Post #1 The Meaning Of Anointing With Oil In James 5:13-16 - Prayer Is A Pre-requisite To Anointing With Oil

Introduction:

    I thought I would do a short blog series on the subject of anointing with oil. Recently in the church where I pastor, I have had the privilege of anointing two of our church members. The theology, Biblical warrant, and questions about God's timing and purpose in healing will provide our focus for this post and the next several. First, I'll cite the key text that supports this practice. I will then offer some exposition and applications. First the main passage.

James 5:13-16 (NASB) "Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

What I have experienced as a pastor over the years in the realm of sickness and healing.

    As a pastor I often experience the direct impact illness and suffering has in the lives of church members, my own family and in my own life. The subject of God's healing power and will to heal is an issue that I have found to be both encouraging and mysterious. 

    Oftentimes when reading anything on the subject, one will encounter one of two extremes: 

1. Either God wills all Christians to not be sick or....

2. He is in a general sense no longer performing miraculous acts of healing in the church. 

       To offset these two extreme positions, this author has found James 5:13-16 to be very helpful in shedding light on this very personal, emotionally charged and what can be spiritually liberating subject.

Main point and plan of this study in James 5:13-16. 

    In order to encourage the study and application this text, a fresh exegesis (that is, a leading out of the meaning of God's Words) on James 5:13-16 will be offered, along with life applicational headings and commentary. Hence, the next several posts aim to achieve the following: to better understand God's will and purposes in the healing of Christians who submit themselves to the prescribed rite of anointing with oil. The reader is urged to pray and ask the Holy Spirit for illumination prior to study. The Spirit is the One who makes the text plain to the believer's understanding and application. (see 1 Corinthians 2:10-13; 1 John 2:20,27)

A Quick note on the identity of James.  

    Who is the "James" that authored our main text? James was the half-brother of Jesus according to the flesh and was likely the author of this earliest of New Testament letters. The Book of James (or as it is called by its Greek title: "The Book of Jacob") predates the Gospel of Matthew by at least five years, making it the first composed canonical book of the New Testament. 

    James' letter gives insight into what the early church practiced and believed in what was less than 15 years after the birth of the church on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. One of the areas James enables us to sort is what the early church believed on the subject of healing, confession of sins and prayer. 

    James would have witnessed first- hand the healing ministry of his famous half-brother Jesus. Even though James did not believe on Jesus as the Messiah, Savior and Lord during that time, he did express faith in Him following a post-resurrection appearance by Jesus to him according to 1 Corinthians 15:7. 

    James' Epistle is valuable in that it has many parallel statements and teachings similar to Jesus, including healing. This brief background aids in us seeing how important James 5:13-16 is in enhancing one's understanding of physical healing in the scriptures. 

The Necessity of Prayer when dealing with sickness. James 5:13

James 5:13 "Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises."

    James begins with the question: Is anyone among you suffering affliction? The verb translated "suffering" is defined by scholar Dr. William Mounce as referring to "suffering evil or afflictions, to be troubled, dejected and to show endurance in the face of trials." 

    James is addressing those readers whom are currently experiencing not just mental, but also physical afflictions. The context of the passage suggests physical ailments being experienced in the congregation.

    To see where this particular verb is used elsewhere in scripture, Paul writes to Timothy In 2 Timothy 2:9 - 

"for which I suffer hardship  even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned." 

    Paul was in a dungeon and undoubtedly was facing physical difficulties due to exposure and deteriorating conditions. 

    In the one other place we find this verb in the New Testament, 2 Timothy 4:5, the context suggests more emotional difficulties found often in ministry: 

"But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." 

    Clearly there were people in the church who were sick, otherwise James would not have raised the question. What is his suggestion? Keep on praying.
We sometimes pray once or twice for people and then give up. In the text of James 5:13, whatever praying was begun, it must not cease. We should not give up whenever we don't see immediate results to our prayers. As preachers of old have often noted: "God's delays are not God's denials".

    In typical Jewish style (James of course was a Jew, writing to Christians who came from Jewish backgrounds), James expresses the exact opposite scenario of people who are experiencing joyful, relatively problem-free seasons: ("is anyone experiencing cheerful times, then let him sing"). 

    This Jewish literary device of stating extreme contrasts of human experience (called a "merism") served to represent the wholeness of life. James' point is to focus on how the Lord's presence is just as necessary in difficult seasons as delightful ones. (See Ecclesiastes 3 for example). Singing the praises of God and being thankful enables one to cultivate a life of prayer, which in turn makes praying for healing a natural (albeit a supernatural) part of the Christian life! Hence prayer is a necessary pre-requisite when it comes to preparing oneself for what could be a supernatural response from God.

More next time....

Post #19 1700 Years of the Nicene Creed - "and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate"

Introduction:

    In our last post we explored how the Son of God entered into our world through the virgin's birth of him as a male human being. In as much as we have devoted quite a few posts to the doctrine of the incarnation, the mystery of how it transpired evades comprehension. 

    What do we "know"? Well, we know "that" the incarnation historically occurred. The Gospels situate Jesus' life, death, and resurrection in the historical world of first century, 2nd Temple Judaism. Numerous books have been written to substantiate the historical claims of the Gospels and their numerous details on political, cultural, and religious life. The historical investigative principle of "double-dissimilarity" states that if a reported event cannot be explained by contemporary groups (Jews and Christians would not have had good reasons to use a virgin birth of Jesus as a center-piece to promote their causes outside of it actually occurring), then we can reasonably conclude that the event in question occurred. 

        The virgin birth is also recorded in two primary sources for Jesus' life (Gospel of Matthew and Gospel of Luke) and indirectly alluded to by Paul in Galatians 4:4 (i.e. "born of a woman"). Thus, this author finds the evidence for the historicity of the virgin birth compelling.  

    We also know "what happened" by key revelatory truths like "the hypostatic union" (the joining of a human nature to the Person of the Son) and the virginal conception that resulted in the birth of our Lord. Still, the "how" remains mysterious. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 3:16 "Beyond question, great is the mystery of godliness:

"He who was revealed in the flesh,

Was vindicated in the Spirit,

Seen by angels,

Proclaimed among the nations,

Believed on in the world,

Taken up in glory."

    As we move forward in our study of the Nicene Creed, we find it skipping over the life and ministry of our Lord to His crucifixion. One may wonder why the Councils of Nicaea (325) and then Constantinople (381) didn't include what we find revealed in the four Gospels about our Lord's earthly life and ministry. 

    It's not that such details weren't important. Rather, the Creed aims to summarize the key points of Christian belief that all Christians everywhere confessed and that needed defended.  

The significance of confessing "And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate"

    Out of all the truths confessed in the Nicene Creed, perhaps this particular line situates us most overtly in history. We've already observed the historical situatedness of the virgin birth. What I like about this line "and was crucified for us under Pontus Pilate" is the reminder that Christianity isn't just another body of abstract theological statements. It is a revealed faith that is grounded in history while being revealed by God from Heaven. 

    Other than "Jesus", Pilate is the only figure mentioned by name in the entire Creed. We find in earlier historic Christian creeds mention of Pontius Pilate as part of the confession of one's faith. Archaeology has confirmed the historicity of Pilate, whether in the writings of Flavius Josephus or the discovery of the Pilate Inscription in 1961. What I want to do now is compare what we find in earlier creeds to that of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. Below are some examples, with brief commentary that can help us appreciate the inclusion of Pilate's name in the Nicene Creed.

A. The Old Roman Creed, ca 100s A.D.

    As early as the second century, an ancient Creed known as "The Roman Creed" was used to teach converts preparing for Baptism. Many church historians note how this creed was a forerunner to the more familiar "Apostle's Creed". Hippolytus of Rome, writing in the late second century, notes the liturgy used in ancient baptismal rites in his work "Apostolic Tradition, Part 2":

"Before immersion I lead the candidate in renunciation of Satan and his works. The presbyter anoints with the oil of exorcism, commanding all spirits to depart, and then hands the candidate to the baptizer. Entering the water naked, accompanied by a deacon, each candidate is asked the creed: Do you believe in God the Father? Do you believe in Christ Jesus, born of the Virgin, crucified under Pontius Pilate, risen the third day, ascended and seated at the Father’s right hand, coming to judge the living and the dead?"

B. Apostle's Creed - 3rd century onward.

    The more familiar Apostle's Creed contains reference to Pontius Pilate in its confession of Christ's crucifixion:

"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried."

    Thomas Aquinas, the so-called "Angelic Doctor" and foremost theologian of the thirteenth century commented on this part of the Apostle's Creed with respect to Pontius Pilate:

"If you seek an example of humility, look upon Him who is crucified; although He was God, He chose to be judged by Pontius Pilate and to be put to death: “Your cause has been judged as that of the wicked” [Job 36:17]."

C. Heidelberg Catechism - late 16th century

    The Heidelberg Catechism was composed in 1563 to serve as a major catechism in the Reformed church. In Question 38 it asks:

Q. Why did he suffer 'under Pontius Pilate' as judge?

    The answer given by the catechism can aid us in understanding why Pilate's name is part of the historic confession of the church's faith.

 "A. So that he, though innocent, might be condemned by an earthly judge, and so free us from the severe judgment of God that was to fall on us."

The Nicene Creed summarizes what the historic Christian Church has confessed since day one.

     When one reads John's account of Jesus' crucifixion, it is evident that Pilate's "handing over" of Jesus for crucifixion marks a significant boundary line crossed wherein the Son of God was publicly sentenced, condemned, and sent by humanity to the cross for which He was ordained by God to do so. John 19:14-16 "Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, 'Behold, your King!'15 So they cried out, 'Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!' Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?' The chief priests answered, 'We have no king but Caesar.'16 So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified."

    In the Book of Acts we see evidence in the early days of the Church in Jerusalem that this particular moment had become codified in the church's prayers and liturgy, as seen in Acts 4:27-28 "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur." 

    The early church identified itself personally and historically with their crucified and risen Lord. By including Pilate's name in their prayers and confession, the church was situating the cosmic battle for salvation by the incarnate Son of God in the firm soil of history, Roman politics, and the drama of human anguish. The crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ bore our sin, shame, and guilt. His suffering under a tyrant was for our anguish. Truly in suffering "under Pontus Pilate", He fulfilled the words of Isaiah 53:3-5,

"He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed."

Post #18 1700 Years of the Nicene Creed - "and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man"

Introduction:

    Recently I did three posts where I devoted time to what I called "a flyover of the doctrine of the incarnation". All those posts are here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2025/10/post-1-flyover-of-incarnation-sons-pre.html, here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2025/10/post-2-flyover-of-incarnation-son-of.html, and here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2025/10/post-3-flyover-of-incarnation-what.html. My goal in those posts was to provide readers with an introduction or "primer" to the doctrine of the incarnation to facilitate our continuing study of the Nicene Creed. 

    In our last post from our study in the Nicene Creed here Growing Christian Resources: Post #17 1700 Years of the Nicene Creed - "Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven", we began to explore the part of the Nicene Creed that confesses the mystery of Christ's incarnation. My hope is with that post and the other three posts on "A flyover of the doctrine of the incarnation", readers will find the next several posts upbuilding and uplifting as we continue to explore the Nicene Creed's confession of the Son of God's incarnation.

      In 1739 Charles Wesley wrote the familiar Christmas Carol “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”. Its second stanza is my favorite lines of all the Christmas carols we sing in a given season:

“Christ, by highest heaven adored,

Christ, the everlasting Lord,

late in time behold him come,

offspring of the Virgin's womb:

veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

hail th'incarnate Deity,

pleased with us in flesh to dwell,

Jesus, our Immanuel.”

       Today we continue our journey by noting the doctrine of the virgin birth, which is truly the gateway by which we enter into what the Nicene Creed confesses: "and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man."

The virginal conception of our Lord's humanity is the gateway into the incarnation of the Son of God.

  St. Louis, Missouri is called “The Gateway to the West”. The early 19th century westward expansion would begin from there. In theological terms, the virgin birth is the gateway to the doctrine of the incarnation. The incarnation is the eternal Son of God, in undiminished deity, being united by the Holy Spirit in the virgin’s womb to undiluted humanity, thus forever being truly God and truly man. 

    The incarnate Son, Jesus Christ, is associated with the doctrines describing Him, including: His mission as the sent Son of God; hypostatic union to become the incarnate Son of God; his virgin birth to be the way to God; his earthly life to be the Savior from God; his cross to be the Lamb of God; then His resurrection, ascension, and soon return to prove He is God.  All these doctrines become rejected if the virgin birth is denied. The inclusion of the virgin birth in the Nicene Creed communicates it to be an essential doctrine of the Christian faith.

The miracle of the virgin birth confessed by the Nicene Creed.

    When you read and confess those words "and was incarnated by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man", it is evident that you are treading upon holy ground. Let's look at some key points about the virgin birth from the Bible to grasp why the Nicene Creed makes it an essential component of its confession of the incarnation of the Son of God.

1. The mother of the virgin birth. Luke 1:26-27

    We read in Luke 1:26-27 “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.”  Notice with me….

 A. Candidate for the virgin birth. 

2x “virgin” in Luke 1:26-27 we see Mary twice called “virgin”. There is a complementary prophecy of the virgin birth in Jeremiah 31:21b-22 “Return, O virgin of Israel, return to these your cities. 22 “How long will you go here and there, O faithless daughter? For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth—a woman will encompass a man.” 

    The context of this prophecy involves the prediction of the New Covenant era, of which Jesus’ arrival heralded its embryonic beginnings. Notice there again that latter phrase in Jeremiah 31:22 “a woman will encompass a man”. The point here is that Mary was a proper candidate, at the right place, at the right time, as God’s choice vessel to bear forth the incarnate Son of God. Thus, a candidate for the virgin birth.

B. Converted faith through a new birth. Luke 1:28

     Notice what the angel says to Mary in Luke 1:28 “And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” The phrase “favored one” or “to find favor” speaks of God selecting whomever to bestow grace, found over thirty times in the Bible. We read of Noah in Genesis 6:8 as “having found favor” with God. In other words, it indicates the person was at some point drawn and converted in saving faith by the Lord. 

    To have God’s favor is not due to God being moved by the efforts of the sinner, but rather God bestowing grace out of unprovoked love for the sinner. Darrell Bock in his commentary notes that Mary was a recipient of God’s favor, not a bestower of it. Mary had at some point responded to God’s call of grace into her heart. She was born again already by the time the angel found her. We know this to be true for the angel say: “the Lord is with you”. Hebrews 13:5 says of all true Christ followers, that “He will never leave you nor forsake you”. It explains what Mary was so receptive to this news. Mary then was the candidate for the virgin birth and was converted by the new birth. Thirdly, she was connected to King David by birth.

C. Connected to King David by birth.

     Luke’s genealogy of Jesus traces His bloodline back through to David, to Abraham, and ultimately to Adam. Matthew’s genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17) proved Jesus has legal right to the throne of Israel through Joseph’s side of David’s bloodline. Luke’s account on the other hand has Jesus having biological rights to the throne of Israel through Mary. 

    The angel’s appearance to Mary meant she was not a random virgin, but a particular one. The virgin birth is not only indirectly connected to the New Covenant we saw earlier, but now we see how Jesus will fulfill God’s promise to David by deriving His humanity from Mary in His virginal conception – a bloodline to King David Himself. So, we have Mary, the mother of the virgin birth, a fit candidate, by faith converted to the Lord, and fully connected to King David in terms of lineage.

2. The messenger of the virgin birth. Luke 1:28-30

     All of creation and history were used by God the Father in working providence to bring forth the Son of God into our world. We no less see this than by the Heavenly messenger and his prophetic message. 

A. Heavenly messenger. Luke 1:29-30

     We read in Luke 1:29-30 “But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.”  The angel Gabriel is the heavenly messenger in view. Out of the multiplied trillions of angels, God sent this one. 

     Gabriel is found only four times in two books of the Bible (Daniel 8:16, 9:20-21, and here in Luke’s Gospel). Gabriel only appeared to help bring clarity and understanding to a particular prediction or Messianic message about the Son of God. Gabriel, we could say, was God’s special “press secretary” if you please.

B. Prophetic message. Luke 1:30-33, compare Isaiah 9:6-7.

    I won’t comment more on Isaiah 9:6-7, since we did that already at the beginning of this post. Nevertheless, that text from Isaiah is on Luke’s mind here in Luke 1:30-33 “The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”  

    Isaiah 9:6-7 hearkens back to a grand covenant God made with David in 2 Samuel 7:13-16. In 2 Samuel 7:16 God promises David: “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’  

    Jesus would begin to fulfill this promise from the moment His humanity (a Davidic humanity I might add) was knitted in Mary’s womb to His Divine person by the Holy Spirit. He is called “Son of David” in Matthew 1:1. Luke 3:31 identifies Jesus as “the son of David” by bloodline. Only a perfect heir of David had rights to throne of Jerusalem. This is why the Apostle Paul opened his greatest letter with these words in Romans 1:3 …”concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh”. A heavenly messenger brought forth a prophetic message to Mary, who herself was to be the mother of our Lord according to the flesh (compare Luke 1:43, Elizabeth’s reference to Mary). One more truth about the virgin birth.

3. The miracle of the virgin birth. Luke 1:31-37

   Let me remind us of our definition of the incarnation offered in this message: The incarnation is the eternal Son of God, in undiminished deity, being united by the Holy Spirit in the virgin’s womb to undiluted humanity, thus forever being truly God and truly man. As you follow the remainder of Luke’s narrative in Luke 1:31-37, you find why I defined the incarnation in this way – its straight from the text itself.

     Now before we unpack the miracle of the virgin birth, let’s first be clear on what a miracle is. A miracle is an uncommon act of God, not produced naturally, that occurs within a religiously significant context, that prompts wonder and awe in Him. 

    Providence involves acts of God, however God utilizes history and natural phenomenon, even men’s wills, to guide and bring about His most wise purposes. Miracles are to be expected in our world, since God created our universe out of nothing (Genesis 1:1), which by definition is a miracle (none of the physical laws, matter, or even time itself existed until He said it to be so). As the angel says in Luke 1:37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Let’s walk our way through this miracle.

A. Unique seed of a woman. 1:31a Cf Genesis 3:15, Jer 31:33.

     Note in Luke 1:31 “you will conceive in your womb and bear a son”.

B. Undiminished deity. 1:31b-32a

     Note in Luke 1:32a “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High”.

C. Undiluted humanity. 1:32b

     How else could He have David as his ancestor lest he himself is “truly man for us”. Note Luke 1:32b “the throne of His father David.”

D. Unparalleled personality. 1:33

     Notice Luke 1:33 a, first few words: “and He will reign…”. The incarnation       involves a Divine person, a member of the Trinity. This is not two persons, nor a human person adopted later as “the Son of God” at His baptism.  This is the Divine Person of the Son, having two natures, an unparalleled Personality.

E. Union by the Holy Spirit. 1:34-35

    Note if you will the angels answer to Mary’s question “how will this be?” in Luke 1:35 “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”  

     It is interesting to note that the verb translate “overshadow” is the same description of the presence of the Lord overshadowing the Jewish Tabernacle in the Greek translation of Exodus 40:35. We know that Christ’s incarnation was a work of the Holy Spirit literally bringing God to be with men (“Immanuel”, Mt 1:23; Isaiah 7:14).

F. Unlimited power of God. 1:36-37

    When we come Luke 1:36, the angel makes mention of Elizabeth and Zechariah’s conception of John the Baptist. That act in itself was God’s Divine providence, a special providence, working in and through the natural order of  human conception. God is not only 
the God of providence, but here, the God
of the miraculous. As we already saw in verse 37 “nothing will be impossible with God”.

Closing thought:

    When we put all these thoughts together, we have a Biblical description of the virginal conception of our Lord = Undiminished deity of an unparalleled personality united to undiluted humanity by the Holy Spirit through God’s unlimited power. We have then the mother of the virgin birth, the messenger of the virgin birth, and the miracle of the virgin birth. This grand mystery and confession is the gateway to enjoying the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God. 

Happy Reformation Day: October 31st, 2025

 Pictured is the 16th century German Reformer, Martin Luther

Introduction:

       I begin today's post by quoting from Paul's letter to the church at Rome in Romans 4:1-3,

"What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

       Today, October 31, will mark a significant date on the calendar. Many people may think of "Halloween" when I mention October 31st. However, there is a far greater set of reasons to celebrate. An event of historic proportions occurred over 500 years ago that would shape the course of Christianity even to this day - the Protestant Reformation. 

The big deal that led to the Protestant Reformation

      What was the Reformation? In 16th century Europe, cries for reform in the Medieval Catholic Church ensued. Within the church, 14th century Christian thinkers such as John Huss and John Wycliffe preached sermons that urged people to "return to the Gospel" by "returning to the Book" - the Bible. Moral, spiritual and theological corruption invaded the church in Europe through centuries of accumulated human tradition and Biblical illiteracy. Roman Catholic scholars such as Desiderius Erasmus (who would become a major theological opponent of Martin Luther, the historically recognized initiator of the Protestant Reformation) was even urging the need for reform.  

       Early 16th century Germany was ripe for the actions of Martin Luther when he nailed a public document to the door of the church in Wittenburg Germany. Luther challenged Roman Catholic leaders to a public debate over the abuse of Pope Leo X selling documents which promised less time in purgatory in order to pay for the construction of the then new St. Peter's Basilica (Church) in Rome. This peddling of lessening people's time in purgatory was known in those days as "selling of indulgences". 

     The Roman Catholic Church taught that an overabundance of merit before God was "indulged" or available at the appropriate price. Many people sought to purchase these documents with the thought of their dead loved ones having an easier time in the afterlife. Astute thinkers like Martin Luther knew that this idea was not taught in scripture (that is, indulgences and Purgatory itself). 

How the Reformation got to the root of major spiritual problems and the point of this post

      The Reformation would soon get to the root of the problems abounding in 16th century European spiritual life. Those problems include ultimate authority (the Bible or the church?) Another issue what this "how is a person justified" or "made right before God"? Is faith alone in Christ sufficient to receive such justification or is participation in the church's sacramental system required to attain righteousness? 

      The two issues of ultimate authority for Christianity and how a person is made right with God ever remain top areas of contention in our world. As we think about October 31, all Bible believing groups, including Southern Baptists, are deeply indebted to what God did through the Protestant Reformation that began on October 31st, 1517. Today's post is aimed at issuing forth two direct challenges to Southern Baptists and all other Bible believing groups about Reformation Day, October 31st: 

1. A rejoicing challenge.

2. A take back challenge. 

1. The Challenge to Rejoice 

      So why rejoice over Reformation day, October 31st? Three reasons....

a. The recovery of "sola scriptura" 

    or "scripture alone"

      First of all, as mentioned already, the root or "formal cause" of Luther's "call for reform" had to do with ultimate authority in the Christian life and church. Martin Luther had become a professor of theology in 1512, tasked with the responsibility of expounding books of the Bible to theology students. 

      As he wrestled with lack of peace in his own soul, the matter of ultimate authority would throb in the backdrop of his mind. Yes, Luther would come to terms with the "material cause" of the Reformation - the doctrine of justification or "how a person is made right with God". He did so by his preparation of lectures on Paul's letter to the Romans. Yet, in the years following his "Tower experience" conversion in 1515, Luther would champion the view of Jesus and the Apostles - "Scripture alone". In short, "sola scriptura" affirms that the Bible, not human tradition, constitutes the grounds of authority that shapes life, explains the afterlife and addresses the conscience.

    To sharpen what Luther was needing to address in the Reformation, the big question was this: is it the Pope and his statements concerning who went to heaven and who did not constitute the ultimate authority for the church? Or, is it sacred scripture that God alone revealed to communicate matters pertaining to this life and the one to come?

    As Martin Luther wrestled over such questions, his conclusion was - Scripture alone! Doubtless, other forms of authority such as church leadership, conclusions from reason and other forms of knowledge had their place in Luther's thinking. Yet, all of those said authorities were subsumed under scripture. Luther and other Reformers, such as Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, John Knox and others affirmed the "magisterial" role of scripture in its relationship to reason, tradition and church leadership.

b. The recovery of justification by 

    faith alone or "sola fide" (faith 

    alone). 

      So the recovery of Scripture and its unique authority (sola scriptura) is the first cause of celebration. The second reason to rejoice over October 31st and Reformation Day is due to the recovery of the Gospel of Justification by Faith Alone (sola fide). 

       In contrast to the man-made traditions of the Roman Catholic Church of the Middle Ages, Luther and those after him re-asserted the Biblical truth that faith by itself is both the necessary and sufficient means of receiving the gift of salvation. Old Testament passages such as Genesis 15:6 and New Testament passages such as Ephesians 2:8-9 affirm "sola fide" or salvation by means of "faith alone". 

     Thus, justification by faith alone became the central doctrine, "the stuff" or "material cause" driving the vehicle of the Protestant Reformation. The doctrine of scripture alone (sola scriptura) was Luther's fuel in the engine that drove His call for reform - Justification by faith alone (sola fide). Luther himself noted that Justification by Faith is the one article upon which the church rises or falls.

c. Recovering the truth about the Biblical concept of the church

      We've observed "sola scriptura" (Scripture's unique authority) and "sola fide" (the only means of receiving the Gospel is by faith alone apart from works). The third reason to celebrate Reformation Day, October 31st, is because the Biblical concept of the church was recovered. 

    A phrase that historians and theologians use to summarize the need to continue reformation of the church is "semper reformanda" (always needing to reform"). What this little Latin phrase is driving at is that no church can ever claim they have become perfectly Biblical in their practices, doctrine, and life. In as much as the Protestant Reformation was a historical movement, the work of keeping the church Biblical, and ensuring such, is an ongoing task. 

    As Martin Luther denounced the Roman Catholic Church's system of indulgences, another question emerged: how is a man or woman made right with God? A church that does not derive its authority from the scriptures nor teaches the Biblical concept of the Gospel - justification by faith alone, cannot be deemed a true church. 

        Roman Catholicism of 16th century Europe, as well as today, communicates faith to be necessary for salvation - however it teaches that faith by itself is not sufficient.  According to Rome, one must participate in the Roman Catholic church system of baptism, confession, penance, and Mass to be deemed right by God and to stay right.  

     The Gospel in the Reformation's recovery of the church shined forth not as a candle but as a brilliant sun. If God had not raised up men like Martin Luther to spark the Reformation movement, then the recovery of Biblical authority, justification by faith in the Gospel and the necessary truth of the local church may had turned out quite different.
      

        So we need to answer the challenge to celebrate Reformation day due to what God did in calling us back to the Bible, the Gospel and the Church. 

2. The Take-Back Challenge: Let's take back October 31st and celebrate God's Word, the Gospel and Jesus' mission for His church

       We've look at the challenge to rejoice over what God did in the reformation of the 16th century. So what about today? This brings us to our second challenge - "the take-back challenge". It is time to take back October 31, and use this day to proclaim the truth of scripture and the reformation, sparked on October 31, 1517. Truly the message of the Reformation is a message about "after darkness, light" (post tenebras lux).  Gospel Light, not darkness, should characterize our lives as Christians.  

      October 31st has been for years a time for paganism to observe one of the so-called "spirit nights" on their yearly calendar.  Rather than promoting a day of darkness and wickedness, witches, ghosts and goblins, Christians need to take a God-centered event like the Reformation and remind themselves of how God led His church back to the Bible, the Gospel of justification by faith alone and recovery of the Biblical concept of the church.  
 

        The Reformation was about calling forth people from spiritual darkness into the light of Jesus Christ.  Someone once said, "it is more effective to light a candle than merely curse the darkness".  Let's light the Gospel light and shine the glory of the Gospel.  As Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 - 

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." 

Post #3 A Flyover Of The Incarnation: What events and works of the Son follow from His incarnation

Introduction:

    In the last two post of this series we've done a quick flyover of the doctrine of the incarnation of the Son of God. In the first post we considered His pre-incarnate existence, noting His eternal existence in the Trinity, His historic appearances in the Old Testament, and how He was expected by prophetic predictions pointing to His eventual incarnation. 

    We then proceeded to consideration of two doctrines that help us frame the cause and effect of the incarnation. We noted how the so-called "hypostatic union" details the union of the human nature to the Person or "hypostasis" of the Son, resulting in Him becoming man while ever remaining God. The hypostatic union involves the Son of God voluntarily become man for our sake, with the Holy Spirit mysteriously uniting the humanity supplied from Mary's virgin womb to the Person of the Son. 

    The effect or result is the virgin birth and beginning of the incarnate life of the Son of God. What I want to do in this post is highlight five personal works that the Son of God performed and will perform as a consequence of His permanent incarnation. Today we close out this short series by noting the events and works that follow from the Son of God's incarnation.

1. Supply perfect righteousness.

      As the incarnate Son, Jesus Christ came to provide perfect righteousness as the second Adam. 1 Corinthians 15:45-47 “So also it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.” The perfect righteousness provided by Jesus’ perfect humanity was needed so that at saving faith, we who contracted the first Adam’s original sin and unrighteousness could be declared by the Father to have the credit of Christ’s righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

2. Suffer on the cross.

          Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”.

3 Swallow death by resurrection.

     1 Corinthians 15:54-57 “But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The context of these verses traces the believer’s future resurrection to the resurrection of our Lord three days following His crucifixion.

4. Ascend to minister in heaven.

      Forty says following our Lord’s resurrection, He ascended into Heaven to sit at the Father’s right hand. Mark 16:19 “So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.”  We know our Lord still retains His incarnated state, since as man for us He remains our mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). Henceforth He prays for us and represents every Christian as their prophet who speaks through the Scriptures, their priests who intercedes for them, and their soon coming King.

E. Soon return to reign.

      One final truth concerning what follows from the incarnation of the Son of God, His physical bodily return to earth. Acts 1:11 “They also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”  Titus 2:13 “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”

Conclusion:

     We could multiply many more passages, yet I want to spend the next few weeks detailing more what we explored in general terms this message regarding the Son of God’s incarnation. In this message we considered what I call three areas that summarizes the overall truth of the incarnation of the Son of God:

1. The Son’s pre-existence before His incarnation.                

2. The Son’s participation in His incarnation.                        

3. The Son’s personal works from His incarnation.    

I want to close with a marvelous statement produced several years ago by Ligonier Ministries entitled “The Word Made Flesh”. It captures everything I have attempted to preach here in this post. The link to the entire statement, including its affrimations and denials is found here: The Ligonier Statement on Christology

"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.

He was born of the Virgin Mary

and lived among us.

Crucified, dead, and buried,

He rose on the third day,

ascended to heaven,

and will come again

in glory and judgment.

For us,

He kept the Law,

atoned for sin,

and satisfied God’s wrath.

He took our filthy rags

and gave us

His righteous robe.

He is our Prophet, Priest, and King,

building His church,

interceding for us,

and reigning over all things.

Jesus Christ is Lord;

we praise His holy Name forever.

Amen."

 

Post #2 A Flyover Of The Incarnation: The Son of God's incarnation

Introduction:

    In our last post we began to do a "flyover of the incarnation', noting the pre-existence of the Son of God. In that last post we considered how the Son of God existed eternally in the Trinity, evidently by His historical appearances throughout the Old Testament, and expectantly in the prophetic predictions that looked forward to His eventual incarnation. 

    When we talk of the incarnation, we first remind of ourselves of the definition we proposed at the beginning of the last post, namely: The Son of God’s entry into time and space to add unto His Person a human nature, endowed with mind, emotions, will, and body.  

    In today's post, we move onto part two of our "flyover" of the doctrine of the incarnation, namely the incarnation its. 

The incarnation's cause and effect

    To help simplify in our minds and hearts what took place, we can note the incarnation’s cause and then its effect. Let me say one more thing before moving forward. No theologian can explain how the incarnation happened (the mystery of how total humanity was united by the Holy Spirit to the Person of the Son in the virgin’s womb). All we know is that the incarnation did indeed occur.

A. Event of the incarnation: hypostatic union (cause).

          When we talk of the event of the incarnation in which our Lord participated, we first note the cause of it. Theologians refer to the moment of the Son’s Person united with a human nature as the “hypostatic union”. Theologian Wayne Grudem offers this summary statement of the doctrine: “The union of Christ’s human natures in one person”. 

    John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue in their volume “A Systematic Summary of Biblical Truth – Biblical Doctrine”, page 931, give a further description of the hypostatic union: 

“The union of Jesus’ Divine and human natures in one person, without confusion, without change, without division, and without separation.” 

    The word “hypostatic” refers to the Divine Person of the Son, having already the eternal Divine essence He shares with the Father and the Spirit. In fact, that Greek word “hypostasis” is found in Hebrews 1:3, which describes the Son in relationship to God the Father: “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.”  

     One of the key verses that capture the moment of the hypostatic union or the Son’s adding of a human nature to His Divine Person is Hebrews 10:5 “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me”. The hypostatic union, or union of a human nature to the Person of the Son, wherein was already His eternal Divine nature, is the cause of the incarnation’s event. What then is the result?

B. Effect of the incarnation: virgin birth (effect).

     As to viewing the hypostatic union from a human standpoint, note the angel’s words to Mary in Luke 1:35 “The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”  

    As the Son participated mysteriously yet wondrously of the union of a human nature to His Person, we understand the Holy Spirit to be the key Agent that made such a union possible. Notice John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  

    The conception and birth of the incarnated Son as a baby in the virgin’s womb and from it is what we mean by the effect. We can never peer into the mystery of how true humanity was united to total deity in the Person of the Son by the Spirit. The hypostatic union is veiled in mystery, stated as doctrine yet not fully comprehended. The virgin birth on the other-hand made visible, plain, and historic this wondrous miracle. 

Closing thoughts:

    We see then the participation of the Son in His incarnation. We’ve already observed the Son’s existence preincarnation from eternity. In the final post of this short series, we will discover what other truths result from the incarnation of the Son of God.

Post #1 A Flyover Of The Incarnation: The Son's Pre-Existence

Introduction:

    I thought that since we are looking at the section of the Nicene Creed that handles confession of the incarnation of the Son of God, it would behoove us to do a side series on the doctrine of the incarnation itself. In my last post I had us begin our journey into the Nicene Creed's confession of the incarnation, which readers may review here: Growing Christian Resources: Post #17 1700 Years of the Nicene Creed - "Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven"

    On Sunday nights at our church I am preaching a series of messages on this very subject. Today's post and the next two are based off of a sermon I preached entitled "A flyover of the incarnation". I figured this short blog post series would complement our focus on the incarnation in our major blog series: "1700 years of the Nicene Creed". 

What do we mean by incarnation?

  The Son of God’s entry into time and space to add unto His Person a human nature, endowed with mind, emotions, will, and body is what we mean by incarnation. The Son’s incarnation made possible His provision of perfect righteousness, substitutionary death on the cross, resurrection, ascension, present ministry as the believer’s Mediator in Heaven, and soon return. 

    In 1739 Charles Wesley wrote the familiar Christmas Carol “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”. Its second stanza is my favorite lines of all the Christmas carols we sing in a given season:

“Christ, by highest heaven adored,

Christ, the everlasting Lord,

late in time behold him come,

offspring of the Virgin's womb:

veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

hail th'incarnate Deity,

pleased with us in flesh to dwell,

Jesus, our Immanuel.”

     The Young Baptist’s Catechism asks: “How did Jesus Christ, being the Son of God, become man?” Answer: “Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.”  

    For today's post, we are going to begin a three-part series of a fly-over of this important doctrine. This is important, as Peter writes in 2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”  

    To give the reader a bird's eye view of what we will cover in today's post and the next two, below is a summary outline:

1. The Son’s pre-existence before His incarnation.                

2. The Son’s participation in His incarnation.                        

3. The Son’s personal works from His incarnation.                

The Son’s pre-existence before His incarnation.      

     Hebrews 10:5-7 “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me; 6 In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure. 7 ‘Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) to do Your will, O God.’”  

    How was Christ pre-existent before His incarnation? We can answer this question in stages: Evidence in the O.T., Expectations of prophecy, Eternal in the Trinity.

A. Evidence in the Old Testament.

      We find in the Old Testament certain cameo appearances of the pre-incarnate Son. Theologians refer to these as manifestations of the Son, also known as “Christophanies”. For example, He is mentioned in over thirty Old Testament references, appearing to more than fifteen individuals as “Messenger of the Lord” or “Angel of the Lord”. In Genesis alone we find the “Angel of the Lord” eight times (Genesis 16:7-14; 21:17; 22:11-18; 24:7,40; 31:11-13; 32:22-32; 48:15-16). 

    The prophet Isaiah gives what is perhaps the best summary statement of this mysterious figure in Isaiah 63:8-9 “For He said, ‘Surely, they are My people, Sons who will not deal falsely. So He became their Savior. 9 In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.”  We see in this passage that the Angel of the Lord performs the same work of redemption as God, and yet is distinguished from Him as a Person in the Godhead. Read in light of the New Testament, we can say this is an Old Testament appearance of the pre-incarnate Son.

     Not only did He appear as the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament, but other evidence exists as well. One other way to note evidence of the Son in the Old Testament, specifically in the mention of Him. One example is Psalm 2:7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.”  The pre-existence of the Son is seen by evidence of Him in the Old Testament.

B. Expected by prophecy.

      Prophetic Scriptures in the Old Testament are filled with visions and predictions of the Son before His days in the flesh and when He would come to be man. The late H.L Wilmington in his “The Complete Book of Bible Lists” references some 45 Old Testament prophecies that pointed to or that were fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Such prophecies predicted for example:

(B1). He would descend from Abraham (Genesis 12:3,7; 17:7; Romans 9:5; Gal 3:16) and more specifically from Abraham’s great- grandson Judah, the patriarch of the Israelite tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10; Hebrews 7:14; Revelation 5:5).

(B2). He would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23) yet clearly still be “Emmanuel” or truly God with us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23).

(B3). That He would be called a Nazarene (Isaiah 11:1; Matthew 2:23) and be crucified or pierced in His hands and feet (Psalm 22:16; Zechariah 12:10; Mark 15:25; John 19:34,37; 20:25-27).

(B4). That He would rise from the dead (Psalm 16:10; Matthew 28:2-7), ascend into heaven (Psalm 24:7-10; Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51).

(B5). His current occupancy at the Father’s right hand was also predicted (Psalm 110:1; Matthew 22:44; Hebrews 10:12-13).

(B6). His second coming to rule on the earth is also predicted (Psalm 2:8; Revelation 2:27).

    When you extend the scope of prophecies pertaining to further details about His atoning work on the cross, resurrection, and second coming, a total of over 330 prophecies forecasted the coming of the incarnate Son of God. Micah 5:2 is the most striking, requiring the Person that fulfills it be truly God and truly man: “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” 

    The preincarnate Son is evident in the Old Testament and was expected by prophecy. We can however push His pre-existence back all the way to eternity…

C. Eternal in the Trinity.

      Let me give for sake of time one prime example of the eternal pre-existence of the Son, Psalm 102:25-27 “Of old You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. 26 “Even they will perish, but You endure; and all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. 27 “But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.” 

    This particular psalm, written quite possibly by the prophet Daniel, is speaking of none other than God the Son according to Hebrews 1:8-11, which quotes these verses. The Son of God is described in the Bible as “begotten” of the Father. That term “beget” speaks of Him being one with the Father in the same essence (John 10:30 “I and the Father are one”) while distinguishing Him from the Father with regards to His personal identity in the Trinity (see John 1:18 ”the only begotten God”). 

    Based upon the evidence of His appearances in the Old Testament, prediction by prophecy, and Personal eternal activity in the Trinity, we have a basic profile of the preincarnate Son in the Bible. But now what of His participation in what would be His incarnation? That will be the subject of the next post in this short series....stay tuned!