Most Surely Believed

Introduction

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a
declaration of those things which are most surely believed among
us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning
were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to
me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the
very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent
Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those
things, wherein thou hast been instructed.  Luke 1:1-4.

What constitutes essential Bible doctrine about God, man,
salvation, the final outcome of it all?  Where can we find solid
authority for what we believe?  May we allow our minds to wander
in any direction we please and conclude that our wanderings
represent God's absolute truth? What is the central issue, the
foundation of all Bible doctrine, man or God?

Under the inspiration of God, Luke wrote this account of the life
of Christ to a man named Theophilus.  Why was this particular
letter included in the canon of scripture while others
disappeared?  These verses answer the question.  "Having had
perfect understanding."  Do you have perfect understanding of
biblical truth?  How could Luke make such a claim?  Luke wrote
this book and the Book of Acts, but according to Bible record, he
did not learn of the gospel and join its ranks until well into
Paul's ministry.  Notice that the first fifteen chapters of Acts
were written in the third person, by someone who was not a
personal part of the activities.  "They …."  In Acts 16:10 the
theme suddenly becomes "We …."  This change offers reasonable
evidence that Luke did not personally join the ranks of
Christianity until approximately the date of Acts 16.  How then
did he gain this "Perfect understanding?"  "From the very first"
does not refer to time, as if he claimed personal affiliation
with the disciples from John the Baptist's ministry.  The Greek
words translated "From the very first" in this verse were
translated in John 3:3 as again, "Born again."  The marginal
reference in the King James Bible tells you that this word means
"From above."  Undoubtedly, the Lord did not teach Nicodemus that
he merely needed to experience another physical birth, but that
he must experience a heavenly, spiritual birth "From above."  I
offer that Luke claimed this same heavenly power as the source of
his knowledge and authority.  In both cases the power must come
from God, from above.

Luke claimed inspiration as his authority.  We can claim nothing
less for what we believe and practice.  Since inspiration was
completed with the writing of the New Testament, we cannot claim
personal inspiration for new truth; we must appeal to inspired
scripture as authority for God's old truth.  As Luke began his
inspired message with an account of the life of Christ, we should
follow his example as we develop our convictions and beliefs
about the essential doctrines of God, man, salvation, final
things, or any other doctrine.  Our first and last authority for
those things which we most surely believe can be no other than
the historic scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

What should be the emphasis of biblical Christianity?  Is it
God-centered or man-centered?  The common message of the day is
altogether man-centered.  Any system of belief should center its
focus upon its object.  Could man be the god of many religious
people?  I wonder!  This series will focus upon God without
apology or compromise. I would feel the need to apologize if I
did differently.  We will begin with the doctrine of God, and,
keeping our sights on God, we will use the light of scripture to
investigate the Bible doctrines of man, salvation, and a few
final things God has in store for his family.

In Romans 8:29, 30 Paul wrote of a five link chain, a chain which
anchors its beginning to God in eternal self- existence before he
created the universe.  This chain reaches across the dimension of
time and anchors just as securely in God after the end of the
universe.  As with a physical chain, the whole chain possesses no
more value or strength than its weakest link.  If all the links
are perfect, except for a tiny flaw in one of them, the chain
cannot rise above that single flaw.

What mechanism did God set in motion for the salvation of man?
How effective is that mechanism?  In the belief of many people,
God sincerely wished the salvation of every single person.
Considering that wish, according to this belief, God designed a
mechanism which will actually save only a small portion of
mankind, despite his wish to save them all.  If God knows all, he
must have known the outcome of his salvation mechanism.  Why
didn't he design a salvation mechanism which would more nearly
approach his initial desire?  The salvation process upon which
this system of belief relies thus exhibits a crucial flaw from
which it cannot recover.

What does the Bible say about predestination?  Is predestination
a polite word for pagan fatalism?  Does it mean that God causes
everything which comes to pass, including sin, disease, and cruel
human suffering in its many forms?  Such a notion is blasphemous
to biblical predestination!  According to Paul in Romans 8:29,
30, God's predestination did not deal with events, but people.
The text says, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he
might be the firstborn among many brethren." Events cannot be
conformed to the image of God's Son, but people can.  Do you see
the emphasis of the word whom?  This entire lesson deals with
people, not fatalistic events.  It begins before man was created,
and it concludes with the ultimate glorification of those whom
God first forknew.  Grammatically, the first whom, those
forknown, must exactly equal the last whom, those glorified. The
grammar of the sentence requires it, the honor of God demands it,
and the Bible teaches it from beginning to end.  In this series
we will study this and many other Bible doctrines.  We will seek
to learn what the Bible teaches about some rather unpopular
doctrines, but their placement in the Bible confirms that they
belong to God's salvation mechanism.  Popularity polls and human
philosophy do not determine God's opinion of them, nor should
such trivia determine our opinion either.  May God direct our
minds into a fruitful study of Bible essentials.

Chapter 1

The Doctrine Of God

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is
this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?  Gird up
now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer
thou me.  Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the
earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.  Who hath laid the
measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line
upon it?  Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who
laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang
together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?  Job 38:1-7.

Most formal presentations on the doctrine of God outline his more
obvious attributes, omnipresence (everywhere present, nowhere
absent), omnipotence (all-powerful), omniscience (all-knowing),
and similar concepts.  I certainly believe in all of these
characteristics of God.  However, this study will examine the
relationship of God to the central theme of our belief.  For that
reason, I chose these verses from the Book of Job.  Who lies at
the very core of your religious conviction?  In conviction and
action so many people place man in this position, thus building
their entire religious belief on the sand.  The account of Job's
life offers lively insight for a wise self-examination of our own
religious views.  The book tells us that in all the tragedies Job
experienced, he did not sin nor charge God foolishly.  In equal
balance to Bible truth and honesty, it does not tell us that Job
was perfect in every single reaction to his trauma.  The two
extremes he avoided represent the two most common pitfalls we
face in our own personal tragedies.  He did not despair or become
bitter against God and return to a life of sin.  He did not
become a fatalist and charge God foolishly with causing these
tragedies.  A careful study of the first two chapters of the book
will reveal that Satan, not God, caused Job's problems.  We need
to watch for these two tendencies in our times of bitter loss.
Human nature in all cultures and times easily succumbs to these
two tendencies.

Earlier in the record, Job cried out for a personal confrontation
with God, a time to ask God, "Why?"  He requested a time to order
his cause and make his arguments before God, Job 23:3-5.  As if
in his own time to acknowledge Job's request, God answered Job,
but not as Job had expected.  Perhaps Job had been too self-
centered in his reaction to trial.  "I would order my cause
before him."  God's conversation with Job helped Job to widen his
perspective and to submit his cause to God without qualification.

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
declare, if thou hast understanding.  Job, did I need to consult
you when I created the universe?  Did I need your advice then?
Could you have helped me make the world better than I made it
without your input?  You thought I knew nothing of your calamity.
You wanted a hearing to tell me your problem.  Job, if I created
the universe, do you think for a minute that I do not know what
takes place in your life?  That I don't care?

No book in the Bible should more impress us with the value of
scripture than the Book of Job.  Job faced his trial without any
written record of God's work and providence.  At one point he
cried out for just such a record, Job 19:23, "Oh that my words
were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!"  If his
words were now written, he could read them and gain insight into
the reasons and the outcome of his trouble.  We can read the
first two chapters of the book and understand what Job did not
know about this ordeal.  He knew that Satan had assaulted his
life, but he did not know that God had surrounded him with a
protective hedge.  Satan could cause him great misery, but he
could not touch his life.  Had Job known this comforting truth,
would he have felt more secure, more comforted in his ordeal?
Had he known about the New Testament commentary on his life,
would he have endured more patiently?  Remember the words from
James 5:11, "Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have
heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord;
that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."

What a comfort this knowledge would have been to Job!  When we
face our moment of trial, do we remember the life of Job, the end
of the Lord?  Do we consider that, despite the ordeal of the
moment, God stands closely and graciously by our side?  Do we
contemplate that his presence and intervention prevent the trial
from escalating far beyond what we actually must endure?

If God laid the foundations of the earth, measured the determined
proportions of land and water, gravity, air, and all the other
essential components of our world, does he not deserve to stand
at the center of our religious belief? Does he not merit our
respect as having the same power in salvation and in his personal
care of our life? Considering God in this way, how can anyone
limit God?  Yet the theme of much religious teaching is "Let God
…," or "God and Jesus did all they could do; now it is up to
you."  If God designed the universe and perfectly created it in
his pattern, can he not equally be trusted to design and fully
bring to pass the salvation of sinners? Why should man so
violently protect the "Free will of man," while imposing limits
upon God's will?  Have we forgotten what happened when man's will
enjoyed more freedom with God than we can now imagine?  Read
Genesis 3.  Do we think man's will can be trusted more than
God's?

With full confidence in their God, faithful saints may sing the
same song they have always sung.

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power:
for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are
and were created. Revelation 4:11.

Chapter 2

The Doctrine Of Man

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon
and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou
art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast
crowned him with glory and honour.  Thou madest him to have
dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things
under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the
field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and
whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.  O Lord our
Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!  Psalm 8:3-9.

What is the central point of God and his creation?  Is it man? Is
it the earth?  The moon?  The heavenly bodies? Too many present
day Christians make themselves the central point of everything
God represents.  How unfortunate!  Such thinking discredits the
dignity of God fully as much as the Dark Ages scientific notion
that the earth was the center of the universe.  This thinking
more resembles the attitude of the wicked than the righteous.
Consider these words from the prophet Isaiah.

For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None
seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee;
and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.
Isaiah 47:10.

Exodus 3 records the origin of the most solemn name of God in the
Old Testament, Jehovah.  The literal statement of God's name, as
recorded in God's interview with Moses, is I AM.  Did you notice
the wicked man's attitude in Isaiah 47:10?  "Thou has said in
thine heart, I am, and none else beside me."  Biblical doctrine
makes God the central theme of Christian truth.  Man's thinking
puts man in the place of God.  Man claims the title of God, I am.
He claims the position of God, "None else beside me."  Compare
theses words to Isaiah 43:10, 11. The human ego thrills at the
idea that man possesses equality with God.  When the serpent
tempted Eve, he enticed her with the idea that she would become
as "Gods," Genesis 3:5.  Consider that this conversation took
place in the Garden of Eden before pagan idolatry and false gods
entered into man's imagination.  Yet the serpent appealed to
Eve's ego that she could become as gods.  Gods was translated
from the same Hebrew word as one of the most common names of God
in the Old Testament, Elohim. Since Eve knew nothing of pagan
gods, the serpent could not entice her to become as any of them.
He enticed her to think that she could become like the only God
she knew anything about, the God who created her and placed her
in that garden!  Friends, when a religion appeals to the ego of
man, suggesting that he can become a god, that religion should be
rejected as the siren song of the serpent.  I suggest that many
religions which oppose the direct teaching that man can become a
god in fact teach the same doctrine indirectly.  "God has done
all he can do.  Now your eternal future is up to you."  "God
cannot violate man's free will."  Such commonplace phrases
elevate man to godhood and deflate God to servanthood!

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon
and the stars, which thou hast ordained. Recently, the world has
relished the findings of a deep space probe which flew by a
number of the outlying planets of our solar system.  Think of the
distance, the billions of miles, that little probe traveled.
Think of the massive planets it photographed and studied.  Then
consider that this solar system represents a mere pinpoint in the
expanse of the universe.  Now you can read David's words with
realistic appreciation for their meaning.  Like a woman sewing
needlepoint, the entire universe represents the work of God's
fingers.  God ordained both the physical mass and the numerous
invisible forces which flow between these heavenly bodies.  When
you think of that magnificent reality which only God could
accomplish, what do you conclude?

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man,
that thou visitest him?  Why should such a God take thought of
mortal man, much less visit him with favor? Why should this God
look kindly upon such a worm of creation and visit him?  Do you
think David held to a God-centered or a man-centered belief?  Did
he see man or God as the central theme of the universe?

We rejoice that David understood God's merciful favor toward man.
With equal joy, we rejoice that he also understood that the cause
of this favor rested in God, not man! David found no cause for
God's mindful visitation in man.

In the natural order God gave man responsibility for the natural
creation.  God gave him dominion over the natural creation.  Does
that mean that he also gave him dominion over eternity?  The
writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews addressed this truth
succinctly. Before quoting from this passage in Psalm 8, he drew
a clear conclusion.

For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to
come, whereof we speak.  Hebrews 2:5.

Although God assigned man stewardship of the natural creation, he
has not allowed either men or angels to claim dominion over the
world to come.  God reserves all claim to eternal dominion!

Does our belief about God permit us to accept this truth?  Does
this teaching from Psalms and Hebrews harmonize with our Sunday
sermons?  Does it blend with our daily thoughts about God and his
position in the universe and in our lives?  The Bible offers no
middle ground. We can challenge God and falsely claim equality
with him, or we can joyfully accept his exclusive claim to
godhood.  Everything we believe will rotate around the central
theme of our religion?  Do we see God or man at the center of our
faith?

Chapter 3

Is Sin Inherited Or Acquired?

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother
conceive me.  Psalm 51:4.

The question of how sin passes from one generation to another
lies at the heart of a person's belief about God and man.  Do we
inherit sin?  Are we born in innocence, only to acquire sin from
the wicked world around us?

I was shapen in iniquity.  The verse from Psalm 51, David's
confession and prayer for forgiveness, makes a rather direct
statement about his beginning.  What does this verse mean?  When
a child is born, it has already acquired the shape of humanity.
It possesses all the vital organs necessary to sustain life.
From conception, this new member of the human family gradually,
wonderfully takes on the shape of a new independent life.
Although the context pertains to the virgin birth of Christ, we
could logically apply Psalm 139:14 to the natural formation of
the infant child in the womb, "I am fearfully and wonderfully
made."  What does he mean, shapen in iniquity?

In sin did my mother conceive me.  Many suggest that David
accused his mother of conceiving him in a sinful affair with
someone other than Jesse.  I offer that such a thought did not
remotely enter his mind!  In Deuteronomy 23:2 Moses taught that
an illegitimate child could not "Enter into the congregation to
the tenth generation."  Ancient Jewish interpretation applies
this verse to positions of leadership, such as king or priest.
The Old Testament furnishes a vivid example of this principle in
Genesis 38.  Judah fathered a son, Pharez, by his dead son's
widow.  Remember, God ordained that Israel's kings would come
from the tribe of Judah, just as the priests would come from the
tribe of Levi.  Although scripture said that the sceptre should
not depart from Judah until Shiloh, Christ the king, came,
Judah's first king was long delayed because of this sin.  How
many generations passed before Judah had her king?  Look at the
closing verses of Ruth.  Ten generations passed from Judah with
no king.  Is this coincidence?  Who appeared in the kingly line
of Judah after the tenth generation? Jesse's son, David,
represented the tenth generation, demonstrating that the curse
was satisfied.

If David asserted that he was the product of an illegitimate
affair, he would have brought the curse immediately upon himself
and another ten generations of Judah.  God would have required
another ten generations without a king to satisfy the curse.  Did
God impose this curse?  No, for David was not conceived in
illegitimacy!  He was Jesse's son!  Rather than imposing a curse
upon David and his offspring, God called him a "Man after God's
own heart."

What do these words mean?  I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin
did my mother conceive me.  They declare that every man and woman
begin their existence in sin!  They do not enter the world in
innocence, but with inherent sin.  Does this mean that a newborn
child possesses all the active sin of an adult wicked sinner?
Certainly not, but it means that the nature which is prone to sin
resides in the child from its beginning.  David's sinful nature
did not begin with an arbitrary "Age of accountability," or with
his first act of sin.  It began with his beginning. It began the
same way with us and with every other member of the human family,
Jesus Christ representing the single exception.

Romans 5 contains a lively commentary on the nature of man and
sin.  Let's first consider the context of salvation in which Paul
developed that topic.

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the
death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved
by his life.  Romans 5:10.

When were we enemies?  When did God reconcile us?  How did God
reconcile us?  How does God save us?  Paul addressed all of these
questions in this verse.  In his death Christ removed the cursed
animosity of sin from all for whom he died.  However, Christ did
not stop his work with the removal of sin; he also saves us by
virtue of his life.

And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.  Romans 5:11.

How did we receive the atonement?  These verses lay the
foundation for Paul's teaching on the nature of sin. Without
them, you cannot understand the necessity of Christ's work or the
necessity of salvation all by the grace of God.  We could not
attain moral purity sufficient to remove the guilt of sin.  We
must be saved by Christ's life. Our obedience could not stand the
scrutiny of divine Justice. The atonement must come through the
Lord Jesus Christ.  Why?  Now we can study the context.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed
when there is no law.  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to
Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of
Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
Romans 5:12-14.

How did death enter the world?  Does it enter the world anew as
each new generation of mankind falls from childhood innocence
into sin?  No, it entered the world by one man, Adam.  How do we
know sin resides in the world?  Death represents the universal
consequence of sin. Think of this.  If a child is born in
absolute innocence, it would be immune from death.  Paul's
reasoning is intense and tightly drawn to a particular view.
Since all inherit that sinful disposition, all are subject to
death.  Under normal circumstances, sin is the violation of a
stated body of law.  Yet no such law existed from Adam to Moses.
Despite the absence of law during that time, death reigned, just
as it reigned after God gave the law to Moses.  Why?  Because man
inherits his sinful nature, as David described, he is subject to
death from the beginning.

Chapter 4

The Sinner Before Salvation

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among
whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts
of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Ephesians 2:1-3.

If we accept the distinct Bible teaching that every saved person
experiences a dramatic change which translates him from the
kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son,
Colossians 1:13, we should investigate the condition in which
that person lived before.  Man's condition and abilities before
the new birth impact many essential Bible doctrines.  Is the
unsaved person sick, and in need of a prescription of moral or
intellectual reform?  Does he possess a struggling spark of
divinity, of God, which he must fuel and encourage?  Is he dead
in his sinful condition?  Our view of the sinner's condition
before salvation will heavily influence our view of salvation
itself.  This doctrine must appear in our list of essential
doctrines.

What does it mean that God quickened us?  Quicken was a common
Old English word which meant to make alive. Clearly, it carries
that meaning in our study verse, because the translators set it
directly opposite dead.  Define dead in this verse; then the
opposite to dead will define quicken.  Paul did not teach
salvation by works, by reform, or by New Age philosophy.  These
words sufficiently define the sinner's state for any who respect
the integrity of scripture.  We may experience degrees of
illness.  We may need varying amounts of reform.  But dead means
dead! A dead man is dead, all the way dead, 100% dead!  Does the
Bible use death in different ways?  Of course it does. However,
in any particular symbol, it represents a state in which no
degrees of death exist.  The person described is either dead or
alive.

Those who object to this Bible doctrine attempt to dilute this
truth by observing that the Ephesians were not so dead that they
could not walk according to the course of this world.
Unfortunately for them, their philosophical tap dance confirms
Paul's words.  Their death related to their state with God, not
to physical death.  They were not only capable of walking and
talking according to the sinful appetites of this world; they
loved to do so! However, in terms of God they were dead!

Before the new birth, how does the child of God differ from other
sinners who will never experience the new birth? Paul answered
that we were "By nature the children of wrath, even as others."
Not at all different from others, our nature lived to wrath,
God-hating, despicable wrath.  This does not mean that every
sinner always lives out this vile nature to its absolute limits,
but it does mean that the life principle before the new birth
possesses none of the moral restraints and convictions unique to
the child of God who has experienced the new birth.  Paul
confirmed this truth in another place.

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient,
deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice
and envy, hateful, and hating one another.  Titus 3:3.

What drives the actions and thinking of the sinner?  Paul
contributed further to our understanding.

For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you
even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose
glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. Philippians
3:18, 19.

Did you know that the wicked have a god, that even the atheist
has a god?  They just have the wrong god!  Their God is their
belly!  What visual images does this verse bring up in your mind?
What does it mean that their God is their belly?  Can we
reasonably doubt Paul's intention with these words?  The belly
represents the appetite, the desires which rise up and drive a
man to fulfill them. According to Paul's word picture, the wicked
surely worship a god, but their god is their wicked carnal
appetites and desires.  They work to satisfy that wicked nature,
as a hungry man works for his food.  An Old Testament verse
contributes to this thought.

How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh
iniquity like water?  Job 15:16.

The thirsty man sees water as desirable and necessary.  He cannot
think of it with any sense of morality.  He wants it; it
satisfies his thirst.  What else matters?  The wicked see sin in
the same light.  To do a certain thing which appears abominable
to the child of God and to God's law holds no moral quality
whatever to the wicked. He wants it; he is thirsty for it.
Therefore, he takes it up in his soul and drinks deeply and with
great joy.

This briefly describes the tomb of the man who lives in death, in
moral and spiritual separation from God.  How does such a person
undergo a saving experience?  Can he simply change his mind and
become the exact opposite of what he was a moment before?  No,
such a dramatic change is impossible to this sinner!  How did
Paul describe the saving work?  And you hath he quickened!  God
created life, spiritual life, where it did not exist a moment
before.  The energizing power and work came from God, not from
the sinner.  In Ephesians 2:10 Paul described this work as a
creation, as dramatic and powerful as God's energizing power
which created the physical universe in six days.  To create, as
God knows it, means to form or make out of nothing.  Such was
God's power and grace in your salvation from that horrible
condition of sin.

Chapter 5

To Whom Is The Gospel Preached?

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the
saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 1:1.

What kind of person does the gospel address?  Does it address all
mankind?  Or does it address a particular kind or class of
people?  In this introduction to the Ephesian letter, Paul
carefully defined the recipients of his letter by two descriptive
terms, saints and faithful in Christ Jesus. Who are saints?  How
does one become a saint? By Paul's use of the word here and by
its use in other New Testament scriptures, we conclude that
saints are not as exclusive as many would have us think.  Neither
are they made saints by an act of the church.  When we study the
doctrine of sanctification, we will learn more about saints.
Legally, every child of God is a saint.

To the faithful in Christ Jesus.  The person who fits this
description is already in Christ Jesus.  Further, in Christ Jesus
he manifests faithfulness.  This verse should encourage us to
understand that faithfulness does not put the sinner in Christ
Jesus.  It rather manifests that the faithful saint holds an
established relationship with Christ, dwelling permanently in
him.

The New Testament fully describes the recipient of the gospel. In
Acts 2:39 Peter carefully defined the recipients of his sermon.

For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all
that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Acts 2:39.

Each term carries its unique meaning.  The final description, the
catch-all phrase which richly instructs us, qualifies the
recipient of the gospel.  "For the promise is unto …. even as
many as the Lord our God shall call." Peter addressed his sermon
to those whom the Lord calls.  We should do likewise.

In Acts 13:16 and later in Acts 13:26 Paul directed his preaching
to a similar class of people.

Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of
Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.  Acts 13:16.

Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever
among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
Acts 13:26.

What do you find in common between Peter's message in Acts 2 and
Paul's in Acts 13?  Both apostles directed their sermons without
apology to a particular class of people, not to mankind in
general.  Peter defined this class to include "As many as the
Lord our God shall call."  Paul twice specified his message to
"Whosoever among you feareth God."

Saints, God-called, God-fearing, all of these terms describe a
particular kind of person, not any member of the human race.
Paul further defined a valid recipient of the gospel to the
Corinthian church.

For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock,
and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of
God.  I Corinthians 1:22-24.

Does it make any difference whether a man is a Jew or Gentile?
None whatever, but Paul did mention one factor which cuts across
race and all other barriers.  "Unto them which are called, both
Jews and Greeks," Paul chose the same description Peter used in
Acts 2, called of God.  To those whom God has called, the
preaching of Christ represents the power and the wisdom of God.
What causes a person to receive the gospel as an enlightening
message from God?  Why does one person respond in this manner
while another person may hear the same message and regard it as
foolishness?  Paul wanted us to understand that God's calling
prepares the ear and the heart of man to hear the gospel.

To whom does God send the gospel?  Does he send it to all alike?
These New Testament writers did not think so.  Before you
disagree with them, remember that they wrote according to the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They did not write personal
opinion or conjecture.  They wrote as the Holy Spirit directed
them.  Their words represent God's message, not their private,
personal views. Since we do not always know who fears God or whom
the Lord has called, we should gladly preach at any reasonable
opportunity.  We should declare the good news of the gospel with
full understanding that those who receive it and believe it
represent a unique class.  God has called them, and they fear
God. What about those scriptures which seem to apply the gospel
to all mankind; for example, the Great Commission?

In Matthew's record we read, "Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations," Matthew 28:19.  Mark's account of this command reads,
"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature," Mark 16:15.  Luke reports "Thus it is written, and
thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the
third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be
preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem,"
Luke 24:46, 47.  During Christ's personal ministry, the gospel
was primarily a Jewish message.  He preached it to Jews.  He sent
Jews to deliver it to other Jews.  Upon his ascent, he gave these
verses to his disciples for the future of the New Testament era.
All these scriptures represent various portions of that final
message Jesus delivered to his apostles.  "Teach all nations,"
"Go ye into all the world (not just the nation of Israel)."  They
should preach "Repentance and remission of sins in his name among
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."  Rather than apply these
words to all mankind in general, the unified context helps us to
understand that Jesus intended for his apostles to take the
gospel beyond the Jews to all nations, all kinds of people, all
races, all social groups. Within all of those nations and social
castes, those whom the Lord had called, those who had thus
learned to know and fear God, would respond to that message of
good news.

Chapter 6

What Is The Message Of The Gospel?

Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the
Lord Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 1:2.

What is the message of the gospel?  The word gospel comes from
the Old English word God-spell.  It calls for a message of good
news.  The same Greek word was translated good tidings in Luke
2:10.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you
good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Every message delivered from a pulpit does not qualify as the
gospel.  Paul warned the Galatian churches of some who preached
another gospel which was not of the same quality as the one he
preached.  His words offer wise insight for our spiritual
discretion.  In the manufacturing process we respect the
necessity of good quality control. Christians desperately need
more quality control on the messages they hear.  To preach that
God wishes the salvation of every human being, but that he will
actually save only 1-2% because they failed to cooperate with him
does not sound like good news.  It sounds more like a defeated
God!  To preach that God has retreated and the devil has full
control of the world for the moment is not good news to a
suffering Christian!

Paul's introduction to the Ephesian letter affords a simple,
elegant characterization of the gospel message.  Grace be to you.
Translated from the Greek root for our English word charisma, the
Bible concept of grace embodies the most intimate revelation of
God.  His disposition toward his people relies on his own
gracious loving disposition.  For the child of God who hears the
gospel message, God's grace, his gracious grace, should ring in
his heart as the dominant theme.  Not just to the elite, but to
every child of God who hears this message, grace marks the gospel
message.  Have you done everything you think God has commanded
you to do?  The message of grace will remind you that you have
only done that which was your duty.  Have you suffered under the
guilty plague of failure and self-condemnation?  The message of
grace reminds you that God's blessings rely on his own gracious
being, not on what you deserve.  Do you feel overwhelmed by the
trial of the day?  The message of grace reminds you of Christ's
words to Paul in his trial, "My grace is sufficient!"  Do you
often feel stretched to the limit by the constant demands of
life?  Grace reminds you that your God is greater than all the
demands of the universe, yours included.  On the sunny slopes of
blessing or in the dark valleys of stress and failure, God's
grace meets the need of the moment.

Paul did not speak of grace in an abstract theological way.  He
made it personal.  Grace be to you.  A gospel message which does
not become personal, which does not inject itself into your life
offers little value.  More than another philosophical statement
to wrangle over, the gospel contains God's personal message of
grace to you personally!

Peace, how many would gladly give their fortunes for just a taste
of peace?  Often, hurting people withdraw into an imaginary world
of dreams and illusion just to feel the temporary comfort of
peace, however brief.  Others pay large sums of money to attend
seminars and classes advertised to improve the prospect of peace
and self- contentment.  But, alas, their ill-bought peace is
short lived. The quick fix they sought cannot solve their
diseased soul.

Peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  Paul
extended the assurance of peace to the Ephesian church with their
full knowledge of its source.  The Ephesians did not gain this
peace with illusion, or costly seminars.  This peace came from
God and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  This peace constitutes an
essential part of the gospel message which Paul preached.

So much for the prospect of peace, how does one attain it?  The
gospel message builds on God's grace and peace to his tired
hurting child.  It also contains the basis of that peace.  Do you
worry about peace with God?  Stop your worry!  Christ has
accomplished that peace for you.

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made
nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made
both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition
between us.  Ephesians 2:13, 14.

The price of peace with God, eternal unconditional peace, is the
blood of Christ.  He made you nigh to God by that personal
sacrifice of his blood, his life.  He is our peace.  He broke
down walls of separation between us and other children of God who
were different from us in race or in any other particular.  He
also broke down the wall which separated us from God.

How can we gain some comfort of that peace in our lives?  How can
we experience the comfort and assurance that we share in that
precious peace?

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known
unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6, 7.

Are we willing to take everything, personal failures, work
problems, family problems, doubts, even our own unbelief, to God
in prayer?  Once we take it to him, are we willing to leave it
with him?  This action, this intimate personal prayer of faith,
supports the whole sense of peace in our souls.  This peace, this
God-given peace, defies explanation.  It stands the test of every
trial you will ever face!  Keep your hearts was translated from a
Greek word which means to stand guard over.  The sentinel, the
armed guard over the fortress of your heart, is God's peace!  My
dear friends, may the grace and peace of God go with you today!

Chapter 7

A Bible Eulogy

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ.  Ephesians 1:3.

How can we bless God?  Do we give him something he lacks,
something he needs?  No, but we can give him that which pleases
him.  God's most basic nature includes the attribute of
self-sufficiency.  He needs nothing from us to be God.  However,
he delights in our willing, loving adoration.  We cannot repay
the debt of our sins which he paid.  Such a thought is
preposterous!  As we understand more of what he did for us, we
should respond to his loving kindness with adoring worship.  Such
is the theme of this verse.

Blessed and blessings in this verse come from the Greek root of
our English word eulogy.  It means to speak well of.  We have
imposed a sad disservice upon the word by limiting it to a
funeral message, a time when we remember and speak well of the
deceased person.  Should we not offer more eulogies to the
living?  In respect for this verse, should we not offer our most
treasured eulogy to our God?  To see the full impact of what this
word means and to grasp fully what God has done for us, let's
rephrase the verse, substituting this word for blessed.

We eulogize the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
eulogized us with all spiritual eulogies in heavenly places in
Christ.

Does this form of the verse add any new thoughts to your mind?
Does the verse really mean what it says?  Does God really
eulogize us, speak well of us?  As we study essential doctrines,
using Ephesians Chapter 1 as our guide, we will learn the
language of the divine eulogy.  Election, God's choice of his
people in Christ before the foundation of the world, his
predestinating them to the adoption of children, redemption,
forgiveness, the good pleasure of his will, the final gathering
of all his saints, the eternal inheritance, and the mighty
resurrecting power of God which enables us to believe, these all
represent God's language of love, of eulogy to his beloved
children. Theologians who tend to translate these doctrines into
a cold legal philosophy impose a terrible disservice upon these
beautiful, personal truths of the divine eulogy.  I find it
strange that so many Christians hear these words, exactly as used
in scripture, and immediately speak evil of God.  As he thought
of these eternal truths, Paul spoke well of God.

All too often, the religious attitude of modern religionists uses
threats of eternal loss to frighten people into some form of
worship.  Imposing guilt trips and a manipulative capitalization
on people's fears represents the gospel's greatest enemy!  If you
do anything religious, anything at all, out of this fear, your
worship will not please God. "The Lord loves a cheerful giver"
should apply to our whole relationship with God, not just our
pocketbook.

How many blessings come directly from God through Christ?  How
many result from our obedience?  A common religious tenet of the
day describes salvation like this.  You work as hard as you can,
do as much as you can to deserve eternal life.  At the end, if
you did enough, God will add to your works and admit you into
heaven.  What did Paul say about the cause and source of
spiritual blessings? God blessed us with all spiritual blessings!
In all your life you never earned a single blessing by your
obedience and faith.  Every blessing you ever received came from
God.

Where may we find these blessings?  The verse enlightens our
thoughts wonderfully.  All of these spiritual blessings are in
Christ.  You never received a single spiritual blessing that
didn't come through him.  You couldn't do enough to earn or
deserve the least spiritual blessing from God.  They all flow
through him alone.

Consider this idea that God speaks well of us.  He eulogized us
with all spiritual eulogies in heavenly places in Christ.  This
view opens up the whole intercessory work of Christ to our minds.
Although we benefit from his eulogy, remember that the word means
to speak well of, not to speak well to.  To whom does Christ
speak well of us?  And the answer cries out from the pages of
scripture that he speaks well of us to the Father.  He told
Peter, "I have prayed for you."  He tells you the same thing; he
has also prayed for you.  I John 2:1 tells us that we have an
advocate with the Father.  Advocate comes from a word which means
an intercessor, a consoler.  It was used in the First Century of
a lawyer, a legal spokesman in a court setting.  The lawyer
speaks for his client in all legal matters.  So Christ speaks for
you, his child, in all legal matters before his Father's court in
heaven. This word assures you that he always speaks well of you
to the Father!

The verse also teaches that he did more than just speak well of
us.  It also teaches that he translated his good speaking into
actions.  He speaks well of us, and he works well for us before
the Father.  In spiritual matters he becomes the conduit for all
good things which the Father provides us in response to his
intercession.  May our hearts overflow with the richness of God's
miraculous eulogy toward us.

        Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
        Praise him all creatures here below;
        Praise him above, ye heavenly host;
        Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

        Bishop Ken

Chapter 8

Election, The First Spiritual Blessing

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of
the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in
love.  Ephesians 1:4.

In the last chapter we studied God's spiritual blessings,
eulogies, in heavenly places in Christ.  You will recall that
these blessings prompted Paul to eulogize God.  All who profess
faith in God speak well of him.  All will applaud the goodness of
God, his love, his mercy, and many other attributes of grace.
Strangely, when you begin to examine the particular doctrines
which form the basis for praising God, many of those same people
take on a different attitude, criticizing and finding fault with
the Bible's description of God.

In few Bible doctrines do we see this double standard more
clearly than in the doctrine of election.  After speaking well of
God, blessing him, Paul's first mention of a particular work
which God performs was the doctrine of election.  When was the
last time your pastor preached a sermon on this topic?  What do
most people say about biblical election?  Here are a few of the
more common statements, along with a brief observation of the
fallacy contained in them.

"It only refers to God's choice of national Israel in the Old
Testament."  Paul addressed our verse from Ephesians to a Gentile
New Testament church; yet he said, "He hath chosen us."  Us
includes Paul, a New Testament Israelite, and the Ephesians, New
Testament Gentile Christians. In Romans 9:24 Paul specifically
included both Jews and Gentiles as objects of God's election,
describing both as "Vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared
unto glory."  He described these chosen vessels of mercy as us,
"Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of
the Gentiles."

"It is a deep mysterious doctrine to be reserved for private
discussion among the most mature Christians."  Paul held no such
view of election.  Here in Ephesians he made it his first reason
to bless God.  In I Thessalonians 1:4 he offered a thanksgiving
prayer to God for the Thessalonians, "Knowing, brethren beloved,
your election of God."  Based on accepted history, Paul wrote the
letter of I Thessalonians within a year of the time the
Thessalonians first professed Christianity.  By his comfortable
use of the term, we  may safely conclude that this was not his
first mention of the doctrine to this church! Rather than reserve
election for mature Christians, Paul apparently made it a part of
their earliest instruction in the faith.

"The idea of election violates man's free will."  We should
carefully examine what the Bible says about man's will. Perhaps
it is not as free as some might think.  In response to this
objection, I ask, "Whose will do you trust most for salvation,
yours or God's?  Do you think your eternity is more secure if
based on your will or God's?"  The Bible should determine our
belief.  Our belief should not stand in judgment of the Bible!

"Election is exclusive.  It leaves out many who should be saved."
Exactly the opposite is true.  If we consider the Bible doctrine
of man and his undeserving sinful condition, all deserve eternal
judgment.  Therefore, all deserve to be excluded.  Election is
actually inclusive.  It includes those who do not deserve to be
included.  I find it pathetically fascinating that those who
usually raise this objection sincerely believe that only a small
portion of the human family have any chance of salvation.  Some
will limit the number of the saved to less than 2% of mankind.
And they have the nerve to object to election as being
excessively exclusive!  According to the doctrine of Bible
election, the number of the saved, those whom God chose in
Christ, is  many, not few.  I find it ludicrous to think that God
will permit the devil to capture the majority of mankind, while
he stands by, presumably helpless to prevent their loss!  God is
greater than the devil, my friends!  He will have the victory in
the salvation of those whom he chose in Christ!

"It refers to special callings and Christian living, not to
eternity."  This position must adopt pagan fatalism to justify
itself, a doctrine soundly rejected by scripture. Further, in
this lesson Paul did not address only those people in Ephesus who
help positions of special calling and leadership, but the entire
church body.  The final objective of election concludes too much
for this interpretation, "Holy and without blame."  In Galatians
2:11 Paul described a brief, but intense, disagreement he had
with Peter over fellowship with Gentile Christians.  "I withstood
him to the face, because he was to be blamed."  If the objective
of election calls for us to stand before God without blame, we
must conclude that Peter was not one of the elect, for Paul said
he was to be blamed!  This is the height of folly!

What does biblical election signify?  Study this verse.  Who made
the choice?  God did!  That settles it!  How did he view us in
the choice?  "He has chosen us in him."  God made this choice in
consideration of Christ, not of our foreseen faith or obedience.
He chose us in Christ!  When did he make the choice?  "Before the
foundation of the world" sends our minds reeling beyond the world
which we know or can imagine.  Only God could make such a choice.
Why did he make this choice?  What did he determine to accomplish
by election?  "That we should be holy and without blame before
him in love."  According to most Greek authorities, the structure
of this sentence sets up a logical cause and effect relationship.
"Should be" indicates the certain result of God's choice, not his
kind wishes for our good behavior.  The only way we could stand
before God, holy and without blame, was for God to make a
sovereign choice and to include in his choice everything
necessary to accomplish that goal. Thus in Romans 9:23, Paul
could describe those whom God chose as "Vessels of mercy, which
he had afore prepared unto glory."  Notice that God prepared the
vessels of mercy for glory; they did not prepare themselves!

Many think of biblical election as cold and legalistic.  How did
Paul view it?  "Before him in love."  Paul saw nothing cold about
this doctrine.  He always wrote of it in a context of God's love.
To Paul, election expressed God's love, not his arbitrary decree.

Chapter 9

Predestination, Salvation By God's Will Or Man's?

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.
Ephesians 1:5.

What is biblical predestination?  Is biblical predestination the
same as fatalism?  Does it mean that God predestinated and
unconditionally ordained every event in history?  The answer
cries out from scripture, "No!" On a number of occasions in his
prophecy, Jeremiah mentioned the idolatrous worship of his
people, the remnant of national Israel.  They worshipped the
false gods of their neighbors.  They embraced the despicable
practices of these false religions, including burning their
children in sacrifice to false idols.  God responded to this
practice that he did not command that practice, neither did it
enter into his mind.  This does not infer that God did not know
of this activity in advance, but it makes the matter crystal
clear that God didn't predestinate such abominations!  In the New
Testament Paul wrote, "For God is not the author of confusion,
but of peace, as in all churches of the saints," I Corinthians
14:33.  John added his words, "For all that is in the world, the
lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, is not of the Father, but is of the world," I John 2:16.
How could God predestinate a thing and then disclaim authorship
for it?  How could he predestinate lust and pride and then say
that it is not of the Father, but of the world? The Bible clearly
teaches predestination, but with equal clarity it rejects the
fatalistic concept that God ordained every event and act of man.

What then is the significance of Bible predestination?  Our study
verse makes it rather clear, doesn't it?  God's predestination is
not universal and general.  It embraces one unique area of his
activities and involvement with man.  He predestinated "us,"
people, not events and wicked actions.  The objective of his
predestination was to bring us to the adoption of children.  The
means of that predestined adoption was Jesus Christ.  Its final
goal was to himself.  The whole activity of predestination
accords with his will.  Do you see all of these qualifying
descriptions in the verse?  One after the other, Paul carefully
described and defined predestination for the Ephesian Christians,
and for us.

Adoption of children, this distinctive phrase overflows with
richness and grace.  In the First Century a man could father a
child, but refuse to accept the child as his.  In this state the
child had no recourse and could enjoy none of the blessings
inherent in the father's name and position. If the father wished
to embrace the child into full privilege, at a set time he would
sponsor a large celebration and publicly "Adopt" the child.  From
that day forward, the child enjoyed full family privilege.  He
legally carried the father's name, and at the father's death he
was entitled to his share of the father's inheritance.

Applied to God and salvation, this illustration floods our minds
with rich assurances that God will not leave a single one of his
children unclaimed.  His determination to adopt them into his
eternal inheritance was so emphatic that Paul said he
predestinated us to the adoption of children.  Occasionally,
theologians will attempt to interpret predestination as a timely
matter, suggesting that God predestinated us to discipleship or
special callings.  This phrase, "The adoption of children,"
disallows such a rendition.  God's predestination did not seek
our productive function as servants, but our secure position in
God's family.  In adoption, predestinated adoption, God claims
every one of his children and draws them into the blessings of
his eternal family.

According to the good pleasure of his will.  Whose will controls
salvation, yours or God's?  Often people raise the empty
objection that salvation by grace violates man's free will.  I
ask, my friends, whose will you more securely trust for your
eternity, yours or God's?  Any time God imposes a law of conduct,
he restricts man's freedom to violate that commandment.  A man in
his sins joyfully pursues sin, but he does not follow that course
with freedom or with God's neutral indifference.  He does so in
open defiance of the moral code God gave.  Remember man in the
Garden of Eden.  In a beautiful land unspotted with sin and its
awful consequences, man could have enjoyed blissful fellowship
with his Creator God.  What did he do?  He exercised his "Free
will" and plunged himself and his offspring into sin.  If man in
such a perfect environment made the wrong choice, what makes us
think that man in his present sinful state could possibly make
the right choice?

What does the sinner's will choose?  "There is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. …. They
are all gone out of the way, they are together become
unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.  ….
There is no fear of God before their eyes."  Romans 3:11-18.
Does this describe a will which possesses either the desire or
the ability to choose God and good?  You would be wise to
strongly distrust your own will for salvation!  Salvation comes
according to God's will, or it does not come at all!

How did Paul describe God's will in this verse?  "According to
the good pleasure of his will."  Good pleasure draws our minds
into the richness of God and his infinite goodness. Those who
object to God's will in salvation love to conjure up images of a
cold arbitrary God whose will possesses all the compassion of the
unjust judge.  They are wrong!  The will of God which
predestinated his children to full family status exudes love,
warmth, and goodness.

What is biblical predestination?  In the last chapter we studied
Ephesians 1:4 and learned that God chose a particular number of
mankind in Christ before the foundation of the world.  In this
verse, part of the same sentence, we learn that God predestinated
those whom he chose in Christ to receive full family status and
blessings.  This often hated doctrine appears quite lovely and
wonderful when we see it from the Bible's perspective instead of
man's.

 

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