen before the foundation of the world, the very one I have now redeemed and drawn near, My beloved one, I have created all the beauty of this earth and all the pleasure of this life for you.

“I have bought you with the blood of My own Son Jesus. Your sins are gone because I have taken them from you and have cast them into the depths of the sea. As far as the east is from the west, so far have I separated your sins from you, so that you can know My love for you and so you can run your brief race here on earth in unhindered joy. This amazing earth has been created for you so that you may enjoy it and so that you will get a brief, pale preview of what you will experience for all of eternity in heaven (Rom. 8:18ff).

“Your sins and guilt and shame are gone because they have been nailed to the cross of Christ. ‘I have called you by name, you are Mine’ (Isa. 43:1).Therefore your eyes have been opened to see all the beauty I have placed in this planet and you can enjoy it with unhindered, unstained joy as a gift from God to His beloved creatures.”

“O Lord, open up my lips that my mouth may declare Your praise” (Psalm 51:15).

“All things belong to you!” (1 Cor. 3:22-23).

Therefore, the Scriptures emphasize and establish the certainty of our salvation, so that we will no longer live as condemned slaves but will fully rejoice as redeemed sons of the living God. “Forgetting what lies behind” (Phil. 3:14). Forget the miseries of your past life of guilt and shame. They are gone!

There is the blood-stained cross. Behold, there is the empty tomb. Sin has been vanquished by Christ’s death. Death has been vanquished by Christ’s resurrection. Sin is removed! Death is gone! By faith you have been redeemed.

So then run your race with joyful abandon. The Lord is for you; He is with you; He leads you; He has prepared the way before you (Eph. 2:10).

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 7/15/2024                   #709

Instructions for elders from 1 Peter 5

POST OVERVIEW. A study of Peter’s instructions to the elders of local churches. How is the elder to discharge his duties such that he is pleasing to the Lord?

5:1-3. [IMPERATIVE] Peter gives instructions to those who are in the role of “elders” regarding what they are to do and how they are to fulfill their responsibilities as overseers and teachers in the local church. (See above for DOCTRINAL TEACHING on the role of the “elder.”)

Shepherd the flock of God among you. – 5:2

First, then, elders are exhorted to “shepherd the flock of God among you.” Notice that these sheep in the local church do not belong to the elder but are part of the “FLOCK OF GOD.” Thus the elder is a STEWARD of God’s most precious possession. An elder is given the responsibility to nurture and feed and train God’s flock so that the Lord of the flock will receive His deserved produce (Matt. 21:34). The elder, therefore, is accountable to the Chief Shepherd (5:4) for his instruction and for his shepherding of the church. He is not free to lead the Lord’s flock as he pleases but is to shepherd them as the Lord requires and instructs. (Matt. 24:48-51)

An elder is given the role and responsibility in a local church, because it is the flock of God “among you.” This means the elder is given the role in a local fellowship by a local fellowship. These are men who are to care for the flock so that all the Lord’s sheep are healthy and all the sheep make it safely home.

Second, the elder is to exercise joyful voluntary oversight for the flock. “Oversight” means primarily faithful instruction from the word of God, but it also includes guiding the church in a direction that maintains a focus on the gospel while allowing the church to grow and change as the Lord works in and through the Body. “Oversight” also means “equipping the saints for the work of service” (Eph. 4:12). This means that the elder should also be spurring the sheep on to greater holiness and usefulness. 

Third, the elder has no authority to “lord it over the flock” (5:3) because these sheep are not his. He is a steward of the Master’s sheep and must care for the sheep according to the Master’s instructions. The elder is not superior to the sheep, so he has no authority to “lord it over the sheep.”

Fourth, the elders are to be “examples to the flock” (5:3). Elders are to be model disciples. They are to be those who walk the walk and live the life of a disciple of Jesus. They are to provide the flock with an ongoing, living, breathing example of how disciples are to work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). All these instructions are IMPERATIVE.

There is a promise (5:4) that those who perform their role faithfully will receive “the unfading (see 1:4, “will not fade away”) crown of glory” from the Chief Shepherd.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 7/3/2024                     #708

Isaiah Series 03: “Do not fear, Israel, My servant” (41:8-16) Part 1

POST OVERVIEW. Another post in “The Isaiah Series,” a series of studies from selected passages of Isaiah 41-66. These posts seek to reveal the beauty and the power of Isaiah’s prophecy and to interpret the meaning of these passages so that the disciple of Jesus is encouraged in their walk.

This post focuses on Isaiah 41:8-9 where we once again examine the identity of “Israel” in Isaiah’s prophecy.

With this passage in Isaiah 41:8-16, we begin the actual devotionals of this series. The pattern for our studies will be to work our way through the passage verse-by-verse (or sometimes section-by-section) and then to conclude the study with a summary and an application.

OUTLINE OF THE PASSAGE

  • What the LORD has already done for “Israel” (41:8-9)
  • What the LORD will do for “Israel” (41:10-14)
  • What “Israel” will do for the LORD (41:15-16)

THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT. In the verses just before our chosen passage (41:1-7), the context has been one of coming judgment on the coastlands and on the ends of the earth. The peoples are afraid and they tremble as the LORD draws near for judgment, but instead of repentance and cries for mercy, the people encourage one another to be strong and to build idols that will not totter. They openly defy the LORD and His warning.

WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE FOR “ISRAEL”

Isaiah 41:8-9. The LORD suddenly changes His gaze from the defiant nations under judgment to “Israel, My servant (and) Jacob whom I have chosen.” In fact, as we read 41:8-9 carefully, we find seven descriptions of “Israel.”

  • Israel, My servant.
  • Jacob whom I have chosen.
  • Descendant of Abraham My friend.
  • You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth.
  • (You whom I) called from its remotest parts.
  • And said, “You are My servant.”
  • “I have chosen you and not rejected you.”

THE IDENTITY OF ISRAEL. It is clear from the passage thatthese seven descriptions apply to the same group of people. That is, these are seven characteristics of one entity, whether that entity is called “Israel” or “Jacob” or “descendant of Abraham.” But the question the reader must now answer is, “Am I included in this group? Am I part of ‘Israel’?” Therefore, before we continue with our study of this passage, it is necessary that we determine the identity of “Israel.”

Why do we need to answer this question about the identity of “Israel?” We need to know the identity of “Israel” because in this passage, the LORD is addressing His message explicitly and exclusively to this one particular group of people named “Israel.” If I am a member of this “Israel,” then the LORD’s message in Isaiah 41:8-16 is intended for me and I can receive it with joy. If, on the other hand, I am not a legitimate member of this particular group named “Israel,” then the LORD’s message in Isaiah 41:8-16 is not intended for me and I cannot claim any of the blessings or promises in that passage because they are intended for someone else. Just as in our country it is illegal for me to go to my neighbor’s mailbox and take mail that is not addressed to me, so in biblical terms it is illegitimate for me to claim blessings and promises intended for another recipient. So, if I determine that I am not a member of “Israel,” it is illegitimate for me to claim anything from a passage addressed to “Israel.” For me to claim “Israel’s” promises and blessings would be stealing someone else’s mail.

WHICH ISRAEL IS THIS? In our previous post called “Isaiah Series 02,” we had presented the two possible identities of “Israel” in Old Testament prophetic passages. “Israel” could be interpreted literally as meaning the twelve tribes of the Hebrews, the physical descendants of Jacob or it could be interpreted figuratively as meaning true Israel, the elect of God. As we study this passage, we see that here the LORD is addressing true Israel, His people whom He has chosen for salvation. And so, when we read of the LORD speaking to “Israel” in this passage, we know that He is speaking to us who have believed in Jesus. In Isaiah 41:8-16, we believers are “Israel.”

Isaiah 41:8-9 (cont’d). We are “Israel” and therefore we are the Lord’s servant (41:8a, 9d). We are in Christ to be obedient servants of the Lord. Therefore, we serve the Lord by serving our fellow believers. We spend ourselves for others. We serve the Lord with good works (Eph. 2:10; James 2:14-26).

We are “Jacob whom I have chosen” (41:8b). Here the Bible obviously and unambiguously teaches the doctrinal truth that the LORD chose us for salvation completely independent of our help or merit or contribution. That is simply what it means to be chosen by the LORD. In case someone remains confused by the LORD’s message, He says again, “I have chosen you” (41:9d). It is a doctrinal fact from Genesis to Revelation that the Lord is the One who chooses His people and we who are in Christ are the chosen. The Lord is active and we are passive. Rejoice that He has chosen you! (Jn. 15:16; Rom. 9:14-23; Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 2:9)

Next the LORD says that “Israel” is a “descendant of Abraham.” But how can a Gentile believer be a descendant of Abraham? Turn to Galatians 3:7 and 3:26-29 and you have your answer. (See also Romans 4:16.) All those who believe, whether Jew or Gentile, are sons of Abraham through faith in Jesus.

We read further that the LORD has taken “Israel” (or “Jacob”) “from the ends of the earth and called [him] from its remotest parts” (41:9a, b). In the gospel, the mystery has now been revealed that true “Israel” includes believing Gentiles, who “are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Eph. 3:6). Gentiles from every tribe and tongue and people and nation are being gathered in from the ends of the earth, from its remotest parts to worship the Lord and to obey Him and to serve Him in His church.

SUMMARY. Our study so far has shown us that anyone who has believed in Jesus can legitimately claim the name of “Israel” and is thus a rightful recipient of the blessings and promises which the LORD pours out in the remainder of this passage (41:10-16). The LORD’s strength and help and presence and redemption are for true “Israel” who are God’s people through faith in Jesus.

NEXT ARTICLE. Now that we know that we are the “Israel” of Isaiah 41:10-16, we will see the promises and the blessings that the LORD provides for us in the rest of the passage.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 1/8/2024                     #688

Isaiah Series 02: Who is “Israel”?

POST OVERVIEW. A post in “The Isaiah Series,” a series of devotional studies based on selected passages from Isaiah 41-66. Each devotional study will seek to reveal the beauty and the power of Isaiah’s prophecy and will interpret the meaning of the passage so that the disciple of Jesus is encouraged.

This study examines the two possible identities and interpretations of “Israel” in Isaiah 41-66.

NARRATIVE HISTORY AND BIBLICAL PROPHECY

NARRATIVE HISTORY. When reading the Pentateuch and the historical books of Joshua through Nehemiah, we are reading narrative history. These are factual accounts of what took place in the lives of the patriarchs, the kings, the prophets and select other people, and of how God led and interacted with His people, the twelve tribes of the children of Israel in the land of Canaan, the physical descendants of Jacob. Because these are factual, historical narratives, we use a literal interpretive lens. That is, we assume that the events literally happened as described by the biblical authors and we interpret the proper names literally, as representing the actual person or country or place. For example, if you read the word “Babylon” in an account from the book of 2 Kings, you assume that the story is about the people of the Chaldeans who lived in the north beyond the river Euphrates. You would think about a literal kingdom and people group and king and so on. Likewise, if you read the word “Israel” in the book of Numbers, you would understand that the author (Moses) is referring to the literal nation of Israel, the twelve tribes of the Hebrews who came out of Egypt and settled in Canaan. In virtually all occurrences in narrative literature, “Israel” means ethnic Israel, the nation of the Hebrews, the physical descendants of Jacob. There would need to be a strong reason for you to interpret “Israel” otherwise.

BIBLICAL PROPHECY. With the book of Isaiah, however, the Bible enters a new genre called biblical prophecy, and this new genre requires a new interpretive lens. When reading biblical prophecy, we must be alert for figurative and symbolic meanings rather than simply the literal. But the task of interpreting prophecy is more complex still because, even when the student correctly identifies the use of a figure or a symbol, the student must then determine the meaning of that figurative or symbolic word.

This process is the essence of interpreting biblical prophecy. When reading a given passage, the first question is, “Is this passage speaking figuratively or literally?” If figuratively, the second question is, “What do the symbols mean or what do the figures represent?” Once the meaning is determined, the third question is, “Based on the meaning of these symbols, what is the message that we are to take from this passage?” It is necessary to become skilled at this interpretive process if we are to mine the true riches of biblical prophecy.

THE IDENTITY OF “ISRAEL” AND “JACOB” IN ISAIAH 41-66

There are many examples of symbolic and figurative meanings in biblical prophecy, but perhaps the most significant example is the meaning of “Israel.” In our study passage of Isaiah 41-66, we will find that the word “Israel” (and its aliases or synonyms*) occurs many times, but the meaning of “Israel” is not the same in all cases. Correctly determining the intended meaning of “Israel” in Isaiah 41-66 is crucial to understanding the prophet’s message, both in individual sections and overall, because “Israel” has major theological and redemptive-historical significance. If we correctly interpret what the LORD is saying through Isaiah, we will find the beauty and the power of the LORD’s plan and we will see that plan unfolding in both Old and New Testament. If, however, we get the identity of “Israel” wrong, we will be confused about what the Lord is doing and about how and when Isaiah’s prophecies are ever fulfilled.

“ISRAEL” – MEANING 1. LITERAL – NATIONAL, ETHNIC ISRAEL

The first meaning of “Israel” is the literal one. There are times in Isaiah when “Israel” means the same thing that it means in an historical narrative. That is, sometimes “Israel” is to be understood literally, referring to ethnic Israel, the nation of the Hebrews, the twelve tribes that came out of Egypt and settled in the Promised Land, the physical descendants of Jacob.

There are several characteristics about ethnic Israel which will help the student identify this meaning as the correct interpretation of “Israel” for a given passage. The most prominent characteristic is ethnic Israel’s persistent rebellion and disobedience. When the text is addressing Israel in their sin and rebellion and idolatry, we can assume that the prophet is speaking to national Israel. Also, if the text is speaking about an historical event that is occurring or has occurred, ethnic Israel is in view. Finally, this meaning of Israel has a temporary existence, since the idea of ethnic Israel came into being in Genesis 32:28 when “the man” who had wrestled with Jacob renamed him “Israel.” If the prophet is referring to Israel in temporal (not eternal) terms, he is speaking of ethnic, national Israel.

Usually this “Israel” which refers to ethnic Hebrews, to the physical descendants of Jacob, does not have aliases. These are “the sons of Israel,” “the house of Israel” or simply “Israel.”

“ISRAEL” – MEANING 2. FIGURATIVE – TRUE, ELECT ISRAEL

The second possible meaning of “Israel” uses the name as a figurative reference to true Israel, to those who were chosen by God for salvation before the foundation of the world. In this case, “Israel” is referring to the elect, to those who will be called to salvation and who will be justified and glorified (Romans 8:30). For them, the LORD is a Redeemer and a Savior, and so they are redeemed and saved in time. True Israel is eternal, having existed in eternity past when God elected them to salvation (Eph. 1:4) and true Israel is going to exist forever in the new heaven and the new earth as those who will be worshiping before the throne and before the Lamb forever and ever (Rev. 7:9-17).

We will see in our study of Isaiah 41-66 that true, eternal “Israel” has a number of aliases (synonyms), including “Jacob,” “Judah,” “Jerusalem,” Jeshurun,” and so on. We will make note of them as we progress through our studies.

Also, since in Isaiah we have entered the realm of biblical prophecy and are using our new interpretive lens, we now expect to encounter figurative and symbolic meanings in our study. In fact, as we progress through our studies in Isaiah, we will find that the figurative has become our default interpretation and that “Israel” as the elect of the LORD is our expected understanding of the passage.

SUMMARY

This article has presented that the idea that, in the prophecy of Isaiah, it is necessary for the student to correctly determine the identity of “Israel” in a given passage. “Israel” can be interpreted literally as meaning the twelve tribes of the Hebrews, the physical descendants of Jacob or it can be interpreted figuratively as meaning true Israel, the elect of God. Some characteristics of each of these two identities were given to help in determining which one might be correct for a given text.

In the next article, we will begin our studies with Isaiah 41:8-16 and see an application of this “identity of Israel” question.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 12/27/2023                 #687

Being a neighbor, according to Jesus – Part 2 (Luke 10:25-37)

POST OVERVIEW. The second article in a short series exploring one of Jesus’ most famous parables, the story of “The Good Samaritan” in Luke 10:25-37. In our first post (#656, 6/5/2023), we considered the lawyer’s question about eternal life. This second article focuses on the parable that Jesus told to answer the lawyer’s second question, “Who is my neighbor?”

In our first post in this two-part series, we had considered the lawyer’s opening question in Luke 10:25, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus had referred the lawyer to the Law for his answer. Then, from the Law, the lawyer had quoted two instructions that seemed to provide a satisfactory answer. Love the LORD your God (Deut. 6:5) and love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18). Jesus affirmed these answers by saying, “Do this and you will live,” meaning that you will inherit eternal life if you fully satisfy the Law’s demands. But something about Jesus’ reply must have created a little doubt in the lawyer’s mind because he asked a follow-up question: “Who is my neighbor?” It is to this question we now turn.

RELATING TO A NEIGHBOR

To answer the lawyer’s second question about his neighbor, Jesus tells the parable of “The Good Samaritan.” “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho” (10:30). It would be helpful to notice some features of the parable.

First, we should notice the characters in the parable. “The man who is going down” is given no real description. We do not know whether he is a Jew or a Gentile or a Samaritan, whether he is old or young, rich or poor, good or evil. What we do know about him is that he is a fellow human being who, through no fault of his own, “fell among robbers, and they stripped him and laid blows upon him, and went away leaving him half-dead” (10:30). Let’s give him the name Neighbor.

Also in this parable are a priest and a Levite. Notice that these two religious men are both “going down on that road.” Although it is not certain, their direction of travel away from Jerusalem could indicate that they were off-duty and were returning to their hometown after completing their service in the temple. If that were the case, then they would not be in any rush but would be free to help the unfortunate Neighbor. But we do know for certain that both these men go to some effort to ignore this man in his desperate condition. “When the priest SAW HIM, he passed by on the other side” (10:31). “When the Levite came to the place and SAW HIM, he passed by on the other side” (10:32). Both men saw their fellow human being, their Neighbor, beaten and stripped and lying and possibly dying by the side of the road, and made a special effort to avoid him and not help him. They intentionally avoided him and consciously showed no compassion to him. Selfish, indifferent, uncaring, these men could not be bothered with the unfortunate traveler.

Finally, we have the Samaritan. From John 4, we know that Jews despise Samaritans and they have no dealings with them. The Jews regarded the Samaritans as an inferior, mongrel  race, as half-breeds who were half Jew and half Assyrian. Thus, it would have shocking to the lawyer to hear that the hero of this story and the one who models for us what it means to love your neighbor as yourself is a Samaritan.

HE FELT COMPASSION

The Samaritan man is also traveling down that same road (10:33), but his response to the wounded man is dramatically different than the Jewish men. “When the Samaritan SAW HIM,” instead of passing by on the other side, “he felt compassion.” Compassion is the first mark of loving your neighbor as yourself. To love your neighbor, you must be ready to show compassion for him. Your neighbor can be any fellow human being that God providentially places in your path (or in the road, as the case may be) and the one who would love his neighbor must be ready to show his neighbor compassion.

But the Samaritan does not have an empty compassion. No “be warmed and filled” from him (James 2:16)! He does not close his heart against the wounded man, but instead loves him in deed and in truth (1 John 3:17-18). The Samaritan’s compassion spurs him to action. Notice the action steps that he took on behalf of this complete stranger.

  • He “came to him” (10:34). If you are going to help someone, you must come to where they are, setting aside any misgivings and fears.
  • He “bandaged up his wounds.” Loving neighbors can get messy.
  • “pouring oil and wine on them.” It can be expensive.
  • “He put him on his own beast.” Loving neighbors can require unusual exertion and be very inconvenient.
  • “He brought him to an inn and took care of him.” This Samaritan is spending and being expended (2 Cor. 12:15) for this stranger. He tends to his wounds throughout the night with no prospect for reward.
  • “On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper,” asking the innkeeper to take care of the man and promising to pay whatever extra costs were incurred when he returned.

Jesus then asks the lawyer the final question, “Which one proved to be a neighbor?” The lawyer answers, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Jesus concludes the conversation with, “Go and do likewise.”

SUMMARY

Let’s summarize what we have learned.

The lawyer was seeking from Jesus eternal life by means of the Law. Responding to Jesus’ prompt, the lawyer correctly stated that IF a person loved the LORD with all heart and soul and loved their neighbor as themselves, they would earn eternal life. Ah, but eternal life through the Law requires perfect obedience, so that’s out of the question.

Jesus then tells the parable in response to the lawyer’s question, “Who is my neighbor?” In the parable, those who have the Law utterly fail to obey the law of the neighbor, while the Samaritan, who does not have the Law, “proves to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands” (Luke 10:36). (See Romans 2:25-26.) The compassion and the love that the Samaritan shows for his Neighbor give evidence that he may have inherited eternal life.

The answer to the lawyer’s first question about inheriting eternal life is actually not in the story. If anyone wants to “inherit eternal life,” he must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who believe in Jesus will be able to love their neighbor as themselves.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 6/9/2023                     #657

The Lord turns a trivial deposit into a small fortune

POST OVERVIEW. An incident happened as I went to the bank to deposit a tiny check. A display of God’s providence.

Way back in the early 2000’s when I was living as a single man in a one-bedroom apartment in Alpharetta, GA, my electrical service was provided by Sawnee EMC. I did not choose this provider. In fact, I did not have a choice at all. The apartment complex chose this electrical co-op as the ones who would provide electricity to my apartment and I paid the bills. But what is curious about this is, because this is an electrical co-op, the customers are actually members of the co-op. “So what,” you say. Well, so if there are surplus funds in the co-op at the end of the year, then the surplus funds are distributed to the co-op members. I know, I can’t follow it either, but what happens in this arrangement is that every year toward the end of March, I receive a check from Sawnee EMC. Even though I have not been a “co-op member” (customer) since 2006, every year I receive a check. This year my check was for $6.18.

Thus, one of the errands I needed to do today was to deposit this check into our bank account. I intended to just shove the check into the ATM and be done with it, but as I drove up to the bank location, for some reason, there was an armored truck blocking the ATM access lane. “Oh, well,” I thought, “I guess I’ll have to go into the bank.”

I felt a little silly going into the bank to deposit a $6.18 check, but into the bank I went. I was the only customer in the bank. The teller was working both the counter, where I was, and the customers who were at the drive-through windows, and she was helping one particular man at the window as I walked up to the counter. As I waited for her to finish the transaction with this man, I noticed the bank’s advertising monitor as it told about bank products and services. One of these piqued my curiosity – a special offer of 3.50% interest for 6 months for select savings accounts. We were getting about 0.75% for a large amount of money in a savings account, so I asked another woman in the bank to tell me about this offer. She asked me if I had a savings account with the bank. I said I didn’t know, but when she checked our accounts, she said that we had a Platinum Savings account, which was the type of account that was eligible for the larger interest. We also had the necessary minimum balance of $100,000, so this bank employee flipped the needed switch that gave us the new 3.50% interest rate. By that time, the teller was free to help me deposit my tiny check.

As I did the calculations later, I realized that simple change of interest for our savings account was worth almost $8,000 to Lisa and me. So, I was going to make a $6.18 deposit, but God, in His providence, used an armored vehicle and a busy teller and a special interest rate offer at the bank to give us almost $8,000 in addition to the $6.18 deposit.

We serve an awesome God!

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 4/26/2023                   #644

Evaluating the case for evolution – Part 2

POST OVERVIEW. The second in a series of posts evaluating the case for evolution from the perspective of a biblical creationist. (See also post #633 from 3/20/2023.)

My stated purpose in this series of posts is “to objectively explore the fundamental ideas of evolution and then to examine the validity and credibility of these ideas. My purpose for this exercise is to set up the situation where a person like me who holds to a biblical view of creation can examine the case for evolution and see if the evidence for evolution is persuasive.”

In the first post of the series (#633 on 3/20/2023), I presented three ideas that threaten the credibility of evolution: the origin of matter, evolution’s amazing abilities, and evolution’s curious improvements to the species. In this post, I will be asking questions about the nature of evolution and also about the body of knowledge that defines what exactly evolution is.

I will begin this post on evaluating evolution as I began the last one. As a Bible-believing disciple of Jesus Christ, I will present evidence for biblical creation.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:1

The Bible is the most popular, most influential book in the history of mankind, and the first verse of the Bible presents a clear statement about the origin of the universe, making a case for creation. As we evaluate the case for evolution, we should keep in mind that the Bible presents strong evidence for another view.

QUESTIONS ABOUT EVOLUTION

  • Since evolution is about incremental improvements in a species, how does evolution identify the species that needs to be improved or changed?
  • If a species has existed for millions of years and countless generations, why would that species need to evolve? For example, why would a shark need to evolve or be improved? A shark seems to be remarkably well adapted for survival in its current environment. Or choose another species of animal and state the basis of a need for improvement.
  • How does evolution produce improvements and changes in species in a universe where the second law of thermodynamics also operates and everything is inevitably and irresistibly moving to greater disorder?
  • Is evolution a force? If so, how can its existence be measured?
  • Can evolution be seen? Heard? Felt? Detected? Does evolution have mass and occupy space? If not, how can its existence be proven in any way?
  • When did evolution come into existence? How did evolution come into existence? Since, according to proponents, evolution has existed for billions of years, is evolution effectively eternal?
  • Does evolution exist on other planets and in other galaxies, or is its existence limited to earth?
  • Why would evolution need to exist where there were no living species to be improved or that needed to evolve?
  • Is evolution responsible for creating from the Big Bang the order that we see throughout our visible universe? (If so, then evolution must be able to work with inanimate as well as animate material. From the unimaginably chaotic, lifeless explosion of the Big Bang, not only was evolution able to produce the astonishing beauty we see in the heavens over our heads, displayed in countless galaxies of stars, but evolution was also able to create from swirling, churning, lifeless cosmic debris all the existing living plant and animal and insect and bacteria species that we find on our inhabited planet called earth.)
  • How did evolution create life from the lifelessness of the Big Bang?
  • How did evolution create water from not-water?
  • How did evolution create two genders for each species, male and female?
  • How does an eye evolve?
  • How does an ear evolve?
  • How does a bird’s wing evolve?
  • How does a lung or a heart evolve?
  • How does a reproductive system evolve?
  • Is evolution itself a living thing?
  • Does evolution have intelligence? What is the source of evolution’s intelligence?
  • Who are the recognized experts on the subject of evolution? (national, international, historical)
  • Which colleges have majors in Evolution? Which colleges offer PhD’s in Evolution?
  • If I majored in Evolution, what career fields would be open to me?
  • What are the leading colleges and universities in the field of evolution?
  • What courses do they offer? Who teaches these courses?
  • Where is research being done to further our understanding of evolution?
  • What are the foundational principles of the field of evolution?
  • What are the best basic books for explaining the subject of evolution?
  • Are there conferences where evolutionists gather?

That is probably enough questions for now.

I am sure that some of these questions will be easier for the evolutionist to answer than others, but I think that, for me as a biblical creationist, hearing some of these answers would at least give us an opportunity for dialog.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 3/22/2023                   #635

A study of Christology in “Titus”

POST OVERVIEW. Paul’s letter to Titus contains some of the apostle’s strongest teaching about Jesus’ divine nature. In this article, we will examine specific passages in Titus that point to Jesus’ deity.

in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior. – Titus 1:3

TITUS 1:3. Ever since Paul encountered the risen Lord Jesus Christ on the Damascus road (Acts 9; 20:24; 22:6-11; 26:12-23), he had been fully committed to preaching the gospel (“the proclamation with which I was entrusted”) to the Gentiles. Thus, “the proclamation” in this verse refers to the gospel. Paul was preaching the gospel “according to the commandment of God our Savior.”

Then we must ask the question, “Who gave Paul the commandment to preach the gospel?”       

Acts 9:15 – The risen Lord Jesus sends him to the Gentiles.

Acts 20:24 – Paul received from the Lord Jesus the ministry of preaching the gospel.

Acts 22:21 – The risen Jesus sends Paul far away to the Gentiles.

Acts 26:17-18 – The risen Jesus sends Paul to the Gentiles.

We have been very methodical in this analysis to make sure that our conclusion is consistent with Scripture. So, the answer to the question above, “Who commanded Paul to preach the gospel?” is, “Jesus did.”

Since Jesus gave Paul the commandment, and Paul writes that he received the commandment from “God our Savior,” we must conclude that Jesus is God.

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. – Titus 1:4

TITUS 1:4. In Titus 1:3, Paul used the phrase “God our Savior,” and here Paul writes “Christ Jesus our Savior.” The apostle intends for his readers to make the connection between 1:3 and 1:4 and to reach the obvious conclusion that Christ Jesus is God. This also confirms what we already determined by analysis in 1:3.

adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. – Titus 2:10

TITUS 2:10. Since Paul has already used the phrase “God our Savior” to refer to Jesus (1:3), it is almost certain that this usage of “God our Savior” also refers to Jesus. But let’s approach this phrase in another way to see if that is true. This section of Titus (2:1-10) instructs believers to behave in a way that will commend the gospel so that unbelievers will be open to hearing about Jesus. Therefore, the godliness of those who were formerly “liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons” (1:12) will “adorn the doctrine (commend the gospel) of God our Savior in every respect” (2:10). If this understanding is correct, then “the doctrine of God our Savior” would be interpreted as “the gospel of Jesus Christ,” and we would once again conclude that God our Savior is Jesus Christ, or “Jesus Christ is God.”

looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. – Titus 2:13

TITUS 2:13. In my opinion, it is impossible to miss or to avoid the deity of Christ in this verse. If the apostle Paul had intended to communicate anything other than the fact that Jesus Christ is God, he surely failed. Paul was highly skilled at communicating very subtle doctrinal truth with great precision. But in this verse, all subtlety is abandoned and Paul is striving for unambiguous clarity. His message? Jesus Christ is our great God and Savior. Consider these points.

  • All believers have, as an anchor for the soul (Hebrews 6:19), the blessed hope of the appearing (ἐπιφάνεια Greek) of Jesus. Thus, Jesus is our great God.
  • Our blessed hope is that, when He appears, Jesus will be in “glory,” and we will be glorified with Him (Col. 3:4; 1 John 3:2). Thus, Jesus is our great God.
  • In the entire New Testament, the only one anticipated to appear in glory is Jesus. Thus, Jesus is our great God.

We must conclude that Christ Jesus is our great God and Savior since everything in this verse and in orthodox theology requires this conclusion. This is Paul’s clearest teaching on this doctrine and expresses the biblical truth.

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared – Titus 3:4

TITUS 3:4. Once again we encounter the phrase “God our Savior,” but in this instance, a close examination of the context reveals that “God our Savior” refers to God the Father, not to Jesus, so we will skip over this.

CONCLUSION

In the New Testament, the Savior is Jesus Christ, but in this study in Titus, we have also seen that this Savior who appeared and who “became flesh and dwelt among us” was God in human likeness. The Bible teaches that this “Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11), this Jesus, this King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16) is our great God.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 2/12/2023                   #620