P2 Arguing "to" inerrancy considers the preservation and reliability of the Biblical text

Luke 1:1-4 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; 4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

Introduction:

In our last post, we began to consider crafting an argument "to" biblical inerrancy here: 

http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2019/01/arguing-to-inerrancy-begins-by.html. 

Inerrancy is the doctrine that states that all the words of the Bible, as originally given through the prophets and apostles, are totally true. In this series of posts, we are aiming to bridge an argument "to" inerrancy. This approach to discussing the Bible with skeptics has the advantage of establishing a base-line with which we can talk to them about the Bible as a historical text - a claim which is vital for Christianity and one which they can examine to follow the evidence where it leads. Leading Christian defenders of Christianity (a.k.a "apologists"), such as William Lane Craig, Norman Geisler, R.C. Sproul, Frank Turek and others advocate a very similar approach to what I'm outlining in this series of posts. We discussed four key terms that would provide such a bridge:

1. Preservation
2. Reliability
3. Jesus' teaching about the scriptures 
4. Inerrancy 

Reviewing what we mean by the preservation of the words of the Bible

Even though we do not have the original manuscripts of either the Old or New Testament, it remains the case we can say with confidence that we have the words of the original in our copies and translations, just as any classical scholar would assert for the writings of the great philosophers or founders of other religions.  

The truth of the preservation of the words of scripture won't get us to the doctrine of inerrancy by itself. The case we're making is what we call a "cumulative case" - meaning that each piece of the argument is taken together to bring us to a conclusion that makes holding inerrancy a very reasonable position for the Christian. Having established that we do have the words of the original documents in the midst of our copies and translations of the Bible, we can now proceed on to the next plank of our bridge to inerrancy, namely, the reliability of the biblical text.

Why the issue of historical reliability is relevant to Christianity 

When we looked at the preservation of the words of the Bible, we were dealing with matters pertaining to the text itself. Reliability is a very important issue, since the Christian faith is rooted in the historical dealings of God with His people - Israel - in the Old Testament and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus in the New Testament. Such a historical investigation will yield that the biblical text is reliable enough to be considered certified history by even secular historians. The relevance of the topic of reliability is crucial whenever we compare other religions which make similar claims about inerrancy for their religious books.  

For instance, I have read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover. Despite its references to numerous geographical locations, ancient people groups and alleged links between Native American tribes and the ancient Jews, not a single claim is attested by archaeological, scientific or historical investigation. In as much as Mormonism basis its doctrine on historical events, nonetheless, the very collection of texts upon which it is based ("Book of Mormon", "Pearl of Great Price" and "Doctrines and Covenants") are not proved by history.  

If a text is ever to live up to its claims of inerrancy, it has to at least demonstrate reliability. In order to keep our post concise and to the point today, we will focus particularly on the New Testament text and even more specifically on the gospel records themselves.

Assessing the reliability of the New Testament Gospels

When we begin to assess the reliability of the New Testament text, we can do so in two ways: 

1. Comparing the the time span between the originals and copies.

2. Evaluating details reported by the New Testament text to external documents from the same time period. 

Comparing the span of time from the original manuscripts to earliest copies

First, we note the amount of time that spans from the date of the original manuscripts and selves to the earliest copies that we have of the given document. The chart below derives from the American Journal of Theology:



History and philosophy departments at major universities study the great classical historians and philosophers with no quibbles as to whether they are studying reliable manuscripts. Such a procedure gives us perspective when comparing New Testament to other ancient documents. 

In a similar chart, Norman Geisler and Frank Turek in their book: "Why I Do Not Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist", page 226, show that the philosopher Plato, in terms of his writings, has a span of 1200 years between what would had been his original drafts and the copies that we have today. When compared to the New Testament documents, we have some ancient manuscripts going to within 25 years of the writing of the New Testament. Whenever we compared the New Testament to other ancient documents written by writers such as Homer, Demosthenes, Herodotus, and Tacitus, we find on average a time span of 400 to 1,000 years between the original composition and its earliest copies. This on average means that the New Testament far outpaces it's ancient competitors by a ratio of 10:1 when it comes to assessing the reliability of the manuscripts in the New Testament.

With respect to the number of copies or manuscripts that we possess in the New Testament, the sheer number is overwhelming when compared to other ancient documents. Homer's Iliad, for example, has roughly 1,800 copies in existence today. However, the New Testament has 5800 Greek manuscripts spanning from the late 2nd Century to  the Middle Ages. As New Testament scholar Dr. Daniel Wallace has noted, we have, as it were: "an embarrassment of riches" when it comes to the sheer amount of manuscript evidence for the New Testament.

Comparing the details of the New Testament to other contemporary documents of the same time period

As we assess the reliability of the New Testament text on the basis of the sheer amount of physical evidence,  we can also compare particular details of the New Testament to external sources. One of the best illustrations is to survey the first century Jewish historian, Josephus. Josephus was contemporary of the Apostles and wrote his volumes "Antiquities of the Jews" and "Jewish Wars" prior to and after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. 

Dr. Timothy McGrew of Michigan State University gives many examples from Josephus' writings to illustrate how we can test the reliability of the Gospel records. I'll just mention two:

1. Luke 3:2 records - "in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness." Yet, only one of them is named as high priest, namely Caiaphas, as indicated in John 18:13 and 18:24. Are the gospel records in conflict? Timothy McGrew points out that the historian Josephus in his work "Antiquities of the Jews", book 18 chapter 2 section 2 and his other work, "Jewish Wars", Book 2 chapter 12 section 6, describe how Jonathan and Annas' are both high priests as described in Luke. Per Josephus' reports, there was a short time when Roman Procurators (like Pilate) could appointed high priests for political purposes. On occasion, there could be two men occupying the same office - with one being the actual high priest and the other being the political figurehead. Even in our modern American context, we still call former office-holders of the Oval Office "President", even though the current office-holder is the actual "President of the United States". So, the gospel record is validated as exemplifying typical first-century expressions of leadership roles.

2. Matthew 2:22 says not that "Archelaus was King" but rather he was "reigning in the place of his father Herod" (ESV, NIV, NASB). According to Josephus' book, "Antiquities of the Jews", book 17 chapter 9 Section 5, Archelaus presumes himself to be a king, even though he was never officially crowned as one. Again, we find the gospel of Matthew historically validated and thus, reliable. Such interlocking relationships between two different texts that record the same event, wherein neither author consulted the other, is what scholars refer to as "undesigned coincidences". We see this trait in Greco-Romans histories. Such a characteristic counts as a mark of genuine historicity. 

The particulars about Jesus' life, death and resurrection are found, under scrutiny, to bear the same "ring" of historical reliability as observed above. Scholars sometime talk about the "edges" of the Gospel accounts and the "core". We've seen examples of incidental details that serve as "backdrop" or "edges" of the Gospel records (think of whenever one puts a puzzle together, we typically begin with the edge pieces"). If we find reliable the "edges" of the Gospel records, can the same be said of the "core" (Jesus, life, death, resurrection)?

Whenever we consider the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, recorded in all four Gospels, we discover that over 12 sources report details of the historical Jesus that match in general with the particulars we find in the Gospel records. Below is but a sampling:

1. Josephus "Antiquities of the Jews", Book 18, section 63: 

"Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works—a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles."

2. Jewish sources such as the Babylonian Talmud, in its reference "Sanhedrin 43", record that Jesus was a worker of miracles, accused by the Jews of practicing sorcery". 

3. Other secular sources such as the Syrian historian Mara Ben Serapion and the Roman historian Tacitus record a man named "Jesus" or "Chrestus" as having existed, died by crucifixion and being the source of what they allege as a "mischievous superstition" - a probable reference to the Christian proclamation of the resurrection.

4. There are even some short statements in Josephus' works that record how Jesus' disciples were proclaiming his resurrection from the dead (compare his "Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, sections 63-64).

5. Some critics today try to dismiss the Gospels as "fiction", claiming that Jesus was a fictional character invented by the early church. Yet, historians who specialize in the history of the first century include the Gospel records as historical sources for the historical Jesus. To dismiss the Gospels on the grounds that they are "Christian literature" or "religious literature" commits what is called the "genetic fallacy" (questioning a belief on the basis of how it developed). Both the Gospel accounts and external sources provide the following general outline of Jesus:

A. He was born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth and exercised a ministry of teaching and miracle working.

B. Jesus was unjustly accused and sentenced to death by Roman crucifixion on charges of sedition, violation of the Sabbath and blasphemy.

C. Pontius Pilate proceeded over Jesus' sentencing and the Jewish high priest Caiaphus and his father-in-law Annas delivered the charges leading to Jesus' crucifixion.

D. The tomb of Jesus was discovered empty by Jesus' closest followers on the third day following His interment. The disciples experienced encounters with the Risen Christ. The Jews tried to cover-up the empty tomb by saying the body was stolen. However, the explosive growth and spread of Christianity within years of its inception cannot be explained by appeals to natural causes. 

Whenever we consider that there are more ancient sources record the historicity of Jesus than Julius Caesar, the idea of Jesus being a myth is shown preposterous.   

Closing thoughts:

The point of this survey is to demonstrate that the gospel records of Jesus life are reliable. We must include the Gospel records as primary sources that reliably record the life, death and resurrection of Jesus (with external sources providing secondary attestation). The gospels are indeed reliable documents. They take us back to the life, sayings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we can conclude that we have not only the words of the Bible with us today, but that what the Bible reports is reliable history. The next post will give us the most important "plank" in our argument "to" inerrancy when we look at Jesus' teaching about the scriptures.

Why the Gospel is so powerful - introducing Paul's Letter to the Romans

Romans 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Introduction:
Today we are considering what is arguably the most important New Testament book outside the Gospels: Paul’s letter to the Romans. The Bible Knowledge Commentary notes on the importance of Paul's letter to the Romans:

"This letter is the premier example of the epistolary form of writing, not only in the Pauline body of material and in the New Testament but also in all of ancient literature. It stands first in every list of the Apostle Paul’s writings though it was not first in time of composition. This bears witness to the importance of the work both in its theme and in its content."

A suggested theme for this great Bible book is: "God’s powerful Gospel". The key verse: Romans 1:16-17, gives us the core of this theme: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” 

As we consider the introduction to this magnificent literary masterpiece, today’s post is going to answer why the Gospel is so powerful to change your life. To answer this, we can first note that the Gospel is 

1. Based on powerful living words.   Romans 1:1-2
The scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the words of God revealed and written by the prophets and apostles. 2 Peter 1:10-12 notes: "As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look." 

When one considers the words of the Bible, and specifically, the Gospel message of which they compose, we discover that God has ordained the scriptures as His tool for the conversion of sinners. James 1:18 states: "In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures." Such words spiritual raise the dead sinner in the event of saving faith.

We understand from God's work of creation that He verbalized existence into being. Such an act was demonstration of His power as seen in Psalm 33:6 - "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host." 

As one traces other instances of God's power and His speaking forth through the Bible, we begin to witness a correspondence between God's speaking and power. For example, we find God's power and word at the Exodus described in Psalm 106:8 "Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name, That He might make His power known." 

We find further evidence of this relationship with respect to God's word in power in how He preserves the believer's salvation. The Apostle Peter notes in 1 Peter 1:5 "who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." Or again, 2 Peter 1:3 "seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence." These many examples ought to convey how powerful God's words are. His words, whether spoken over the creation or in written form, are powerful. Such words bring life and light. The Gospel is composed of such words and is powerful because of its basis in God's words. But notice why else the Gospel is so powerful...

2. Bringing forth of the powerful Christ to you. Romans 1:3-7

The marvel of Paul's opening to Romans is that he explains how Jesus Himself is brought to the sinner in salvation by the Gospel. Unlike all other religions in the world, only Christianity claims that at the verbalization of its core message (the Gospel), its founder (Jesus Christ) is brought to the sinner. 

Christ is brought not only in the salvation of sinners, but He is furthermore committed to remaining with the Christian throughout their post-conversion life (what we call sanctification). When we break down Romans 1:3-7, we gain understanding concerning who Jesus is , and why He is so powerful.  

A. First, He is the Divine Son in Romans 1:3a. Titus 2:13 reminds us that Jesus Christ is the "great God and Savior". John 1:1 rejoins with the emphasis upon the Son being co-eternal with God the Father. When Jesus Christ is brought forth in the Gospel, we instantly are brought into contact with the Personification of omnipotence itself!  

B. Secondly, we find that this Son came to be the man, Christ Jesus, in Romans 1:3b. In having the eternal Son, we now have Him as He is in His glorified humanity. His perfect humanity is accessible to our ever-perfecting, still-needing-to-be-completed humanity. We have the "right man on our side" as the hymn of Martin Luther proclaims.

C. Thirdly, this Son, who became man, came to die and rise from the dead to achieve salvation accomplished, as noted in Romans 1:4. Theologians often speak of Christ's overall redemptive work in two distinct ways: salvation accomplished and salvation applied. The former refers to His once and for all death and resurrection achieved in history (see 1 Peter 3:18). The latter occurs the moment the sinner responds in saving faith to His call in the Gospel (see John 5:24-25; Colossians 3:16).  

D. Fourthly, we find that this Jesus calls us by His Spirit to experience salvation applied in faith. Such saving faith in turn ought to lead to a changed life lived out in daily obedience to His Lordship. These realities are spelled out most plainly in Romans 1:6-7. 

As one follows the argument of the Apostle concerning the powerful Christ brought forth in the Gospel, we find that He changes lives. If a person who has heard the Gospel proclaimed remains unchanged, it is due to their persistent refusal to respond in faith to the Gospel. They may very well had "heard" the Gospel with their physical ears. However, there must be an inward work done by the Spirit to where the sinner's "inward ears-of-the-heart" are unstopped. The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 notes concerning this work of the Spirit, called "regeneration":

"There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace."

Therefore, the second reason why the Gospel is so powerful is because of the Person of Jesus Christ brought forth in it. 

Closing thoughts:
Today we considered the introduction to Paul's letter to the church at Rome in answer to the question: "why is the Gospel so powerful?" We discovered two reasons: The Gospel is based on powerful living words and the Gospel brings forth the powerful living Christ. Whenever we consider these two reasons together, we understand that upon reception in saving faith, changed hearts and lives result.  

P2 Why the Gospel is so powerful - Romans 1:1-17

Romans 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Introduction:
Yesterday we considered why the Gospel of Jesus Christ is so powerful. We noted two reasons. First, the gospel is so powerful due to it being based on life-giving words - the scriptures. The 66 books of the Old and New Testaments are God's written revelation. In 40 some people, God moved by His Spirit so that they in their own language, writing styles and thoughts could convey His purposes and will towards mankind. The Bible is a living book - meaning that whoever hears its contents has the opportunity to be changed. Hence the Bible's life-changing power in its living words inform the Gospel - making it God's power unto salvation.

A second reason we noted yesterday as to why the Gospel is God's power unto salvation is due to its focal point and subject - the Lord Jesus Christ. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as the following to say about Jesus:

"He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord."

Paul unfolds in Romans 1:3-7 of how Jesus Christ is the "seed of David", meaning that in His humanity He powerfully fulfilled all that God promised and predicted through the patriarchs and demonstrated such by His resurrection from the dead. By raising from the dead, Christ also demonstrated the claims He had made in His earthly ministry of He being God. 

As the God-man, all that Jesus achieved on the cross was accomplished as God in human flesh. As man He died. As God His sacrifice was infinite in value. As man His resurrection vindicated all He did. As God He demonstrated that He had life in Himself. Such a powerful Person is brought to us in the Gospel - thus making it a powerful message. 

Today we want to consider two other reasons why the Gospel is so powerful.

The Gospel is powerful due to God's ordained method of its delivery - preaching

In Romans 1:8-15 we find various terms used by Paul to indicate how the preaching of the Gospel and God's power are associated with one another. In Romans 1:8 we find the Gospel being proclaimed throughout the then Mediterranean world, resulting in lives being changed. In Romans 1:9, Paul indicates that in his preaching of the Gospel, his prayer life on behalf of the Romans is empowered by the Holy Spirit. In Romans 1:15 Paul states - "So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome." 

Preaching is God's ordained means of communicating the good news of Jesus. If it were up to human beings, others means would had been chosen as the flagship method - entertainments, dramas, music, art and other tools of communication. Certainly these other methods have been used throughout the history of the church and some have proven more beneficial than others. Undoubtedly music for example plays a very vital role in the life of the local church. However, preaching is God's primary method. Its seemingly "intrusive", sometimes "out-of-place" function in a world of visual effects and technology make it the perfect vehicle for transformation of sinners and strengthening of God's people. Preaching is the tool where man has the least likelihood of getting the credit and God getting the full credit. This is the logic behind God choosing preaching as the primary means of communicating the Gospel. 

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:20-21 "Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." Or again, Romans 10:14-15 "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!"

Now what makes preaching so powerful is not the preacher, but rather God's Holy Spirit attending and empowering the sermon and the preacher. Furthermore, the Spirit works to open the ears of the hearts of people listening to the Gospel. This is God's choice method. Anything He chooses to use, no matter how seemingly weak, is made powerful. 

Think of Moses' staff for instance. In Moses' hand it was but a walking a stick. When God told him to lay it down and pick it up again, it turned into something other than what it was. The point being made by God was that in the hands of God so-to-speak, a plain stick can split seas and bring mighty monarchs to their knees. In God's hand, Moses' staff was used to deliver the people of God. Was it Moses holding the staff? Yes. However, it was God working through the man and the gifting to bring about the effects. 

So the Gospel is powerful due to the living words of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ and His choice method of preaching. Now lets consider one final reason...

The Gospel is powerful due to it's life-changing power

Let's place before our eyes Romans 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” When I was a boy, I would often find myself getting into mischief. When I would carry-on and engage in horseplay, I would hear my mother or father tell me: "Mahlon, straighten-up"! Now why did they say that? was it because I was bent over in poor posture? no; instead, I was exhibiting a crookedness in my soul. Whenever I would "straighten-up", I would modify my behavior to appease them and to avoid discipline. But do you know, deep down inside I would often think: "what right do they have to tell me to "straighten-up". In those moments I exhibited the truth contained in Romans 3:23 - "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God".

No man has the power within himself to "truly straighten-up". The word "righteousness" used by Paul here in Romans 1:16 speaks of a moral and spiritual standard whereby one is "made right-with" or "fit-to-be" in God's sight. Now Paul will unfold the full import of this in Romans 3-4. Suffice to say, Paul is strongly hinting at what will be the crown jewel of his letter: justification by faith alone. This precious truth explains God's judicial decree of my innocence and "rightness" at my salvation. This "rightness" which He declares is not my own, but rather the "rightness" earned by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus on my behalf. When I by faith trust in all Christ did and is, His life, death and resurrection is credited (or imputed) to my account (see 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Now in the verses prior to Romans 1:16, we discovered the power of the Gospel's words and Person and the delivery method of preaching. We have seen the reason why the Gospel is so powerful. But now, when we consider its effects on the person who trusts in what it says by faith - we come to grasp the practical realities of such power. The inability I had and remain to have to this day to "straighten-up" or to "be right with God" on my own strength and volition is delivered to me by the Gospel. 

The amazing reality of where we find this ability to be right with God or righteousness is found within the Gospel itself. Romans 1:17 proclaims that "in it", the Gospel, is found all that a person needs to be right with God. Furthermore, Paul quotes an Old Testament passage (Habakkuk 2:4) to reinforce the notion that what he is writing is not a novel invention, but has been God's design of the Gospel all along. The Gospel is so powerful due to the fact that within the message itself is our life-changing solution - the God-given ability to truly "straighten-up" per the power and Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Closing thoughts
Over the last two days we have consider why the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. We noted four reasons for this:

1. Living words of the Bible
2. Lord Jesus Christ
3. Preaching
4. Life-changing power of the Gospel         itself

P1 Why the Gospel is so powerful - Romans 1:1-17

Romans 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Introduction:
Why is the Gospel so powerful? This theme of "the power of the Gospel" headlines Paul's letter to the church at Rome. Commentator Warren Weirsbe notes:

"No wonder Paul was not ashamed: He was taking to sinful Rome the one message that had the power to change people’s lives! He had seen the gospel work in other wicked cities, such as Corinth and Ephesus, and he was confident that it would work in Rome. It had transformed his own life, and he knew it could transform the lives of others."

Romans 1:1-17 introduces this marvelous epistle of Paul. Romans 1:16-17 is Paul asserting his stance on not being ashamed of the God due to it possessing the power of God unto salvation for everyone that believes or trusts in it. All that prefaces these key verses and all that follows serve to expound on the power of the Gospel. Today we want to know why the Gospel is powerful. We will offer a brief exposition of Romans 1:1-17 in attempting to understand why Paul and us can conclude that the Gospel is powerful. Notice the following reasons why the Gospel is so powerful as stated in Romans 1:1-17...

1. Life-changing words. Romans 1:1-2
We read in Romans 1:1-2 "Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures." The word translated "scriptures" is the Greek word "graphe" from whence we derive such English words as "graphics" and the mineral "graphite" found in the pencil leads we use to write on paper. The term "scripture" itself (from the Latin "scriptura") refers to that which is written, the words of God in the Old and New Testaments. In our English Bibles, our word "scripture" is simply a carry over or transliteration of the Latin "scriptura", which in the Latin translation of the Bible (the Vulgate) was a translation of the word "graphe". 

When English translations appeared on the scene, translators familiar with the Latin Vulgate saw the term "scripture" as appropriate in conveying the truth of the Bible being God's very words. These words of the Bible are God's very voice in written form. When read or preached, they impart life to the soul which can raise the spiritually dead heart to life in so far as the sinner responds to such words in saving trust (see John 5:24-25; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23). No other means is used by God to impart salvation other than the scriptures. The words of the Bible are powerful and effective (Hebrews 4:12). Such a repository of Divine revelation is powerful. Hence, the Gospel is powerful due to the life-giving words upon which it is based and revealed. There is a second reason though for why the Gospel is so powerful...

2. Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:3-7
Recently theologian R.C. Sproul's Bible teaching ministry (Ligonier Ministries) released a statement of faith on the Person and work of Jesus Christ that outlines His identity, natures and power as God and man. Below we find the introductory two paragraphs of the statement:


"We confess the mystery and wonder
of God made flesh and rejoice in our great salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.

With the Father and the Holy Spirit,
the Son created all things, sustains all things, and makes all things new.
Truly God, He became truly man, two natures in one person."
Jesus Christ is no doubt the mystery and wonder of God personified. The late preacher Adrian Rogers once remarked: "He is so much God as not to be man and so much man as to not be God." This One person is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Who is truly and fully God and truly and fully man. Only a Person such as Christ could be powerful enough to be the focal point of the Gospel. Jesus is not only the Gospel's object but supreme subject. He is actually brought to the sinner by the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. 

In other words, Jesus is not hermetically sealed of in history or the pages of the Bible. When the Gospel is presented, Christ comes forth. The totality of His glorified humanity and endless deity are united in Himself, making His entire Person as God and man available to all who trust in Him.

This living Christ is supremely powerful. He is what makes the Gospel the Gospel. The good news of the Gospel is that God is with us, for us and in us. The good news of the Gospel is that we have a perfect human representative for us in the heavenly realms. In Jesus, in saving faith, we are more than accepted before God. In Jesus, we are united to God by the One who is God and man. His perfect humanity defines the believer's identity and ability to commune with God. 

So the Gospel is powerful due to it being based on powerful, living words (Romans 1:1-2) and the Lord Jesus Christ. In the next post we will consider other reasons from Romans 1:1-17 why the Gospel of Jesus Christ is powerful. 

God's Gospel - Romans 1:1-2

Romans 1:1-2  "Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures."

Introduction
Today's post features the above text that makes the remarkable statement concerning the Gospel. We discover that the Gospel did not make its appearance when Jesus and the Apostles came on the scene. The Gospel or "good news" of salvation has been around since the beginning. We can note three descriptions of the Gospel in Romans 1:1-2

1. Gospel of God

Whenever we see that little word "of" in the text, it is relating the word before and after it. The relationship between "gospel" and "God" could be rendered two-fold: either the Gospel is "about God" and His saving activities or the Gospel is "from God", revealed and made known to us. In so far as the Gospel does address the sinner and their sinful condition, the Gospel's true core is about God and coming from Him. The Gospel tells the "old, old story of the Savior who came from glory". As commentator Warren Wiersbe notes:

"It is “the gospel of God” (Rom. 1:1) because it originates with God; it was not invented by humans. It is “the gospel of Christ” (Rom. 1:16) because it centers in Christ, the Savior. Paul also calls it “the gospel of his Son” (Rom. 1:9), which indicates that Jesus Christ is God. In Romans 16:25-26, Paul called it “my gospel.” By this he meant the special emphasis he gave in his ministry to the doctrine of the church and the place of the Gentiles in the plan of God."

2. Which He promised beforehand through His prophets

Now we find out how God revealed or "made known what was previously or would-had-been-otherwise unknown" the Gospel - namely by his prophets. Amos 3:7 reminds us that God doesn't disclose His will except through the prophets. We could go all the way back to at least Enoch, the seventh from Adam. Adam himself could be deemed a prophet - since he was naming the animals as duly assigned by God. A prophet's role was to represent God's interests to man. Adam represented God's creative order to the creation. According to Genesis 1:26, he and the woman were to originally be God's co-regents, having been made in His image and likeness. Other various figures like Enoch, Noah, Moses, Samuel, Isaiah and others functions as God's torch-bearers - bearing the incorruptible light of the Gospel to men. 

3. In the holy Scriptures.

We have been observing three things Paul says about the Gospel in Romans 1:1-2. We first noted that he called it the "Gospel of God". Next, he reminds his readers of how the Gospel, having been revealed way before the New Testament, was revealed by way of his prophets. Indeed, the prophetic office was an oracular office, that is, the prophet "spoke" on behalf of God to men. However, God also used some of these prophets to write down His words by way of their own writing styles and culture. As 2 Peter 1:10-12 notes: "As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look."

The Gospel is that central scarlet thread that holds together the tapestry of scripture. The Gospel and Christ are inseparable. One cannot properly understand the Old Testament apart from Jesus Christ and the Gospel. In like manner, one cannot understand life nor can one's life hold together apart from the Gospel. 

Why the Gospel is the center and circumference of God's work in this world

1 Corinthians 1:17 "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void."

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 "And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."

Whenever we read Paul's letters to the churches he either ministered at or influenced, we turn to the Book of Acts for the background and then to the letter itself for specific instructions and applications. The church at Corinth was a church that needed to be reminded of the centrality of the Gospel. As Paul first came to the city of Corinth in Acts 18, we read of his activities in Acts 18:5 "But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ."

For eighteen months Paul labored at Corinth. When he came - he came proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A few years would transpire in the church at Corinth before Paul would write his two letters that we in the New Testament. There were indeed many issues Paul addressed with the church - but out of all the issues, none were more important than the Gospel itself. 

When we come to 1 Corinthians 1:17, we find Paul switching gears from the then present conditions at Corinth to that of their beginning days as new followers of Christ. In short, Paul makes much of the Gospel. He reminds them that when he first came to them, he aimed to proclaim this most incredible message. 1 Corinthians 1:17-2:5 truly represents the all-encompassing embrace of the Gospel that grips the soul not only at conversion, but all the way through daily Christian life and even into eternity. 

It is not an overstatement to say that the Gospel is both the center and circumference of Christianity - with Jesus Christ occupying the center of it and the boundaries of its edges. If a minister comes to a church and does not know the Gospel nor its most salient features - then that man is not fit to occupy God's sacred desk. Paul came with this message and all of its important elements. What makes the Gospel so significant? Two answers can be given by first defining the Gospel and then describing the Gospel's impact from the beginning of salvation through and into eternity.

First, the Gospel is the good news concerning Jesus Christ and His achievement in reconciling sinners who respond to the Spirit's call unto Holy God for the sake of granting them benefits of sonship and an eternity with Him.  The Gospel is based upon an event - namely Christ's death, burial, resurrection and ascension. This event spells out the achievement of salvation by the Son. The event must needs become an experience - which can only occur in saving faith. The experience of salvation is spelled out in how the Spirit applies the benefits of Christ's work, from saving faith all the way to preservation unto the end. These truths outline the definition of the Gospel.

But now what about describing all that the Gospel does? We cannot even begin to list all of the areas covered by the Gospel. Nonetheless we can at least draw out a general description. Notice how the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ's work on our behalf, is shown to be the center and circumference of spiritual life, daily life and preparation for the next life....

1. The Gospel saves by granting spiritual life through saving faith in Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:17-29

2. The Gospel sanctifies through spiritual life in union with Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:30-31

3. The Gospel sustains spiritual life into eternity by the power of God in Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

The Gospel is truly the center and circumference of Christianity and God's redemptive activity. Unless we get the Gospel right, nothing else will be right. 

The first mention of the Gospel in the Bible - Genesis 3:15

Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Introduction
What makes Genesis 3:15 such a remarkable passage? Consider the fact that it contains the Bible's first promise and first prophecy.  The promise within Genesis 3:15 is about the Gospel.  Theologians and Christians of ages-past have nick-named Genesis 3:15 the proto-evangelium (pro-to-e-van-gel-eeum), which translated means: "the first announcement of the Gospel". Truly Genesis 3:15 is an acorn that contains the Biblical oaks of redemption and eschatology (study of last things, prophecy).

In today's post we want to consider Genesis 3:15 and the attending verses of Genesis 3:16-21 with regards to redemptive history, salvation and last things.  Consider the following ideas:

Conflict.  Genesis 3:15a
Genesis 3:15a records - And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed..".  Following the rebellion in the garden of Eden, God pronounced a curse upon Satan the serpent; Adam and Eve and the rest of creation.  In Genesis 3:15 we see portrayed the personal, historic and cosmic conflict that would ensue between God's Kingdom and Satan's lesser kingdom of darkness.  We note firstly the personal conflict between Eve and Satan.  God made it clear: Satan and Eve were to be enemies.  God's promise and plan of salvation that was to be revealed in the Covenant of Grace issued forth to Eve would run counter to Satan's agenda. 

God drew the battle lines that would not only characterize the personal animosity between humanity and Satan, but secondly the historic conflict.  We see the historic conflict in the words "his seed" and "your seed".  What is meant by those terms "seed"? "Seed" refers to two bloodlines, two groups of people, two spiritual categories of people that would exist throughout human history.  The seed of Satan refers to unbelievers, and the seed of the woman would refer to believers.  For example, Jesus perfectly summarizes this point in Matthew 13:36-40 -
36 Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” ³⁷ And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, ³⁸ and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 

Many other passage reveal the two different types of seed as referring to believers and unbelievers. (John 8:44; Ephesians 2:1-2) The historic conflict would entail Israel and her enemies, the apostles and their foes, and of course all subsequent generations of Christian people and unbelievers.  So we see conflict in this text of Genesis 3:15.  How will the conflict be resolved?  Where is such a conflict going to lead? That leads us to the second thought in this grand passage of Genesis 3:15, namely...

Coming Redeemer 3:15b
The Holy Ghost says in Genesis 3:15b - "He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”  The text goes from personal conflict between Eve and Satan, to historic conflict between unbelievers following satan and believers saved by grace through faith in Christ to the Cosmic conflict of the Coming Redeemer and Satan.  The fact that the text says "He" tells us that God has not only got a plan of salvation, but a Person who will accomplish salvation.  The Coming Redeemer was the entire focus of Old Testament revelation.  The "Seed" of Eve revealed in this verse would be the "Seed" promised later to Abraham. (Genesis 12,15,17,22)  Furthermore, this coming Redeemer would be progressively revealed over the centuries in greater and greater clarity.  

King David was told that He would have a descendant sitting on the Throne of Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 7:13-16) In-as -much as David was going to have royal descendants sitting on the throne of Jerusalem; God had also in mind One Ultimate Ruler, the Coming Redeemer.  Psalm 132:11 states - "The Lord has sworn to David A truth from which He will not turn back: “Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne."  

We know by the time of the New Testament, Jesus Christ would end up fulfilling the promises made to Abraham and David.  Through Israel the nation the redeemer would come.  Once the Redeemer came, he would live, die on the cross and be raised from the dead.  After Christ's ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, He inaugurated His reign on David's throne to rule over His church. (Acts 2:33-36)  This Redeemer who came is coming again.  Passages such as Romans 11:25-26 and Revelation 19-20 unfold the glorious Second Coming of this Redeemer.  When He returns, Christ will restore the nation of Israel as a nation and His church will reign with Him for 1,000 years.   

Now did Eve and Adam know all of these details? No.  Their level of understanding was in seed form, whereas our understanding is comparitively speaking a mature oak.  God progressively revealed His prophetic truth to each generation.  And so we see a conflict and a coming redeemer, but notice a third idea revealed in Genesis 3:16-21, namely....

Conquest.  Genesis 3:16-21
When you compare Genesis 3:16-21 to the last two chapters of Revelation, you find some amazing contrasts.  In fact, the darkness of Genesis 3 was pre-known by God.  God knew man was going to sin, it was no suprise.  God willed to permit the fall so as to show in ways we don't grasp the glories of His grace as well as to let man exercise his capacity as a responsible, moral being. 

So did the fall jeopardize God's plan for creation?  When you compare Genesis 3:16-21 to Revelation 21-22, you discover God's purpose in conquering satan, sin and death..

Genesis 3:16-21                         vs                     Revelation 21-22
-God & man separate                                  -God & believers together
-Death & Pain                                              -No Death & Pain
-Exile                                                            -A New Home
-Curse                                                          -No Curse
-Night is setting in                                        -No more night
-Long History ahead                                    -History alomost over
-Paradise lost                                              -Paradise rescued
-Blood of animals                                        -Based on Christ's blood
-Old Adam & Eve                                        -New Adam & Bride

Truly God's purposes and plans are not thwarted.  The glorious truth is that in the end God wins! All who by grace through faith believe will be saved.  Right now is the time of salvation, the perfect time to escape the wrath to come.  This is the wonder of prophecy and redemption, centered in the chief work of salvation and the chief end of God's glory in Jesus Christ. 

Have you received the Eternal Christ by faith?

John 1:12-13 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."

Introduction:

The past couple of posts have focused attention on the Eternal Christ that is revealed in John 1:1-18. So far we have considered the revelation of the eternal Christ and personal testimonies about Him. Today's post will once more appeal to John 1:1-18 and ask you the reader this question: have you received Him into your life by faith? 

The Apostle John writes what we writes not as a philosopher – though the truths of John 1:1-18 are indeed profound – but rather He appeals as an evangelist to the mind to get to the heart of the matter in regards to salvation. The Eternal Christ became man so that all by grace through faith could know Him and thus be connected to God. The Apostle John states in John 1:10-11 “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.” The Eternal Christ had come into the world of the Gentiles and was by and large rejected.

Likewise the Eternal Christ had come to His fellow Jews according to His humanity as their Messiah – and was rejected. I would suggest that John’s comments include the cameo appearances the Eternal Son made throughout the Old Testament in episodes and disguised personages – all of which witnessed Israel of old walking away from Him. The sad truth is that the response to Jesus Christ outside of saving grace is 100% rejection. Lest the Spirit is at work – no one will embrace Him – being that men love darkness more so than Him (John 3:17-19; Romans 3:10-13).

However it is John’s point to make the appeal to receive this Eternal Christ (John 1:12-13). The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 notes the following about God’s work of regeneration in salvation: “Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.” 

Wherever there is a willing reception of faith, the scriptures and the regenerating work of God – there will be 100% chance of salvation. Notice how we see those three elements at work in John 1:12-13:

A. The Scriptures work in salvation – John 1:12a “But as many as received Him….”

How else can a person receive or see the need to make room for the Eternal Christ? Only one instrument is used by the Spirit in the conversion of the soul – the scriptures. A person cannot receive something lest it is first given. How else and where else is the Living Christ given? The scriptures (Romans 10:9-16). Romans 10:17 especially notes – “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” So to receive the Lord Jesus Christ – the scripture must be present, but now notice secondly…

B. Reception by faith – John 1:12b “to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name…”

Unless there is a willing heart ready to respond to God’s call through the scripture, there will be no salvation. Faith is a gift given by God (Ephesians 2:8-9). The divine gifting of faith is what transforms into a decision of the will. The mystery of human responsibility and God’s Sovereignty are never in conflict in the scriptures. The responsibility demanded in the Gospel in John 1:12 is set alongside the Sovereignty of God that makes such a response possible in John 1:13.  

C. Regenerating work of God  – John 1:13 “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

The new birth derives from God (James 1:18). The means of reception granted in salvation is faith (Romans 10:9-10). Such faith is given and leads to trust in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:8-10; Ephesians 2:8-9). Amazingly in this passage, we discover that the miracle birth of salvation in the believer’s life is set alongside the incarnation of Jesus Christ – which of course entailed the unique virgin birth/conception. In short – The Eternal Christ came to experience the miracle birth so that at the moment of saving faith, I too could experience a miracle birth (John 3:1-5). 

Closing thoughts:

Today’s message has been all about considering, heeding and receiving the Eternal Christ. My prayer has been that this message had been used by the Lord to show Jesus Christ in such a way as to either embrace Him by faith for the first time or to embrace Him all the more tightly as a Christian. Consider His revelation, heed the testimonies about Him and receive Him by faith – this is what it means to consider, heed and receive the eternal Christ.