[A fools errant it is to search the scriptures in hope of validating the heresy of Palagius. Evidence of the depraved state of man is a believers denial of electing and redeeming grace apart from human merit and participation. As sand in an open wound or a sliver under the nail divine sovereignty in salvation is an irritant which fallen sinners will likely continue to postulate until the Lord returns. And yet, as Manton demonstrates, such an enterprise is vain and dishonoring to God. Only by contorting sacred scripture through sloppy exposition is there, even momentarily, the faintest appearance of legitimacy. Upon closer examination the illegitimate thesis is exposed for what it truly is: the antithesis of grace, such that cheapens the atonement, presenting the Savior to all but effectually saving none, allowing the Prince of Glory to suffer the travail of His soul for naught, undermining the eternal promise of His Father of a Bride. In this exposition of the eighth chapter of Romans Thomas Manton theologically and rhetorically annihilates his adversaries who hold to the despicable teachings of Palagius.--J.A. Matteson]
Because the carnal mind is enmity to God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. - Rom. viii. 7.
IN the words a reason is given, why the carnal minding will be deadly to us, because it is enmity to God. God surely will be avenged on all his enemies: those that are enemies to God will shortly be dealt with as enemies.
Therefore to be carnally minded is death, because the carnal mind is enmity to God, &c.
In the words here is -
1. A proposition.
2. A reason; First. From the contumacy of the carnal mind; Secondly. From its impotency to overcome it: it is a weak wilfulness, or a wilful weakness.
First. The proposition. And there is to be considered the subject, the carnal mind. The predicate is enmity to God.
1. The subject, or thing spoken of, fronèma sarkos, the carnal mind, or the minding of the flesh, or the wisdom of the flesh. But that hath in a great measure been shown before; therefore -
[1.] By the carnal mind is meant the rational powers, corrupted by our sensitive appetite, and disposed to obey it; or a mind deceived by the flesh, and enslaved by it; called elsewhere 'a fleshly mind,' Col. ii. 18.
[2.] It is here considered in its prevalency and reign, as it depresseth the mind from rising up to divine and spiritual things, and wholly bindeth it, and causeth it to adhere to things terrene and earthly, such as gratify sense, and conduce to please the flesh. The wisdom of the flesh is described: James iii. 15, 'The wisdom that descendeth not from above is earthly, sensual, devilish:' and 1 John ii. 16; 'All that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.'
2. The predicate. It is not only echthron, but echthra, enmity to God. It is more emphatical; an enemy may be reconciled, but enmity cannot. That which is black may be made white, but blackness cannot. This emphatical expression is to set forth the perfect contrariety that is in our desires, affections, inclinations, and actions, to the will of God. We love what he hateth, and hate what he loveth. It is not only an enemy, but enmity.
Doct. That the wisdom of the flesh is downright opposition and enmity to God.
To evidence this, take these considerations:-
1. It is possible that human nature may be so far forsaken as that among men there should be found haters of God and enemies to him. We bless ourselves from so great an evil; and men scarce believe that there are such profligate and forlorn wretches in the world as to profess themselves to be enemies to God, who is so good and the fountain of all goodness; and, for our own part, are ready to defy those that charge it upon us. But the matter is clear. The Scriptures show expressly, that there are 'haters of God,' theostugeis, Rom. i. 30; and Ps. cxxxix. 21, 'Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee?' and Ps. xiii. 2, 'They that hate thee, are risen up against us without a cause.' And we need not go among the pagans and infidels to seek or find out them that are haters of God; there is an opposite party to God nearer at hand; and they are all those that walk contrary to him: Col. i. 21, 'Enemies in your minds, by evil works;' and Ps. lxviii. 21, 'He will wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such as go on still in their trespasses.' Now many such live within the verge of the church, and are not to be sought among Turks and infidels only.
2. That hatred and enmity to God may be determined by three things: (1.) If we love not God at all; (2.) If we love him not as much as we ought to do; (3.) If we rebel against him and disobey his laws.
(1.) If we love not God at all; for not to love, is to hate, in things worthy to be beloved. Surely, in divine matters, there is no medium: he that is not with God, is against him: Mat xii. 30; and he that loveth him not, hateth him. To be a neuter, is to be a rebel, because God doth so much deserve our love, and we are so much obliged to him, and depend upon him. So it is said, Prov. viii. 36, 'All that hate me, love death: he that sinneth against me, wrongeth his own soul.' They that do not seek after wisdom, hate it; they care not for God, whether he be pleased or displeased. You speak all manner of misery to that man of whom you may say, that he loveth not God. So Christ brandeth his enemies: 'I know that you have not the love of God in you,' John v. 42. Men are in a woeful case, if void of the love of God. Love being the fountain of desiring all communion with him, and the root of all obedience to him; therefore, if men, blinded by the delusions of the flesh, or diverted by the world, love not God, being so deeply engaged to God, and God so deserving their love, they are enemies to him: 1 John ii. 15, 'If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him:' 1 Cor. xvi. 22, 'If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.' It is danger enough not to love him, though we break not out in open opposition against his ways. (2.) If we love him not so much as we ought to do, or not so much as we love some other thing. For, in the sacred dialect, a lesser love is hatred; as, for instance, in the notion of the law of the hated wife: Deut xxi. 15,16, 'If a man have two wives, one beloved and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated,' etc. Not that she was not loved at all, or absolutely hated; but she that was not loved as much as the other, is called the hated wife. So in that proverb, Prov. xiv. 20, 'The poor is even hated of his own neighbour; but the rich hath many friends.' There, hatred is taken for slighting, or a lesser degree of love. So in this case between us and God: Mat. x. 37, 'He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me.' But in Luke xiv. 26, it is, 'If any man hate not father and mother, and brothers and sisters; yea, and his own life, he cannot be my disciple.' There, the lower and lesser love is called hatred. For Christ's religion teacheth us, not to be unnatural; but in comparison of Christ, we should hate them, trample upon the comforts and (benefits which result from such relations, if they be snares to us: so Mat vi. 24, 'No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.' God is of that excellent nature, that to esteem any thing above him, or equal with him, is to hate him.
Now, because men love the world, and the things of the world over much, yea, more than God, they hate him - are enemies to him. All carnal men are guilty of this, as they are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. This over-love of sensual satisfactions, or terrene and earthly things, is the highest contempt and affront that can be put upon God, in comparison of our love to him. All the pleasures and contentments of the world should be hated rather than loved. So far as our hearts are set upon those things, which the flesh savoureth and delighteth in, so far are they estranged from God; and then you will neglect him, or easily part with him for the world's sake. If a father should come to his child, and say, 'If you love such vain and enticing company, I shall take you for mine enemy, you must either hate me or them,' would not an ingenuous child refrain his haunts, rather than forfeit his father's love? This is the case between us and God: 'Love not the world,' saith he, 'nor the things of the world; if you love the world, you do not love me.' Therefore for us only to savour and relish these things is flat enmity to God.
(3 ) We are said to hate God, and be enemies to him, if we rebel against him and disobey his laws. God's love to us is a love of bounty, and our love to him is a love of duty, shown rather by obedience than a fellow-like familiarity. Here in the text, our respects to God are interpreted and judged of by our respects to his law. By this, God measureth our love and hatred to himself. It is enmity to God, 'because it is not subject to the law of God.' So, elsewhere, love is determined by obedience: 1 John v. 3, 'For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments;' and John xiv. 21, 'He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.' On the other side, hatred is expressed by disobedience: Deut. v. 9, 'On them that hate me, and keep not my commandments.' All sin is a hatred of God; actual sin is odium Dei actuale, and habitual sin is odium Dei habituale. It is finis operis, if not operantis. We think not so, but the Scripture judgeth so; and it appears from reason. We apprehend God standeth in the way of our desires; and because we cannot enjoy our lusts with that freedom and security, as we might otherwise were it not for his law, therefore we hate God. He commandeth that which we cannot, and will not do, being enticed and inveigled by the flesh.
3. There is a twofold hatred: odium abominationis and odium inimicitia - the hatred of abomination, and dislike, and the hatred of enmity. The one is opposite to the love of good will, the other to the love of complacency: Prov. xxix. 27, 'The wicked are an abomination to the righteous.' Surely a righteous man hateth not his neighbour with the hatred of enmity, to seek his destruction; but with the hatred of offence, so as not to delight in him while he is wicked, in opposition to the love of complacency. We may hate our sinful neighbour, as we must first hate ourselves, and loathe ourselves, because of our sins: but in opposition to the love of benevolence we must neither hate our neighbour, nor our enemy, nor ourselves.
[1.] Apply this distinction to the case between God and us, it will be hard to excuse any carnal man from either hatred; certainly not from the hatred of offence or abomination, there being such an unsuitableness and dissimilitude between God and them in pure nature. We were created after his image, and then we delighted in him; but when we lost our first nature, we left our first love; for love is grounded upon likeness, or willing and nilling the same things. But, alas! now we love what he hateth, and hate what he loveth; and therefore, because of this dissimilitude, there is a hatred. How can we delight in a holy God, and a God of pure eyes delight in such sensual polluted creatures? What can carnal men see lovely in God, or God in them? See Zech. xi. 8, 'My soul loatheth them, and their soul abhorreth me.' Therefore from this hatred of loathing, offence, and abomination, none can excuse themselves; till they come to hate what God hateth, and to love what God loveth, there is, and will be, the hatred of offence: Prov. viii. 13, 'The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.'
[2.] For the other branch. The hatred of enmity, is that which implieth all endeavours of mischief, and seeketh the destruction of the thing hated. We cannot excuse the carnal man from this either; for there is a secret positive enmity in them against the being of God; and this is the effect of slavish fear. We hate God under a double notion, as a lawgiver, thwarting our lusts by his precepts; and as an avenger, punishing our disorders. This latter we are upon. Slavish fear apprehendeth God as an avenger of sin, or as a condemning God. Men hate those whom they fear. The Roman historian observeth it: proprium est humani ingenii odisse quos laeserit. Why? Because we fear their revenge. We have wronged God exceedingly, and know that he will call us to an account; and, therefore, being sensible of the righteousness of his vindictive justice, we hate him. All that are afraid of God, with such a fear as hath torment in it, aut extinctum Deum cupiunt aut exanimatum, it is a pleasing thought to them if there were no God: Ps. xiv. 1, 'The fool hath said in his heart there is no God.' As the devils tremble at their own thoughts of God so do wicked men. It were welcome news to them to hear there were no God.
4. God's enemies carry on a double war against him, offensive and defensive. The offensive war is when men break his laws; employ all their faculties, mercies, comforts, as weapons of unrighteousness against God: Rom. vi. 13, 'Yield not your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, hoopla adikias; but yield yourselves to God. Our faculties, talents, and interests are employed either as armour of light for God, or as weapons of unrighteousness against God. The defensive war is when we slight his word, despise his grace, resist the motions of his Spirit: Acts vii. 51, 'Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ear, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost.' When God bringeth his spiritual artillery to batter down all that which lifteth up itself against the obedience of Christ, 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. When he besiegeth our hearts, and battereth them daily by the rebukes and motions of his Spirit, yet men will not yield the fortress, but stand it out to the last; take delight to go on in the obedience of their natural corruptions; will not have Christ to reign over them; and so they increase their enmity, and double their misery, by a resistance of grace, and are rebels, not only against the law, but the gospel, stand out against their own mercies. They are enemies to an earthly prince, that not only infest his country with continual inroads and incursions, but those also that keep his towns and strongholds against him. And in this sense an impenitent person, and an enemy to God, are equivalent expressions in scripture. Though you do not break out into open acts of hostility against God, yet if you will not come out of your bondage, and come out of the misery and folly of your carnal estate, you are enemies to him.
5. That herein the enemies of our salvation agree, that they all make us rebels to God. The devil, world and flesh, are equal in this. The devil's servants and subjects are opposite to Christ's kingdom: Eph. vi. 12, 'Rulers of the darkness of this world;' and Col. i 13, 'Who hath translated us out of the kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of his dear Son.' While we remain in the one kingdom we are enemies to the other: Luke xix. 27, 'But for those, mine enemies, that would not that I should reign over them, bring them hither, and slay them before me.' The world: James iv. 4, 'Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend to the world, is an enemy to God.' They whose hearts are set upon the pleasures, profits, and honours of the world, they are withdrawn from God, as their proper Lord, and chief happiness, and will neither be ruled by his will, nor seek his love and favour. First, They will not be ruled by His will; for God and the world command contrary things. The world saith, slack no opportunity of gain; to stand nicely upon conscience is to draw trouble upon ourselves; that to give is wasteful profuseness; and to forgive, folly and weakness. God, on the contrary, biddeth us deny ourselves - take up our cross; telleth us, that giving is receiving, and the glory of a man is to pass by an offence, or to forgive the wrongs done to him. So the flesh: as the world tempts us to rebellion against God, so the flesh swalloweth the temptation; it carrieth us to do what we list, and disposeth us to a flat rebellion against God, and a contempt of his authority: 2 Sam. xii. 9, 'Wherefore hast thou sinned, and despised the commandments of God?' The flesh will have it so: Ps. ii. 3, 'Let us break his bands, and cast away his cords from us.' Affectation of carnal liberty is the very effect of sense-pleasing and flesh-pleasing; so that the carnal mind implieth a downright opposition to the law of God: all our ways are enmity to it, and a direct repugnancy against it. Secondly, Nor do we seek his love and favour as our happiness. The world propoundeth objects that are pleasant to our senses, necessary in part for our uses, in subordination to other things; and so enticeth us from God. But it could not entice us, were it not for the flesh, which greedily swalloweth the bait: 2 Tim. iv. 10, 'Demas hath forsaken us, and embraced the present world;' and 2 Tim. iii. 4, 'Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God;' and John v. 44, 'How can you believe that receive honour one of another?' And so we are detained from God by the creature, which should be a step and stair that should lead us up to him. The world is full of allurements to the flesh; and those mercies which would raise the mind to God are made the fuel of sensuality, and the greatest means to keep it from him. None neglect him so much as those that have most of the world: Jer. ii. 31, 'O generation! see ye the word of the Lord; have I been a wilderness to Israel - a land of darkness? wherefore say my people we are lords, we will come no more at thee?' So Mark x. 24, 'How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God:' they are most apt to live an ungodly sensual life, as having less occasion than others to drive them to God.
6. This enmity arising from the flesh, is the more strengthened and increased the more it gaineth the mind and corrupts the mind; for two reasons: [1.] Then the leading part of the soul, which should guide and command the rest, is corrupted also. There is in the upper part of the soul a directive and imperial power to fit him to obey God. Now it is blinded as to the directive power, and weakened as to its imperial and commanding power; all must needs fall into disorder, and man will live a rebel to the law of his creation, and so be an enemy to God.
(1.) As to the leading and directing part of the soul, that is the understanding, there is a great blindness come upon us by the lust of the flesh, so that we have neither a due sense of our happiness, nor our duty. Not of our happiness, for till the eyes of our minds are opened by the Spirit, we have no real persuasion of the world to come: Eph. i 18, 'The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and the riches of the glory of the inheritance of the saints in light:' and 2 Pet. i. 9, 'He that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off.' Nor of our duty; for though some moralities be evident to corrupt nature: Rom. ii. 14, yet for a full resignation, obedience, and love to God, nature owneth little of it, and depraved reason is blind, or sleepy, so that we may have no clear, deep sense of our duty impressed upon our hearts, so as that conscience (which is applicative reason]) should warn us of sin, or mind us of our duty upon all necessary occasions.
(2.) The commanding power is weakened. For our senses are so masterly, inordinate, and eagerly set upon the objects, that we yield ourselves to the conduct of them, how unreasonable soever the acts are: Tit iii. 3, 'For we ourselves were sometimes foolish and disobedient, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.' We give way to that which is evil, and oppose that which is good, even against the urgings of conscience: 'The law of our members warreth against the law of our minds:' Rom. vi. 22; and it is a trouble to the flesh to be restrained from what it desireth, as an headstrong horse is loath to be curbed.
[2.] Because, as the leading part of the soul cannot hinder sin, so it doth promote it. And the more wit and wisdom we have, if it be carnal, the more is our enmity against God, as appeareth by those men in a carnal estate who have most of natural acquisitions; the devil's cause is varnished by them, and they prostitute all their sufficiencies to the interest of the flesh, and to cast off the government of God. How many wit themselves into hell? But it is common to all, as appeareth by the two principal effects of the carnal minding, arguing and contriving, by these two the malignity of the flesh doth most betray itself.
(1.) By the arguings of the flesh. What carnal reasons have men for every sin, and against every duty? Which showeth the corruption of nature hath not only taken hold of the appetite and senses, but hath over-spread the mind and reason. Let any temptation come to inordinate pleasure, they will palliate it and honest it with some excuse, that the bait is soon swallowed; or to unlawful gain, by it they pretend they shall be enabled to do good to the church of God; if to honour and applause, they will say religion shall have the advantage of it; so if the temptation be against duty, they will say that they will recompense it another time.
(2.) By contriving: Rom. xiii. 14, and 'make no more provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof.' Wherein do men usually spend their time, but in studying to please the flesh, or to fulfil their fleshly desires? All their wit is wholly employed to this end.
Use 1 is Caution, not to stroke the carnal minding with a gentle censure, as if it were no great matter; it is enmity to God; and if you indulge it, you live in a state of rebellion against him. It is an evil; first, as a wrong done to God, whose we are, and whom we should serve; because it is an usurping of the government of ourselves against God's right, as if we were at our own disposal, as if we might do with ourselves and faculties as we list, without giving an account to an higher Lord. Now to rob God of his authority over his creature, is no small evil: Ps. xii. 4, 'Who have said, with our tongue we will prevail, our lips are our own, who is Lord over us?' To challenge anything as our own, is to affect to be as God. Secondly, It is a wrong to ourselves, for so we set up our senses and appetite above our reason, and make the beast ride the man; for the lower faculties rule, when the mind is debauched to serve the flesh, and to cater for it, and contrive about it, when it should govern our senses in order to our true happiness and felicity: Jude 10, 'In what they know naturally, in those things as brute beasts, they corrupt themselves;' that is, against the light of nature they engulph themselves in all manner of sensuality. Thirdly, It is a contempt of that glorious happiness which God hath provided for us, Heb. iii. 2. When soul, and heaven, and God, and all things are despised for our carnal ends, how can we look upon it as a light sin? Is it nothing to cast off God and Christ, and despise our own souls, and all the happiness of the world to come, which God hath encouraged us to expect, as if a little worldly transitory pleasure of sin were much better. Fourthly, It is the worse because it is natural. Your very natures being destitute of original righteousness, incline you to please the flesh before God; so that this opposition against God being natural, it is first, the more lasting, for natural antipathies are not easily broken and cured, as that between the wolf and the lamb, the raven and the dove; and the spirit that dwelleth in us, lusteth to envy: Jam. iv. 5: and, Gen. vi. 5, 'Every imagination of the thought of his heart is only evil continually.' We find it early, we find it to be constant; after grace received, the understanding is not so clear and watchful as it should be, but a dark, imperfect guide to us, our will not so powerful as it ought to be; the wisdom of the flesh is kneaded into our natures that we cannot get rid of it, and there is too great a rebellion in the appetite and senses, and in the best a great averseness to their duty; our reason still too often stoopeth to our sensuality. Fifthly, Accidental evil is matter of compassion; but natural, of indignation; we pity a dog poisoned, but hate a toad that is poisonous. If it were only a slip of our natures, or a frailty, it were another thing; but it is the rooted disposition of our hearts. We can better dispense with a fit of anger, than with cankered malice; a blow and away may be forgiven, but an abiding enmity provoketh us to take revenge. Thus it is necessary to know the evil, that we may seek after and admire the cure.
Use 2 is to press us to come out of this estate of carnality: will you live in enmity against God?
1. Can you make good your part against him? 1 Cor. x. 22, 'Will you provoke the Lord to jealousy? are you stronger than he?' Secondly, He hath potestatem vitae et necis: Jam. iv. 12, 'There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.' Thirdly, God is an enemy to those that are enemies to him: Ps. v. 5, 'He hateth all workers of iniquity;' and Ps. vii. 11,12, 'He is angry with the wicked every day: if he turn not, he will whet his sword, he will bend his bow, and will make it ready.' God's justice, if it doth for a while spare the wicked, yet it doth not lie idle; he can deal with us, comminus and eminus - at a distance, and near at hand. He is whetting his sword, and bending his bow; if he fall upon us, what shall we do? If a spark of his wrath light upon the conscience, how soon is man made a burden to himself? Ps. ii. 12, much more when he stirreth up all his wrath against us. What shall we do? First, Accept of the conditions of peace God hath provided: 2 Cor. v. 19, 20, 'to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors of Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.' We read of princes that, Luke xiv. 31, while their enemy is yet a great way off, they send an embassy, and desire conditions of peace. God sendeth the embassy to us, let us accept of the offer; we are no match for God. Secondly, Get corrupt nature healed, and the heart renewed by the Spirit: for there is no peace as long as the old heart remaineth. When renewed, we are reconciled; we receive the atonement, if God sanctifieth; he is a God of peace. Be once after the spirit, and then you will be spiritually minded; and to one that is spiritually minded, there is life and peace.
Secondly. The next thing is our impotency to recover ourselves out of this estate; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Hence observe:
Doct. That while we remain carnally minded, there is no breaking off this enmity between God and us. The reasons of this repugnancy, or why the carnal mind standeth in such direct opposition to the law, are -
1. 'The law is spiritual, and we are carnal, sold under sin,' Rom. vii. 14. Men in an habitual state of carnality, cannot obey a spiritual law.
2. The law is pure and holy: Ps. cxix. 140, 'Thy law is very pure, therefore thy servant loveth it.' But it is otherwise with fleshly creatures, impuritas est mixtura vilioris.
3. The law is directly contrary to the fleshly mind, and therefore the fleshly mind is directly contrary to it. The law of God forbiddeth many things that are pleasing to carnal nature, as all excess of bodily pleasures, inordinate seeking after the profits and honours of the world; commandeth many things tedious to flesh and blood, as the loving God with all our hearts, serving him with all our might and strength, loving enemies, doing good to all, seeking others' welfare as our own. Secondly, Besides its repugnancy, there is an utter incapacity. But may it not be brought to obedience by the law demanding its right and due in the name of God? (1.) Not by a bare prohibition, for that exasperateth the evil: Rom. vii. 5, 'For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins which were by the law, did work in my members to bring forth fruit unto death.' (2.) Not by persuasions or instructions; for spiritual arguments work little with a carnal heart; persuasion alone prevaileth not against inclination: 1 Cor. ii 14, 'For the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.'(3.) Nor will resolutions, vows, and covenants, make us subject, for these are but the dictates of conscience, till the will be renewed. It is our judgment we should, but the bent of our hearts lieth as a weight against it: Rom. ii. 18, 'Thou approvest the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law.'
Use 3 is information. Since the unregenerate are altogether flesh, and the regenerate in part flesh, the one can do nothing good, the other nothing perfect.
1. It giveth us a true account of man's natural incapacity to what is good. First, there is a natural propensity or inclination to the body before the soul, and earth before heaven, the creature before God: John iii 6, 'That which is born of flesh is flesh.'
2. This is increased in us by being accustomed to a sinful life: Jer. xiii. 13, 'Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil.'
3. This custom is more confirmed and rooted by the general practice of all about us: Is. vi. 5, 'Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.'
4. It is not only practised, but countenanced generally in the world: 1 Pet iv. 4, 'Wherein they think it strange, that you run not with them into the same excess of riot.'
5. The encouragements of another course, lie wholly in a world to come: Mat v. 12, 'Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven,'
6. The precepts to renounce this sensuality, are given by an invisible God; who, though he hath given sufficient demonstration of the truth of his being, is little cared for: Ps. x. 4, 'The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.'
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Preaching Christ Crucified
[The Prince of Preachers lays forth his thesis powerfully because it is biblical. And in so doing he contrasts himself against popular men, then and now, who have prostituted themselves by departing from the narrow way which leads to life. Too many in our congregations today are fond in pronouncing a "good word" to nearly all forms of senseless babble from the feeble lips of men who take to a stage, many without a Bible in hand. These messengers are misguided at best and utterly diluted at worst. In our day many congregations put forth before their congregations "speakers", not preachers, men who deliver a "talk", not a sermon, whose highest aim is to appease the "felt needs" of sinners so as not to offend them by the truth, men who do not exhaust themselves on behalf of their hearers by exercising the discipline to rightly divide the Word of Truth, men who delight in exchanging the truth of genuine biblical translations and exposition for deplorable paraphrases and entertainment, often scarcely mentioning a single biblical text over the course of their pithy twenty minute talk for fear of insulting their hearers, and thereby delivering nothing of spiritual substance pertaining to the issues of the Person and Work of Christ and the terrifying state of the sinners soul. There is only one Gospel that saves, and that which saves is ordained by God to save completely. The Prince of Preacher's text which follows would greatly edify the mind and soul of every would-be preacher enrolled in seminary. While the nations become increasingly pagan and pulpits lay barren for want of a clear Word from the Lord, the words of Spurgeon burns like a hot iron. Let the man called of God to preach the Gospel invest himself in proclaiming "Christ and Him crucified." For therein the power of God unto salvation is proclaimed and released, and there is not now, nor shall there ever be, a substitute--J.A. Matteson]
by C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)
“We preach Christ crucified.” — 1 Corinthians 1:23
In the verse preceding our text, Paul writes, “Jews demand miraculous signs.” They said, “Moses performed miracles; let us see miracles performed, and then we will believe,” forgetting that all the miracles that Moses did were completely eclipsed by those which Jesus did while he was on the earth as the God-man. Then there were certain Judaizing teachers who, in order to win the Jews, preached circumcision, exalted the Passover, and endeavored to prove that Judaism might still exist side by side with Christianity, and that the old rites might still be practiced by the followers of Christ. So Paul, who was “all things to all men so that by all possible means he might save some,” put his foot down, and said, in effect, “Whatever others may do, we preach Christ crucified; we dare not, we cannot, and we will not alter the great subject matter of our preaching, Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
Then he added, “and Greeks look for wisdom.” Corinth was the very eye of Greece, and the Corinthian Greeks sought after what they regarded as wisdom; that is to say, the wisdom of this world, not the wisdom of God, which Paul preached. The Greeks also treasured the memory of the eloquence of Demosthenes and other famous public speakers, and they seemed to: think that true wisdom must be proclaimed with the graces of skillful elocution; but Paul writes to these Corinthian Greeks, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your faith would not be based in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
Now, today, there are some who would be glad, if we would preach anything except Christ crucified. Perhaps the most dangerous among them are those who are continually crying out for intellectual preaching, by which they mean preaching which neither the heavens nor the preachers themselves can comprehend, the kind of preaching which has little or nothing to do with the scriptures, and which requires a dictionary rather than a Bible to explain it. These are the people who are continually running around, and asking, “Have you heard our minister? He gave us a wonderful sermon last Sunday morning; he quoted Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin, and he gave us some charming pieces of poetry, in fact, it was overall an intellectual treat.” Yes, and I have usually found that such intellectual treats lead to the ruination of souls; that is not the kind of preaching that God generally blesses to the salvation of souls, and therefore, even though others may preach the philosophy of Plato or adopt the arguments of Aristotle, we preach Christ crucified,” the Christ who died for sinners, the people’s Christ, and “we preach Christ crucified” in simple language, in plain speech such which the common people can understand.
I am going to try to put our text into practice by telling you, first, what we preach; secondly, to whom we preach it; and, thirdly, how we are to preach it.
I. First of all, WHAT WE PREACH. Paul is the model for all preachers, and he says, “We preach Christ crucified.”
In order to preach the gospel fully, there must be a very clear description of the person of Christ, and we preach Christ as God.
Yes, we preach Christ as God — not a man made into God, nor God degraded to the level of a man, nor something in between a man and God; but “the Absolute God of Heaven and Earth—The Triune God Himself,” one with his Father in every attribute, eternal, without beginning of days or end of life; omnipresent, everywhere at once; omnipotent, having all power in heaven and on earth; omniscient, knowing all things from eternity; the great Creator, Preserver, and Judge of all, in all things the equal and the exact image of the invisible God. If we error concerning the Deity of Christ, then we error everywhere. The gospel that does not preach a Divine Savior is no gospel at all; it is like a ship without a rudder, the first opposing wind that blows will drive it to destruction, and woe are the souls that are trusting to it! Only the shoulders of the almighty God can ever carry the enormous weight of human guilt and human need. We preach to you Christ the Son of Mary, once sleeping in his mother’s arms, yet the Infinite even while he was an infant; Christ the reputed Son of Joseph, working in the carpenter’s shop, yet all the while being the God who made the heavens and the earth; Christ, who had no place to lay his head, the despised and rejected of men, who is, nevertheless the Eternal God of the Universe; Christ nailed to the cross, bleeding from every pore, and dying on the cross, yet, living forever; Christ, suffering indescribable agonies, yet at the same time being the God at whose right hand there are eternal pleasures. If Christ had not been man, he could not have sympathized with you and me, nor could he have suffered in our place. How could he have been the covenant Head of the sons and daughters of Adam if he had not been made like them in every way, except that he was without sin? With that one exception, he was just, as we are, bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, yet he was as truly God as he was man, the One of whom, Isaiah was inspired to prophesy, “He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” So, in preaching Christ crucified, we preach the glory of heaven combined with the beauty of earth, the perfection of humanity united with the glory and dignity of Deity.
Then, next, we must very clearly preach Christ as the Messiah, the One sent from God.
It had long been foretold that a great Deliverer would come who would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles,” and to be the glory of his people Israel, and Jesus of Nazareth was that promised Deliverer, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets wrote about. He was sent from God to be the Savior of sinners. He did not take this responsibility on himself without authority, but he could truly say, “Here I am, I have come - it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, O my God.” He became the Substitute for sinners, but this did not happen accidentally, but by divine decree, for we read, “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” An unordained priest, a prophet not sent from God, a king without divine authority would have only been a mockery; but our great High Priest was divinely anointed, our matchless Prophet was sent from God, and our king is King of kings and Lord of lords, rightly ruling as the eternal Son of the eternal Father.
Sinner, this truth should bring you hope and comfort, the Christ whom we preach is God’s Anointed; and what he does, he does by God’s appointment. When he says to you, “"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” he speaks for his Father as well as for himself, for he has the authorization of the Eternal to support his declaration. Therefore, come confidently to him, and put your trust in him.
After the preacher has laid a firm foundation by preaching the person of Christ and the Messiahship of Christ, he must then preach the work of Christ.
I can only give a brief summary of what would take all eternity to expound. We must preach to show how, in the everlasting covenant, Christ stood as the Security and Representative of his people; and how, in the fullness of time, he came down from his heavenly throne dressed in flesh; and how he first produced an active righteousness by the perfect obedience of his daily life, and in the end provided a passive righteousness by his sufferings and death on the cross. Beginning at the incarnation, going on to the great work of redemption telling of Christ’s burial, resurrection, ascension, intercession before his Father’s throne, and glorious second coming, we have a theme that angels might well covet, a theme that may arouse hope in the sinner’s heart. But it is especially Christ crucified whom we are to preach. His wounds and bruises remind us that we must tell you that “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” It is at Calvary that salvation is to be found; where Jesus bowed his head, and gave up his spirit, he overcame the powers of darkness, and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
There is one word that every true servant of Christ must be able to speak very distinctly; and that word is substitution. I believe that substitution is the keyword to all true theology; — Christ standing in the place of sinners, and numbered with the transgressors because of their transgressions, not his own — Christ paying our debts, and discharging all our liabilities. This truth involves, of course, our taking Christ’s place as he took ours, so that all believers are beloved, accepted, made heirs of God, and in due time will be glorified with Christ forever.
My fellow ministers, whatever you fail to preach, be sure to make your listeners always clearly understand that there is a divine and all-sufficient Substitute for sinners, and that everyone who puts their trust in him will be eternally saved.
When we preach Christ, we must also preach his offices. We must preach him as the one great High Priest who always lives to make intercession for us. We must preach him as the Prophet whose words are divine, and therefore comes to us with an authority that, cannot be set aside.
And we must remember that we must always preach him as King, putting the crown of praise on his royal head, and claiming from his people the unfaltering allegiance and loyalty of their hearts, and the undivided service of their lives.
We must also preach the qualifications of Christ for his offices.
Is he a Husband? We must tell how loving and how tender he is. Is he a Shepherd? We must proclaim his patience, his power, his perseverance, and we must especially tell of his self-sacrificing love in laying down his life for his sheep. Is he a Savior? We must show how he is able to save completely those who come to God through him. We must talk a great deal about the gentleness that will not break the bruised reed, nor snuff out the smoldering wick. We must delight to speak of Christ as bending over the broken in heart, and wrapping up their wounds, and having his ear always ready to hear the cry of a contrite spirit. It is the character of Christ that is the magnet that attracts sinners to himself, and on this blessed theme one might go on speaking forever. When Rutherford was talking off the beauties of the Christ whom he loved so dearly, one of his listeners was forced to cry out, “Now, sir, you are on the right string, keep to that,” and, indeed, this is a theme that might stir the person with a speech defect to speak with power, and make those who are mute to be eloquent for Christ. Oh, how glorious is our blessed Lord! We must say, “Yes, he is altogether lovely.” We cannot exaggerate his excellence and charms, and it must be our constant aim to paint such a portrait of him that sinners may fall in love with him, and trust him to save them with his great salvation.
We must be careful that we always preach Christ as the sinner’s only hope.
In the olden days, there were certain fools who sought after a universal remedy for all diseases, but their search was in vain. All the advertisements of quack medicines that ever deceived silly people will never convince sensible persons that a universal remedy for all the diseases to which flesh is subject to has never been nor ever will be discovered. Yet there is a remedy for the diseases of the soul, and that remedy is Christ. Whatever your disease may be — the raging fever of lust, the shivering fever of doubts and fears, or the cruel infection of despair — Jesus Christ can heal you. Whatever form sin may take — whether it is the blind eye, or the deaf ear, or the hard, stony heart, or the dull, seared conscience — there is a medicine in the veins of Jesus that we may well call the divine cure-all. No case that was ever submitted to Christ has baffled his skill, and he is still “mighty to save.” We must be very clear in telling the sinner that there is no hope for him anywhere else but in Christ. Nine out of ten of the arrows in a minister’s quiver ought to be shot at the sinner’s good works, for these are his worst enemies. That “deadly doing” that needs to be cast “down at Jesus’ feet,” — that trying to be or to feel something in order that they may save themselves — this is the curse of many. O sinner, if, from the crown, of your head to the soles of your feet, there is no sound part in you, but you are full of wounds; and bruises, and putrefying sores, yet, if you will only believe in Jesus, he will make you completely whole, and you will go on your way as a sinner saved by grace.
We must also preach Christ as the Christian’s only joy.
We wanted Christ as a life preserver when we were sinking in the waves of sin, but we want him to be our food and our drink now that he has brought us safely to land. When we were sick because of sin, we wanted Christ as medicine; but now that he has restored our soul, we want him as our continual nourishment. There is no need that a Christian ever has which Christ cannot fully supply, and there is nothing in Christ, which is not completely useful to a Christian. You know that some things that we have are good, but they are not completely of service to us. For instance, fruit is good, but there is the skin to be peeled off, and the seed to be thrown away; but when Christ gives himself to us, we may take all of him, and enjoy him to our heart’s content. Everything Christ is, and everything Christ has, is ours. Therefore, Christian, make a covenant with your hand that you will hold on to Christ’s cross as your only confidence, make a covenant with your eyes that you will look nowhere for light but to the Sun of righteousness; make a covenant with your whole being that it will be crucified with Christ, and then be taken up to heaven to live and reign with him forever.
II. Now, secondly, TO WHOM ARE WE TO PREACH THIS?
Possibly, one brother says, “You ought to preach Christ to the elect.” But how are we to know which ones are the elect? I read a sermon, some time ago, in which the minister said, “I have been preaching to the living in Zion; the rest of you are dead, and I have nothing to say to you. The elect has been given eternal life, and the rest of you are blinded.” Preachers of that sort have life to preach to the living, and medicine to prescribe for those who are healthy, but what is the good of that? Imagine Peter standing up with the eleven on the day of Pentecost, and saying to the crowd gathered around them, “I don’t know how many of you who are here are elect but I have to say to you that the election have received eternal life, and the rest are blinded.” How many would have been converted and added to the church through such a message as that? Now Peter was at that time filled with the Spirit, and it was by divine inspiration that he preached Christ crucified; to everyone of that mixed multitude, and then, when they were cut to the heart, and cried out, “Brothers, what shall we do?” he was equally inspired when he answered, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
I intend to do as Peter did, for I regard Christ’s commission to his disciples as binding upon us today: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” I cannot tell whether every creature in all creation to whom I preach is elect or not, but it is my business to preach the gospel to everyone I can reach, resting assured that all of them whom God has chosen to eternal life will certainly accept it. When a certain minister asked the Duke of Wellington, “Do you think it is of any use preaching the gospel to the Hindus?” he simply replied, “What are your marching orders?” As a soldier, the duke believed in obeying orders; and when the minister answered that, the orders were to, “Preach the good news to all creation,” the duke said, “Then your duty is quite clear; obey your Master’s orders, and don’t trouble yourself about anybody else’s opinions.”
The main business of a true minister is to preach the gospel to sinners and he is never so happy as when he is preaching to those who know themselves to be sinners.
When he is preaching to those who are self-righteous; he is in great trouble about the effect of his message, for he fears that it may prove to be the smell of death to them; but when he meets with those who sorrowfully confess that they are guilty, lost, and wretched, then he rejoices in hope of blessed results from his preaching. He feels that he is now among fish that will soon take the bait, so he drops his line into the river, and soon has the joy of bringing many to land. He knows that bread is always sweetest to hungry men, and that even bitter medicine will be eagerly swallowed by the main who its very ill and who longs to be cured. He understands that it is the naked that want to be clothed, and the penniless that clamor for charity. O sinners, if you realize that you are wicked and vile, full of all kinds of evil, with nothing of your own that is worthy to be called good, and if you are longing to be delivered from every kind of evil, and to be made holy as God is holy, I am glad that my Master has given me in his Word such a message as this for you, “If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive you your sins and purify you from all unrighteousness.”
Still, a true minister of Christ will not confine his preaching to sinners who are aware of their guilt, but he will preach the gospel to sinners of all ages.
To the young, whose lives have not yet been defiled by the vices of age, he preaches Christ crucified as the children’s Savior, and he is indeed glad when the boys and the girls trust in Jesus, and are saved. To you who have reached middle age, he preaches Christ crucified as the ointment for every wound, the comfort for every care, and he is thankful when you also are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. To the aged and the elderly, to the feeble, to those on the very verge of the grave, he still preaches Christ crucified, if he could find a sinner who had reached the age of Methuselah, he would have the same gospel to preach to him for he knows that there is no Savior but the crucified Christ of Calvary, and he also knows that, old or young, or in-between, all who trust Christ are immediately saved, and saved forever.
And just as he preaches Christ to sinners of every age, he also preaches Christ to sinners of every rank.
He has nothing better than Christ to preach to kings, queens, princes, presidents, and other nobles and he has nothing less than Christ to preach to peasants, laborers, or paupers; Christ crucified for the highly educated, and Christ crucified equally for the ignorant and illiterate.
He also preaches Christ to every kind of sinner, even to the atheist, the man who says there is no God, and he calls him to believe and live.
He preaches Christ to the openly profane; when they pause for a while in their swearing, he tells them of that great promise which God has declared, “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.” We preach Christ to the prostitutes on the street, and oh, how joyfully have many of them received Christ and how gladly have they found cleansing from their foul stains in Jesus’ precious blood! We preach, Christ to the drunkard, for we believe that nothing but the grace of God can rescue him from his degradation and sin, and we have seen many such sinners saved and made new creations by the gospel. The preaching of Christ crucified, the lifting up of the dying Son of God “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness,” has enough power to turn the whole world upside down, and to change innumerable sinners into saints, so we plan to keep on preaching Christ to every kind of sinner.
We do not intend to leave out one sinner, not even you, my friend, who think you are left out, or ought to be left out. We know that there is a book of life in heaven, and that no more names can be written in it; they were all recorded before the creation of the world when the Father gave to Christ those who are to be eternally his. We cannot fly up to heaven to read the names that are written there, but we believe the list contains millions upon millions of names of those who have not yet trusted in Christ, so we plan to keep on preaching Christ to sinners of every age, of every rank, of every kind, of every degree of wickedness and depravity, and we believe that there is “still is room in heaven,” for there is mercy for the wretched, there is forgiveness for the guilty who will come and trust in Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
III. Now, lastly, HOW ARE WE TO PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED?
I think, first, we ought to preach Christ very boldly.
I remember a young man going into a pulpit, to address a small congregation, and he began by saying that he hoped they would pardon his youth, and forgive his impertinence in coming to speak to them. Some foolish old gentleman said, “What a humble person that young man is to talk like that!” but another, who was wiser though he was younger, said, “What a dishonor to his Lord and Master! If God sent him with a message to those people, what does it matter whether he is young or old! Such artificial modesty as that is out of place in the pulpit.” I think that second man was right, and the first one wrong. A true minister of the gospel is an ambassador for Christ, and do our ambassadors go to foreign courts with apologies for carrying messages from their ruler? It would be a gross insult to the governments of these countries if they showed such humility as that in their official capacity. Let ministers of the gospel keep their modesty for other occasions when it should be manifested, but don’t let them dishonor their Master and discredit his message as that silly young man did. When we preach Christ crucified, we have no reason to stammer, or stutter, or hesitate, or apologize; there is nothing in the gospel of which we have any reason to be ashamed. If a minister is not sure about his message, let him keep quiet until he is sure about it; but we believe, and therefore we speak with conviction. If I have not proved the power of the gospel in my own heart and life, then I am a vile impostor to be standing in this pulpit to preach that gospel to others, but since I know most assuredly that I am saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and since I feel certain that I have been divinely called to preach his gospel — Will I, then, because of the fear of feeble man restrain the Spirit’s course? Or undaunted in my life and word be a true witness for my Lord?
But while we preach Christ boldly, we must also preach him with love.
There must be great love in our proclamation of the truth. We must not hesitate to point out to sinners the state of ruin to which sin has brought them, and we must clearly set before them the divinely-appointed remedy; but we must mingle a mother’s tenderness with a father’s sternness. Paul was like both, mother and father in a spiritual sense, in his ministry. He wrote to the Galatians, “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you;” and to the Corinthians he wrote, “In Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel,” and every true minister of Christ can sympathize with him in both those experiences.
Yes, sinners, we do indeed love you; often, our heart is almost broken with the longing we have to see you saved. We wish we could preach to you with Baxter’s tearful eye; no, rather, with the Savior’s melting heart and all-consuming zeal.
Then, next, we must preach Christ only.
With Paul, every true minister must be able to say to his listeners, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” The preacher must never mix up anything else with the gospel. Every time he preaches, he must still have the same old theme, “Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Christ is the Alpha of the gospel, and he is the Omega too; the first letter of the gospel alphabet, and the last letter, and all the letters in between. It must be Christ, Christ, CHRIST from beginning to end. There must be no “doing works” or anything else, mixed up with Christ. There must be no shoddy materials used as we build on Christ, the one foundation that, is laid once for all.
The preacher must also be sure that he preaches Christ very simply.
He must break up his big words and long sentences, and pray against the temptation to use them. It is usually the short, dagger-like sentence that does the work best. A true servant of Christ must never try to let the people see how well he can preach; he must never go out of his way to drag a pretty piece of poetry in his sermon, nor to introduce some fine quotations from the classics. He must employ a simple, homely style, or such a style as God has given him and he must preach Christ so plainly that his listeners cannot only understand him, but that they cannot misunderstand him even if they try to do so.
Now as the time has gone, I must close, by saying that we must try to preach Christ savingly.
O sinners, I pray that you would trust Christ this very moment! Do you realize how great your danger is? Unconverted soul, you are standing as it were, over the mouth of hell, on a single plank, and that plank is rotten! Man, woman, you may be in thy grave, before another Sunday dawns and then, if unsaved you will be in hell! Beware lest you are taken out of this earth without salvation in Christ, for, if that happens to you, then know that will be no ransom that can prevent your soul from going down to the pit. Oh sinner, see your need of Christ, and grab hold of him, by faith. No one but Christ can save you. Christ is the Way; you may go about all your days trying to find another entrance to heaven, but you will not find it for this is the only one. Why will you not come to God by Christ? Why are you so ungrateful as to despise the patient mercy of God? Won’t you let the goodness of God lead you to repent? Will Christ die for sinners, and yet will you, O sinner, turn away from him who alone can give you life? If you will only trust him, he will save you; your sins, which are many, will all be forgiven; you will be adopted into the family of God, and in due time you will find yourself in heaven and be there for all eternity. If you want to be happy, if you want to enjoy the peace that is beyond all understanding if you want to have two heavens — a heaven below and a heaven above — then trust in Jesus, trust in Jesus this very moment. Do not leave this building unsaved. One believing look will bring you salvation, for —
“There is life for a look at the Crucified One;
There is life at this moment for thee;
Then look, sinner — look to Jesus, and be saved, —
To him who was nailed to the tree.”.
Look to Jesus, look to him now; may the Holy Spirit enable you to look and live, for Jesus Christ’s sake! Amen.
by C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)
“We preach Christ crucified.” — 1 Corinthians 1:23
In the verse preceding our text, Paul writes, “Jews demand miraculous signs.” They said, “Moses performed miracles; let us see miracles performed, and then we will believe,” forgetting that all the miracles that Moses did were completely eclipsed by those which Jesus did while he was on the earth as the God-man. Then there were certain Judaizing teachers who, in order to win the Jews, preached circumcision, exalted the Passover, and endeavored to prove that Judaism might still exist side by side with Christianity, and that the old rites might still be practiced by the followers of Christ. So Paul, who was “all things to all men so that by all possible means he might save some,” put his foot down, and said, in effect, “Whatever others may do, we preach Christ crucified; we dare not, we cannot, and we will not alter the great subject matter of our preaching, Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
Then he added, “and Greeks look for wisdom.” Corinth was the very eye of Greece, and the Corinthian Greeks sought after what they regarded as wisdom; that is to say, the wisdom of this world, not the wisdom of God, which Paul preached. The Greeks also treasured the memory of the eloquence of Demosthenes and other famous public speakers, and they seemed to: think that true wisdom must be proclaimed with the graces of skillful elocution; but Paul writes to these Corinthian Greeks, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your faith would not be based in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
Now, today, there are some who would be glad, if we would preach anything except Christ crucified. Perhaps the most dangerous among them are those who are continually crying out for intellectual preaching, by which they mean preaching which neither the heavens nor the preachers themselves can comprehend, the kind of preaching which has little or nothing to do with the scriptures, and which requires a dictionary rather than a Bible to explain it. These are the people who are continually running around, and asking, “Have you heard our minister? He gave us a wonderful sermon last Sunday morning; he quoted Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin, and he gave us some charming pieces of poetry, in fact, it was overall an intellectual treat.” Yes, and I have usually found that such intellectual treats lead to the ruination of souls; that is not the kind of preaching that God generally blesses to the salvation of souls, and therefore, even though others may preach the philosophy of Plato or adopt the arguments of Aristotle, we preach Christ crucified,” the Christ who died for sinners, the people’s Christ, and “we preach Christ crucified” in simple language, in plain speech such which the common people can understand.
I am going to try to put our text into practice by telling you, first, what we preach; secondly, to whom we preach it; and, thirdly, how we are to preach it.
I. First of all, WHAT WE PREACH. Paul is the model for all preachers, and he says, “We preach Christ crucified.”
In order to preach the gospel fully, there must be a very clear description of the person of Christ, and we preach Christ as God.
Yes, we preach Christ as God — not a man made into God, nor God degraded to the level of a man, nor something in between a man and God; but “the Absolute God of Heaven and Earth—The Triune God Himself,” one with his Father in every attribute, eternal, without beginning of days or end of life; omnipresent, everywhere at once; omnipotent, having all power in heaven and on earth; omniscient, knowing all things from eternity; the great Creator, Preserver, and Judge of all, in all things the equal and the exact image of the invisible God. If we error concerning the Deity of Christ, then we error everywhere. The gospel that does not preach a Divine Savior is no gospel at all; it is like a ship without a rudder, the first opposing wind that blows will drive it to destruction, and woe are the souls that are trusting to it! Only the shoulders of the almighty God can ever carry the enormous weight of human guilt and human need. We preach to you Christ the Son of Mary, once sleeping in his mother’s arms, yet the Infinite even while he was an infant; Christ the reputed Son of Joseph, working in the carpenter’s shop, yet all the while being the God who made the heavens and the earth; Christ, who had no place to lay his head, the despised and rejected of men, who is, nevertheless the Eternal God of the Universe; Christ nailed to the cross, bleeding from every pore, and dying on the cross, yet, living forever; Christ, suffering indescribable agonies, yet at the same time being the God at whose right hand there are eternal pleasures. If Christ had not been man, he could not have sympathized with you and me, nor could he have suffered in our place. How could he have been the covenant Head of the sons and daughters of Adam if he had not been made like them in every way, except that he was without sin? With that one exception, he was just, as we are, bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, yet he was as truly God as he was man, the One of whom, Isaiah was inspired to prophesy, “He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” So, in preaching Christ crucified, we preach the glory of heaven combined with the beauty of earth, the perfection of humanity united with the glory and dignity of Deity.
Then, next, we must very clearly preach Christ as the Messiah, the One sent from God.
It had long been foretold that a great Deliverer would come who would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles,” and to be the glory of his people Israel, and Jesus of Nazareth was that promised Deliverer, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets wrote about. He was sent from God to be the Savior of sinners. He did not take this responsibility on himself without authority, but he could truly say, “Here I am, I have come - it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, O my God.” He became the Substitute for sinners, but this did not happen accidentally, but by divine decree, for we read, “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” An unordained priest, a prophet not sent from God, a king without divine authority would have only been a mockery; but our great High Priest was divinely anointed, our matchless Prophet was sent from God, and our king is King of kings and Lord of lords, rightly ruling as the eternal Son of the eternal Father.
Sinner, this truth should bring you hope and comfort, the Christ whom we preach is God’s Anointed; and what he does, he does by God’s appointment. When he says to you, “"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” he speaks for his Father as well as for himself, for he has the authorization of the Eternal to support his declaration. Therefore, come confidently to him, and put your trust in him.
After the preacher has laid a firm foundation by preaching the person of Christ and the Messiahship of Christ, he must then preach the work of Christ.
I can only give a brief summary of what would take all eternity to expound. We must preach to show how, in the everlasting covenant, Christ stood as the Security and Representative of his people; and how, in the fullness of time, he came down from his heavenly throne dressed in flesh; and how he first produced an active righteousness by the perfect obedience of his daily life, and in the end provided a passive righteousness by his sufferings and death on the cross. Beginning at the incarnation, going on to the great work of redemption telling of Christ’s burial, resurrection, ascension, intercession before his Father’s throne, and glorious second coming, we have a theme that angels might well covet, a theme that may arouse hope in the sinner’s heart. But it is especially Christ crucified whom we are to preach. His wounds and bruises remind us that we must tell you that “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” It is at Calvary that salvation is to be found; where Jesus bowed his head, and gave up his spirit, he overcame the powers of darkness, and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
There is one word that every true servant of Christ must be able to speak very distinctly; and that word is substitution. I believe that substitution is the keyword to all true theology; — Christ standing in the place of sinners, and numbered with the transgressors because of their transgressions, not his own — Christ paying our debts, and discharging all our liabilities. This truth involves, of course, our taking Christ’s place as he took ours, so that all believers are beloved, accepted, made heirs of God, and in due time will be glorified with Christ forever.
My fellow ministers, whatever you fail to preach, be sure to make your listeners always clearly understand that there is a divine and all-sufficient Substitute for sinners, and that everyone who puts their trust in him will be eternally saved.
When we preach Christ, we must also preach his offices. We must preach him as the one great High Priest who always lives to make intercession for us. We must preach him as the Prophet whose words are divine, and therefore comes to us with an authority that, cannot be set aside.
And we must remember that we must always preach him as King, putting the crown of praise on his royal head, and claiming from his people the unfaltering allegiance and loyalty of their hearts, and the undivided service of their lives.
We must also preach the qualifications of Christ for his offices.
Is he a Husband? We must tell how loving and how tender he is. Is he a Shepherd? We must proclaim his patience, his power, his perseverance, and we must especially tell of his self-sacrificing love in laying down his life for his sheep. Is he a Savior? We must show how he is able to save completely those who come to God through him. We must talk a great deal about the gentleness that will not break the bruised reed, nor snuff out the smoldering wick. We must delight to speak of Christ as bending over the broken in heart, and wrapping up their wounds, and having his ear always ready to hear the cry of a contrite spirit. It is the character of Christ that is the magnet that attracts sinners to himself, and on this blessed theme one might go on speaking forever. When Rutherford was talking off the beauties of the Christ whom he loved so dearly, one of his listeners was forced to cry out, “Now, sir, you are on the right string, keep to that,” and, indeed, this is a theme that might stir the person with a speech defect to speak with power, and make those who are mute to be eloquent for Christ. Oh, how glorious is our blessed Lord! We must say, “Yes, he is altogether lovely.” We cannot exaggerate his excellence and charms, and it must be our constant aim to paint such a portrait of him that sinners may fall in love with him, and trust him to save them with his great salvation.
We must be careful that we always preach Christ as the sinner’s only hope.
In the olden days, there were certain fools who sought after a universal remedy for all diseases, but their search was in vain. All the advertisements of quack medicines that ever deceived silly people will never convince sensible persons that a universal remedy for all the diseases to which flesh is subject to has never been nor ever will be discovered. Yet there is a remedy for the diseases of the soul, and that remedy is Christ. Whatever your disease may be — the raging fever of lust, the shivering fever of doubts and fears, or the cruel infection of despair — Jesus Christ can heal you. Whatever form sin may take — whether it is the blind eye, or the deaf ear, or the hard, stony heart, or the dull, seared conscience — there is a medicine in the veins of Jesus that we may well call the divine cure-all. No case that was ever submitted to Christ has baffled his skill, and he is still “mighty to save.” We must be very clear in telling the sinner that there is no hope for him anywhere else but in Christ. Nine out of ten of the arrows in a minister’s quiver ought to be shot at the sinner’s good works, for these are his worst enemies. That “deadly doing” that needs to be cast “down at Jesus’ feet,” — that trying to be or to feel something in order that they may save themselves — this is the curse of many. O sinner, if, from the crown, of your head to the soles of your feet, there is no sound part in you, but you are full of wounds; and bruises, and putrefying sores, yet, if you will only believe in Jesus, he will make you completely whole, and you will go on your way as a sinner saved by grace.
We must also preach Christ as the Christian’s only joy.
We wanted Christ as a life preserver when we were sinking in the waves of sin, but we want him to be our food and our drink now that he has brought us safely to land. When we were sick because of sin, we wanted Christ as medicine; but now that he has restored our soul, we want him as our continual nourishment. There is no need that a Christian ever has which Christ cannot fully supply, and there is nothing in Christ, which is not completely useful to a Christian. You know that some things that we have are good, but they are not completely of service to us. For instance, fruit is good, but there is the skin to be peeled off, and the seed to be thrown away; but when Christ gives himself to us, we may take all of him, and enjoy him to our heart’s content. Everything Christ is, and everything Christ has, is ours. Therefore, Christian, make a covenant with your hand that you will hold on to Christ’s cross as your only confidence, make a covenant with your eyes that you will look nowhere for light but to the Sun of righteousness; make a covenant with your whole being that it will be crucified with Christ, and then be taken up to heaven to live and reign with him forever.
II. Now, secondly, TO WHOM ARE WE TO PREACH THIS?
Possibly, one brother says, “You ought to preach Christ to the elect.” But how are we to know which ones are the elect? I read a sermon, some time ago, in which the minister said, “I have been preaching to the living in Zion; the rest of you are dead, and I have nothing to say to you. The elect has been given eternal life, and the rest of you are blinded.” Preachers of that sort have life to preach to the living, and medicine to prescribe for those who are healthy, but what is the good of that? Imagine Peter standing up with the eleven on the day of Pentecost, and saying to the crowd gathered around them, “I don’t know how many of you who are here are elect but I have to say to you that the election have received eternal life, and the rest are blinded.” How many would have been converted and added to the church through such a message as that? Now Peter was at that time filled with the Spirit, and it was by divine inspiration that he preached Christ crucified; to everyone of that mixed multitude, and then, when they were cut to the heart, and cried out, “Brothers, what shall we do?” he was equally inspired when he answered, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
I intend to do as Peter did, for I regard Christ’s commission to his disciples as binding upon us today: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” I cannot tell whether every creature in all creation to whom I preach is elect or not, but it is my business to preach the gospel to everyone I can reach, resting assured that all of them whom God has chosen to eternal life will certainly accept it. When a certain minister asked the Duke of Wellington, “Do you think it is of any use preaching the gospel to the Hindus?” he simply replied, “What are your marching orders?” As a soldier, the duke believed in obeying orders; and when the minister answered that, the orders were to, “Preach the good news to all creation,” the duke said, “Then your duty is quite clear; obey your Master’s orders, and don’t trouble yourself about anybody else’s opinions.”
The main business of a true minister is to preach the gospel to sinners and he is never so happy as when he is preaching to those who know themselves to be sinners.
When he is preaching to those who are self-righteous; he is in great trouble about the effect of his message, for he fears that it may prove to be the smell of death to them; but when he meets with those who sorrowfully confess that they are guilty, lost, and wretched, then he rejoices in hope of blessed results from his preaching. He feels that he is now among fish that will soon take the bait, so he drops his line into the river, and soon has the joy of bringing many to land. He knows that bread is always sweetest to hungry men, and that even bitter medicine will be eagerly swallowed by the main who its very ill and who longs to be cured. He understands that it is the naked that want to be clothed, and the penniless that clamor for charity. O sinners, if you realize that you are wicked and vile, full of all kinds of evil, with nothing of your own that is worthy to be called good, and if you are longing to be delivered from every kind of evil, and to be made holy as God is holy, I am glad that my Master has given me in his Word such a message as this for you, “If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive you your sins and purify you from all unrighteousness.”
Still, a true minister of Christ will not confine his preaching to sinners who are aware of their guilt, but he will preach the gospel to sinners of all ages.
To the young, whose lives have not yet been defiled by the vices of age, he preaches Christ crucified as the children’s Savior, and he is indeed glad when the boys and the girls trust in Jesus, and are saved. To you who have reached middle age, he preaches Christ crucified as the ointment for every wound, the comfort for every care, and he is thankful when you also are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. To the aged and the elderly, to the feeble, to those on the very verge of the grave, he still preaches Christ crucified, if he could find a sinner who had reached the age of Methuselah, he would have the same gospel to preach to him for he knows that there is no Savior but the crucified Christ of Calvary, and he also knows that, old or young, or in-between, all who trust Christ are immediately saved, and saved forever.
And just as he preaches Christ to sinners of every age, he also preaches Christ to sinners of every rank.
He has nothing better than Christ to preach to kings, queens, princes, presidents, and other nobles and he has nothing less than Christ to preach to peasants, laborers, or paupers; Christ crucified for the highly educated, and Christ crucified equally for the ignorant and illiterate.
He also preaches Christ to every kind of sinner, even to the atheist, the man who says there is no God, and he calls him to believe and live.
He preaches Christ to the openly profane; when they pause for a while in their swearing, he tells them of that great promise which God has declared, “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.” We preach Christ to the prostitutes on the street, and oh, how joyfully have many of them received Christ and how gladly have they found cleansing from their foul stains in Jesus’ precious blood! We preach, Christ to the drunkard, for we believe that nothing but the grace of God can rescue him from his degradation and sin, and we have seen many such sinners saved and made new creations by the gospel. The preaching of Christ crucified, the lifting up of the dying Son of God “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness,” has enough power to turn the whole world upside down, and to change innumerable sinners into saints, so we plan to keep on preaching Christ to every kind of sinner.
We do not intend to leave out one sinner, not even you, my friend, who think you are left out, or ought to be left out. We know that there is a book of life in heaven, and that no more names can be written in it; they were all recorded before the creation of the world when the Father gave to Christ those who are to be eternally his. We cannot fly up to heaven to read the names that are written there, but we believe the list contains millions upon millions of names of those who have not yet trusted in Christ, so we plan to keep on preaching Christ to sinners of every age, of every rank, of every kind, of every degree of wickedness and depravity, and we believe that there is “still is room in heaven,” for there is mercy for the wretched, there is forgiveness for the guilty who will come and trust in Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
III. Now, lastly, HOW ARE WE TO PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED?
I think, first, we ought to preach Christ very boldly.
I remember a young man going into a pulpit, to address a small congregation, and he began by saying that he hoped they would pardon his youth, and forgive his impertinence in coming to speak to them. Some foolish old gentleman said, “What a humble person that young man is to talk like that!” but another, who was wiser though he was younger, said, “What a dishonor to his Lord and Master! If God sent him with a message to those people, what does it matter whether he is young or old! Such artificial modesty as that is out of place in the pulpit.” I think that second man was right, and the first one wrong. A true minister of the gospel is an ambassador for Christ, and do our ambassadors go to foreign courts with apologies for carrying messages from their ruler? It would be a gross insult to the governments of these countries if they showed such humility as that in their official capacity. Let ministers of the gospel keep their modesty for other occasions when it should be manifested, but don’t let them dishonor their Master and discredit his message as that silly young man did. When we preach Christ crucified, we have no reason to stammer, or stutter, or hesitate, or apologize; there is nothing in the gospel of which we have any reason to be ashamed. If a minister is not sure about his message, let him keep quiet until he is sure about it; but we believe, and therefore we speak with conviction. If I have not proved the power of the gospel in my own heart and life, then I am a vile impostor to be standing in this pulpit to preach that gospel to others, but since I know most assuredly that I am saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and since I feel certain that I have been divinely called to preach his gospel — Will I, then, because of the fear of feeble man restrain the Spirit’s course? Or undaunted in my life and word be a true witness for my Lord?
But while we preach Christ boldly, we must also preach him with love.
There must be great love in our proclamation of the truth. We must not hesitate to point out to sinners the state of ruin to which sin has brought them, and we must clearly set before them the divinely-appointed remedy; but we must mingle a mother’s tenderness with a father’s sternness. Paul was like both, mother and father in a spiritual sense, in his ministry. He wrote to the Galatians, “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you;” and to the Corinthians he wrote, “In Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel,” and every true minister of Christ can sympathize with him in both those experiences.
Yes, sinners, we do indeed love you; often, our heart is almost broken with the longing we have to see you saved. We wish we could preach to you with Baxter’s tearful eye; no, rather, with the Savior’s melting heart and all-consuming zeal.
Then, next, we must preach Christ only.
With Paul, every true minister must be able to say to his listeners, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” The preacher must never mix up anything else with the gospel. Every time he preaches, he must still have the same old theme, “Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Christ is the Alpha of the gospel, and he is the Omega too; the first letter of the gospel alphabet, and the last letter, and all the letters in between. It must be Christ, Christ, CHRIST from beginning to end. There must be no “doing works” or anything else, mixed up with Christ. There must be no shoddy materials used as we build on Christ, the one foundation that, is laid once for all.
The preacher must also be sure that he preaches Christ very simply.
He must break up his big words and long sentences, and pray against the temptation to use them. It is usually the short, dagger-like sentence that does the work best. A true servant of Christ must never try to let the people see how well he can preach; he must never go out of his way to drag a pretty piece of poetry in his sermon, nor to introduce some fine quotations from the classics. He must employ a simple, homely style, or such a style as God has given him and he must preach Christ so plainly that his listeners cannot only understand him, but that they cannot misunderstand him even if they try to do so.
Now as the time has gone, I must close, by saying that we must try to preach Christ savingly.
O sinners, I pray that you would trust Christ this very moment! Do you realize how great your danger is? Unconverted soul, you are standing as it were, over the mouth of hell, on a single plank, and that plank is rotten! Man, woman, you may be in thy grave, before another Sunday dawns and then, if unsaved you will be in hell! Beware lest you are taken out of this earth without salvation in Christ, for, if that happens to you, then know that will be no ransom that can prevent your soul from going down to the pit. Oh sinner, see your need of Christ, and grab hold of him, by faith. No one but Christ can save you. Christ is the Way; you may go about all your days trying to find another entrance to heaven, but you will not find it for this is the only one. Why will you not come to God by Christ? Why are you so ungrateful as to despise the patient mercy of God? Won’t you let the goodness of God lead you to repent? Will Christ die for sinners, and yet will you, O sinner, turn away from him who alone can give you life? If you will only trust him, he will save you; your sins, which are many, will all be forgiven; you will be adopted into the family of God, and in due time you will find yourself in heaven and be there for all eternity. If you want to be happy, if you want to enjoy the peace that is beyond all understanding if you want to have two heavens — a heaven below and a heaven above — then trust in Jesus, trust in Jesus this very moment. Do not leave this building unsaved. One believing look will bring you salvation, for —
“There is life for a look at the Crucified One;
There is life at this moment for thee;
Then look, sinner — look to Jesus, and be saved, —
To him who was nailed to the tree.”.
Look to Jesus, look to him now; may the Holy Spirit enable you to look and live, for Jesus Christ’s sake! Amen.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Christ Jesus, the Source and Object of Faith
07.21.10
J.A. Matteson
“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”
Ephesians 3:12 KJV
Delightful is the access saints enjoy into the blessed presence of God Almighty. Conceived in sin as a consequence of the Fall man makes his debut onto the world stage of history as a child of wrath, at enmity with his Creator, proud, disobedient to and detesting the oracles of God, vainly searching for a balm to quell the ache of his heart which longs for eternity, all the while observing the slow and distressing steady decay of his person as the twilight of his brief tenancy on earth draws nigh.
Access into the very presence of the Ancient of Days is the entrance point to eternal bliss, that which the sons of Adam intuitively desire during their momentary stay upon the earth, yet unable to come to the knowledge of the truth. The Lord Jesus Christ in answering his disciples' question regarding His public speaking in parables quoted Isaiah 6:9, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN" (Mk. 4:11-12). And to those who do not believe the Gospel the Apostle John reflected on the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, “But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?" For this reason they could not believe....” (Jn. 12:37-39a).
The merciful arm of the Lord is sovereignly revealed to those whom “it has been given” and the rest are hardened, for the Apostle Paul quotes the Lord's disclosure in this matter to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION" (Rom. 9:15). Salvation is of the Lord. The fruit of the arm of the Lord extended to an individual is known by lips that confess Jesus as the Christ and a heart of faith in His redeeming work on their behalf (Rom. 10:9), for none can confess Christ as Lord except by the Spirit of God (1 Jn. 4:2).
Into this marvelous grace of faith leading to access Paul speaks in the passage under consideration. The KJV is more accurate than other translations in expressing the Greek construction used by Paul and the last four words in the sentence are remarkable in their implication, “by the faith of him” (διὰ τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ). Διὰ is a Greek preposition meaning by or through. Τῆς is the definite article meaning the and as such denotes a specific or particular faith; viz., that saving faith supplied by Christ. Πίστεως can be used in context as either a noun or verb and means faith. Αὐτοῦ is a preposition in the genitive, singular, masculine case meaning of him. It is Paul's use of αὐτοῦ that is striking. For had he intended to convey that access into the throne of grace was by a faith that finds its origin within the sinner he would likely have chosen a different construction of words, such as, διὰ πίστις ἐν αὐτω, meaning by faith in Him. Remarkably, this is the rendering offered by some commentators and Bible translators and apart from the possible intent of guarding or advancing a particular theological viewpoint in soteriology (i.e., the Arminian view that saving faith originates within man) it is difficult to account for it. On the other hand if the Apostle's words are taken at face value then they harmonize perfectly with the rest of Scripture that declares faith is a grace gift of God and that Christ is both the author (originator) and finisher (perfecter) of that gift (faith). What Paul appears to be stating is that the Lord Jesus Christ is both the source of saving faith and the object of saving faith granting access, “by the faith of him.” It is the faith that He gives through regeneration that enables (or activates within) the sinner to demonstrate faith in Him, so that by Him, and through Him, and to Him is due all the honor and praise to the glory of God the Father.
So it is Christ Jesus who, as the Giver of the gift, brings full circle to Himself the consummation of the Father's eternal decree (“I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy”), through the saving agency of the Spirit (Jn. 6:37, “All that the Father gives me will come to me” ), as the object of the believers affections and faith (1 Pet. 1:8, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.). Pilgrim, we love Him because He first loved us. May we His sheep, by His grace, and by the faith of Him grow to love Him completely to the praise of His wonderful Name.
Copyright (c) 2010 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
J.A. Matteson
“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”
Ephesians 3:12 KJV
Delightful is the access saints enjoy into the blessed presence of God Almighty. Conceived in sin as a consequence of the Fall man makes his debut onto the world stage of history as a child of wrath, at enmity with his Creator, proud, disobedient to and detesting the oracles of God, vainly searching for a balm to quell the ache of his heart which longs for eternity, all the while observing the slow and distressing steady decay of his person as the twilight of his brief tenancy on earth draws nigh.
Access into the very presence of the Ancient of Days is the entrance point to eternal bliss, that which the sons of Adam intuitively desire during their momentary stay upon the earth, yet unable to come to the knowledge of the truth. The Lord Jesus Christ in answering his disciples' question regarding His public speaking in parables quoted Isaiah 6:9, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN" (Mk. 4:11-12). And to those who do not believe the Gospel the Apostle John reflected on the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, “But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?" For this reason they could not believe....” (Jn. 12:37-39a).
The merciful arm of the Lord is sovereignly revealed to those whom “it has been given” and the rest are hardened, for the Apostle Paul quotes the Lord's disclosure in this matter to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION" (Rom. 9:15). Salvation is of the Lord. The fruit of the arm of the Lord extended to an individual is known by lips that confess Jesus as the Christ and a heart of faith in His redeeming work on their behalf (Rom. 10:9), for none can confess Christ as Lord except by the Spirit of God (1 Jn. 4:2).
Into this marvelous grace of faith leading to access Paul speaks in the passage under consideration. The KJV is more accurate than other translations in expressing the Greek construction used by Paul and the last four words in the sentence are remarkable in their implication, “by the faith of him” (διὰ τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ). Διὰ is a Greek preposition meaning by or through. Τῆς is the definite article meaning the and as such denotes a specific or particular faith; viz., that saving faith supplied by Christ. Πίστεως can be used in context as either a noun or verb and means faith. Αὐτοῦ is a preposition in the genitive, singular, masculine case meaning of him. It is Paul's use of αὐτοῦ that is striking. For had he intended to convey that access into the throne of grace was by a faith that finds its origin within the sinner he would likely have chosen a different construction of words, such as, διὰ πίστις ἐν αὐτω, meaning by faith in Him. Remarkably, this is the rendering offered by some commentators and Bible translators and apart from the possible intent of guarding or advancing a particular theological viewpoint in soteriology (i.e., the Arminian view that saving faith originates within man) it is difficult to account for it. On the other hand if the Apostle's words are taken at face value then they harmonize perfectly with the rest of Scripture that declares faith is a grace gift of God and that Christ is both the author (originator) and finisher (perfecter) of that gift (faith). What Paul appears to be stating is that the Lord Jesus Christ is both the source of saving faith and the object of saving faith granting access, “by the faith of him.” It is the faith that He gives through regeneration that enables (or activates within) the sinner to demonstrate faith in Him, so that by Him, and through Him, and to Him is due all the honor and praise to the glory of God the Father.
So it is Christ Jesus who, as the Giver of the gift, brings full circle to Himself the consummation of the Father's eternal decree (“I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy”), through the saving agency of the Spirit (Jn. 6:37, “All that the Father gives me will come to me” ), as the object of the believers affections and faith (1 Pet. 1:8, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.). Pilgrim, we love Him because He first loved us. May we His sheep, by His grace, and by the faith of Him grow to love Him completely to the praise of His wonderful Name.
Copyright (c) 2010 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Monday, July 19, 2010
An Exposition of Ephesians 2:8
07.18.10
J.A. Matteson
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God”
God works all things according to the good purpose of His will (Eph. 1:11), being the first cause to which all things are subservient, and these finding their existence and governance either directly by Him or indirectly through secondary causes which He has ordained. A most horrifying portrait of the human condition in sin is displayed by the Apostle in verses 1-3 of this chapter, specifically designed to explicitly underscore man's hopelessness and helplessness in initiating his own redemption. The crippling effects of the Fall have left the race morally impotent, utterly void in any capacity to respond favorably to the Gospel for salvation. For a man cannot be saved unto life when he is already dead. After all, what can a dead man do other than stink?
By definition to be dead is to be unresponsive which is why the Apostle also states that to the unregenerate man, to the natural man, the things of the Spirit are foolishness to him and that he cannot understand them or respond favorably to them (1 Cor. 1:8). A trait of the fallen condition of man is pride and God in His wisdom has shut out every basis for pride by grace, “For by grace you have been saved.” Grace is the gift to sinners, the antecedent to spiritual life, it is the means through which the faith is possible. Apart from grace faith is impossible, and this grace bestowed irrespective of the fallen human condition, being an unmerited gift.
By grace sinners become passive recipients of God's life giving initiative through regeneration, that they may walk in newness of life in the likeness of Him who bore their sin on Calvary. Faith, then, is the byproduct or outworking of this marvelous grace in which the sinner stands, and grace is unmerited favor or it is no longer grace, being initiated by God according to His purpose and good pleasure. To the gift of this grace the Apostle also states, “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24). It is true that he in another passage states that justification is the result of faith alone, but note the antecedent to faith is always grace bringing forth spiritual life; therefore, faith is not of human origin, but of God, and that revelation from God to man smacks at the heart of human pride.
Indeed, even John makes this clear, “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, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (Jn 1:12-13). And in as much as God cannot contradict Himself how are we to understand John? Are we to interpret him here to mean that faith is of human origin and as a result sinners are born again, that God did his bit in redemption by sending His Son but leaves the final outcome of salvation up to depraved minds cloaked in darkness, deaf to spiritual truth, those who consider by nature are children of wrath and who regard the Gospel of Christ as foolishness? Is that a conclusion consistent with Paul? By no means! Most certainly what John is saying is that to those who receive Christ, believing on His name, are those who are blessed, for they are indeed passive recipients of grace, that which quickens the dead heart of stone unto life, enabling and ensuring that it responds positively to Gospel, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved)”(Eph. 2:4-5). The gift of grace leading to life and faith is mentioned by Paul extensively where it eliminates boasting, giving glory to God alone for salvation (Rom. 5:15, 6:23; Eph. 3:7, 4:7, etc.). It is the power of God's grace within sinners that brings them to faith and keeps them in faith. God's grace is not without its effect upon the heart in that the circumcision of the Spirit casts away the enmity and prior disposition of unbelief leading to rebellion.
To those foreknown to the Father in eternity past—persons foreknown (not actions or deeds of faith foreknown as the semi-Pelagian's/Arminian's would insist), to these predestined to life the call to life through the Gospel is effective accomplishing its purpose, for the Spirit gives them ears to hear (quickening) and a new nature, one that desires Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Being regenerated or born again by the Spirit they respond to the Gospel in faith and are justified freely. Where is boasting? It is eliminated. On what basis is it eliminated? On the basis of grace. It is for this reason the Apostle chose his words exactly, “...by grace through faith...” Grace is the basis for salvation and faith is the means. Apart from grace faith would not exist and where grace is present faith is assured, for like grace it too is the gift of God. Sola Dei Gloria!
Copyright (c) 2010 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever..." Isa. 40:8).
J.A. Matteson
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God”
God works all things according to the good purpose of His will (Eph. 1:11), being the first cause to which all things are subservient, and these finding their existence and governance either directly by Him or indirectly through secondary causes which He has ordained. A most horrifying portrait of the human condition in sin is displayed by the Apostle in verses 1-3 of this chapter, specifically designed to explicitly underscore man's hopelessness and helplessness in initiating his own redemption. The crippling effects of the Fall have left the race morally impotent, utterly void in any capacity to respond favorably to the Gospel for salvation. For a man cannot be saved unto life when he is already dead. After all, what can a dead man do other than stink?
By definition to be dead is to be unresponsive which is why the Apostle also states that to the unregenerate man, to the natural man, the things of the Spirit are foolishness to him and that he cannot understand them or respond favorably to them (1 Cor. 1:8). A trait of the fallen condition of man is pride and God in His wisdom has shut out every basis for pride by grace, “For by grace you have been saved.” Grace is the gift to sinners, the antecedent to spiritual life, it is the means through which the faith is possible. Apart from grace faith is impossible, and this grace bestowed irrespective of the fallen human condition, being an unmerited gift.
By grace sinners become passive recipients of God's life giving initiative through regeneration, that they may walk in newness of life in the likeness of Him who bore their sin on Calvary. Faith, then, is the byproduct or outworking of this marvelous grace in which the sinner stands, and grace is unmerited favor or it is no longer grace, being initiated by God according to His purpose and good pleasure. To the gift of this grace the Apostle also states, “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24). It is true that he in another passage states that justification is the result of faith alone, but note the antecedent to faith is always grace bringing forth spiritual life; therefore, faith is not of human origin, but of God, and that revelation from God to man smacks at the heart of human pride.
Indeed, even John makes this clear, “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, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (Jn 1:12-13). And in as much as God cannot contradict Himself how are we to understand John? Are we to interpret him here to mean that faith is of human origin and as a result sinners are born again, that God did his bit in redemption by sending His Son but leaves the final outcome of salvation up to depraved minds cloaked in darkness, deaf to spiritual truth, those who consider by nature are children of wrath and who regard the Gospel of Christ as foolishness? Is that a conclusion consistent with Paul? By no means! Most certainly what John is saying is that to those who receive Christ, believing on His name, are those who are blessed, for they are indeed passive recipients of grace, that which quickens the dead heart of stone unto life, enabling and ensuring that it responds positively to Gospel, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved)”(Eph. 2:4-5). The gift of grace leading to life and faith is mentioned by Paul extensively where it eliminates boasting, giving glory to God alone for salvation (Rom. 5:15, 6:23; Eph. 3:7, 4:7, etc.). It is the power of God's grace within sinners that brings them to faith and keeps them in faith. God's grace is not without its effect upon the heart in that the circumcision of the Spirit casts away the enmity and prior disposition of unbelief leading to rebellion.
To those foreknown to the Father in eternity past—persons foreknown (not actions or deeds of faith foreknown as the semi-Pelagian's/Arminian's would insist), to these predestined to life the call to life through the Gospel is effective accomplishing its purpose, for the Spirit gives them ears to hear (quickening) and a new nature, one that desires Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Being regenerated or born again by the Spirit they respond to the Gospel in faith and are justified freely. Where is boasting? It is eliminated. On what basis is it eliminated? On the basis of grace. It is for this reason the Apostle chose his words exactly, “...by grace through faith...” Grace is the basis for salvation and faith is the means. Apart from grace faith would not exist and where grace is present faith is assured, for like grace it too is the gift of God. Sola Dei Gloria!
Copyright (c) 2010 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever..." Isa. 40:8).
Sunday, July 18, 2010
An Exposition of John 3:16
by Dr. John Owen (1616-1683)
This article is taken from John Owen's magnificent work The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, (Book IV, Chapter II) of the Banner of Truth edition: London, 1963. This edition also includes the now heralded "Introductory Essay" by Dr. J.I. Packer, which as been reproduced and distributed separately by several publishers in booklet form.
CHAPTER II
An entrance to the answer unto particular arguments.
Now we come to the consideration of the objections wherewith the doctrine we have, from the word of God, undeniably confirmed is usually, with great noise and clamour, assaulted; concerning which I must give you these three cautions, before I come to lay them down: —
The first whereof is this, that for mine own part I had rather they were all buried than once brought to light, in opposition to the truth of God, which they seem to deface; and therefore, were it left to my choice, I would not produce any one of them: not that there is any difficulty or weight in them, that the removal should be operose or burdensome, but only that I am not willing to be any way instrumental to give breath or light to that which opposeth the truth of God. But because, in these times of liberty and error, I suppose the most of them have been objected to the reader already by men lying in wait to deceive, or are likely to be, I shall therefore show you the poison, and withal furnish you with an antidote against the venom of such self-seekers as our days abound withal.
Secondly, I must desire you, that when ye hear an objection, ye would not be carried away with the sound of words, nor suffer it to take impression on your spirits, remembering with how many demonstrations and innumerable places of Scripture the truth opposed by them hath been confirmed, but rest yourselves until the places be well weighed, the arguments pondered, the answers set down; and then the Lord direct you to "prove all things, and hold fast that which is good."
Thirdly, That you would diligently observe what comes near the stress of the controversy, and the thing wherein the difference lieth, leaving all other flourishes and swelling words of vanity, as of no weight, of no importance.
Now, the objections laid against the truth maintained are of two sorts; — the first, taken from Scripture perverted; the other, from reason abused.
We begin with the first, the OBJECTIONS TAKEN FROM SCRIPTURE; all the places whereof that may any way seem to contradict our assertion are, by our ‘strongest adversaries, in their greatest strength, referred to three heads: — First, Those places that affirm that Christ died for the world, or that otherwise make mention of the word world in the business of redemption. Secondly, Those that mention all and every man, either in the work of Christ’s dying for them, or where God is said to will their salvation. Thirdly, Those which affirm Christ bought or died for them that perish. Hence they draw out three principal arguments or sophisms, on which they much insist. All which we shall, by the Lord’s assistance, consider in their several order, with the places of Scripture brought to confirm and strengthen them.
I. The first whereof is taken from the word "world," and is thus proposed by them, to whom our poor pretenders are indeed very children: —
"He that is given out of the love wherewith God loved the world, as John iii. 16; that gave himself for the life of the world, as John vi. 51; and was a propitiation for the sins of the whole world, as 1 John ii. 2" (to which add, John i. 29, iv. 42; 2 Cor. v.19, cited by Armin. pp. 530, 531, and Corv. ad Molin. p. 442, chap. 29); "he was given and died for every man in the world; — but the first is true of Christ, as appears by the places before alleged: therefore he died for all and every one," Remon. Act. Synod. p. 300. And to this they say their adversaries have not any colour of answer.
But granting them the liberty of boasting, we flatly deny, without seeking for colours, the consequent of the first proposition, and will, by the Lord’s help, at any time, put it to the trial whether we have not just cause so to do. There be two ways whereby they go about to prove this consequent from the world to all and every one; — first, By reason and the sense of the word; secondly, From the consideration of the particular places of Scripture urged. We will try them in both.
First, If they will make it out by the way of reasoning, I conceive they must argue thus: —
The whole world contains all and every man in the world; Christ died for the whole world: therefore, etc.
Ans. Here are manifestly four terms in this syllogism, arising from the ambiguity of the word "world," and so no true medium on which the weight of the conclusion should hang; the world, in the first proposition, being taken for the world containing; in the second, for the world contained, or men in the world, as is too apparent to be made a thing to be proved. So that unless ye render the conclusion, Therefore Christ died for that which contains all the men in the world, and assert in the assumption that Christ died for the world containing, or the fabric of the habitable earth (which is a frenzy), this syllogism is most sophistically false. If, then, ye will take any proof from the word "world," it must not be from the thing itself, but from the signification of the word in the Scripture; as thus: —
This word "world" in the Scripture signifieth all and every man in the world; but Christ is said to die for the world: ergo, etc.
Ans. The first proposition, concerning the signification and meaning of the word world is either universal, comprehending all places where it is used, or particular, intending only some. If the first, the proposition is apparently false, as was manifested before; if in the second way, then the argument must be thus formed: —
In some places in Scripture the word "world" signifieth all and every man in the world, of all ages, times, and conditions; but Christ is said to die for the world: ergo, etc.
Ans. That this syllogism is no better than the former is most evident, a universal conclusion being inferred from a particular proposition. But now the first proposition being rightly formed, I have one question to demand concerning the second, or the assumption, — namely, whether in every place where there is mention made of the death of Christ, it is said he died for the world, or only in some? If ye say in every place, that is apparently false, as hath been already discovered by those many texts of Scripture before produced, restraining the death of Christ to his elect, his sheep, his church, in comparison whereof these are but few. If the second, then the argument must run thus: —
In some few places of Scripture the word "world" doth signify all and every man in the world; but in some few places Christ is said to die for the world (though not in express words, yet in terms equivalent): ergo, etc.
Ans. This argument is so weak, ridiculous, and sophistically false, that it cannot but be evident to any one; and yet clearly, from the word world itself it will not be made any better, and none need desire that it should be worse. It concludes a universal upon particular affirmatives, and, besides, with four terms apparently in the syllogism; unless the some places in the first be proved to be the very some places in the assumption, which is the thing in question. So that if any strength be taken from this word, it must be an argument in this form: —
If the word "world" doth signify all and every man that ever were or shall be, in those places where Christ is said to die for the world, then Christ died for all and every man; but the word "world," in all those places where Christ is said to die for the world, doth signify all and every man in the world: therefore Christ died for them.
Ans. First, That it is but in one place said that Christ gave his life for the world, or died for it, which holds out the intention of our Saviour; all the other places seem only to hold out the sufficiency of his oblation for all, which we also maintain. Secondly, We absolutely deny the assumption, and appeal for trial to a consideration of all those particular places wherein such mention is made.
Thus have I called this argument to rule and measure, that it might be evident where the great strength of it lieth (which is indeed very weakness), and that for their sakes who, having caught hold of the word world, run presently away with the bait, as though all were clear for universal redemption; when yet, if ye desire them to lay out and manifest the strength of their reason, they know not what to say but the world and the whole world, understanding, indeed, neither what they say nor whereof they do affirm, And now, quid dignum tanto? what cause of the great boast mentioned in the entrance? A weaker argument, I dare say, was never by rational men produced in so weighty a cause; which will farther be manifested by the consideration of the several particular places produced to give it countenance, which we shall do in order: —
1. The first place we pitch upon is that which by our adversaries is first propounded, and not a little rested upon; and yet, notwithstanding their clamorous claim, there are not a few who think that very text as fit and ready to overthrow their whole opinion as Goliath’s sword to cut off his own head, many unanswerable arguments against the universality of redemption: being easily deduced from the words of that text. The great peaceable King of his church guide us to make good the interest of truth to the place in controversy which through him we shall attempt; — first, by opening the words; and, secondly, by balancing of reasonings and arguments from them. And this place is John iii. 16, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
This place, I say, the Universalists exceedingly boast in; for which we are persuaded they have so little cause, that we doubt not but, with the Lord’s assistance, to demonstrate that it is destructive to their whole defence: to which end I will give you, in brief; a double paraphrase of the words, the first containing their sense, the latter ours. Thus, then, our adversaries explain these words: — "‘God so loved,’ had such a natural inclination, velleity, and propensity to the good of ‘the world,’ Adam, with all and every one of his posterity, of all ages, times, and conditions (whereof some were in heaven, some in hell long before), ‘that he gave his only-begotten Son,’ causing him to be incarnate in the fulness of time, to die, not with a purpose and resolution to save any, but ‘that whosoever,’ what persons soever of those which he had propensity unto, ‘believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,’ should have this fruit and issue, that he should escape death and hell, and live eternally." In which explication of the sense of the place these things are to be observed: — First, What is that love which was the cause of the sending or giving of Christ; which they make to be a natural propensity to the good of all. Secondly, Who are the objects of this love; all and every man of all generations. Thirdly, Wherein this giving consisteth; of which I cannot find whether they mean by it the appointment of Christ to be a recoverer, or his actual exhibition in the flesh for the accomplishment of his ministration. Fourthly, Whosoever, they make distributive of the persons in the world, and so not restrictive in the intention to some. Fifthly, That life eternal is the fruit obtained by believers, but not the end intended by God.
Now, look a little, in the second place, at what we conceive to be the mind of God in those words; whose aim we take to be the advancement, and setting forth of the free love of God to lost sinners, in sending Christ to procure for them eternal redemption, as may appear in this following paraphrase:
"‘God’ the Father ‘so loved,’ had such a peculiar, transcendent love, being an unchangeable purpose and act of his will concerning their salvation, towards ‘the world,’ miserable, sinful, lost men of all sorts, not only Jews but Gentiles also, which he peculiarly loved, ‘that,’ intending their salvation, as in the last words, for the praise of his glorious grace, ‘he gave,’ he prepared a way to prevent their everlasting destruction, by appointing and sending ‘his only-begotten Son’ to be an all-sufficient Saviour to all that look up unto him, ‘that whosoever believeth in Him,’ all believers whatsoever, and only they, ‘should not perish, but have everlasting life,’ and so effectually be brought to the obtaining of those glorious things through him which the Lord in his free love had designed for them."
In which enlargement of the words, for the setting forth of what we conceive to be the mind of the Holy Ghost in them, these things are to be observed: —
First, What we understand by the "love" of God, even that act of his will which was the cause of sending his Son Jesus Christ, being the most eminent act of love and favour to the creature; for love is velle alicui bonum, "to will good to any." And never did God will greater good to the creature than in appointing his Son for their redemption. Notwithstanding, I would have it observed that I do not make the purpose of sending or giving Christ to be absolutely subordinate to God’s love to his elect, as though that were the end of the other absolutely, but rather that they are both coordinate to the same supreme end, or the manifestation of God’s glory by the way of mercy tempered with justice; but in respect of our apprehension, that is the relation wherein they stand one to another. Now, this love we say to be that, greater than which there is none.
Secondly, By the "world," we understand the elect of God only, though not considered in this place as such, but under such a notion as, being true of them, serves for the farther exaltation of God’s love towards them, which is the end here designed; and this is, as they are poor, miserable, lost creatures in the world, of the world, scattered abroad in all places of the world, not tied to Jews or Greeks, but dispersed in any nation, kindred, and language under heaven.
Thirdly, Ina pas o pisteuwn, is to us, "that every believer," and is declarative of the intention of God in sending or giving his Son, containing no distribution of the world beloved, but a direction to the persons whose good was intended, that love being an unchangeable intention of the chiefest good.
Fourthly, "Should not perish, but have life everlasting," contains an expression of the particular aim and intention of God in this business; which is, the certain salvation of believers by Christ. And this, in general, is the interpretation of the words which we adhere unto, which will yield us sundry arguments, sufficient each of them to evert the general ransom; which, that they may be the better bottomed, and the more clearly convincing, we will lay down and compare the several words and expressions of this place, about whose interpretation we differ, with the reason of our rejecting the one sense and embracing the other: —
The first difference in the interpretation of this place is about the cause of sending Christ; called here love. The second, about the object of this love; called here the world. Thirdly, Concerning the intention of God in sending his Son; said to be that believers might be saved.
For the First; By "love" in this place, all our adversaries agree that a natural affection and propensity in God to the good of the creature, lost under sin, in general, which moved him to take some way whereby it might possibly be remedied, is intended. We, on the contrary, say that by love here is not meant an inclination or propensity of his nature, but an act of his will (where we conceive his love to be seated), and eternal purpose to do good to man, being the most transcendent and eminent act of God’s love to the creature.
That both these may be weighed, to see which is most agreeable to the mind of the Holy Ghost, I shall give you, first, some of the reasons whereby we oppose the former interpretation; and, secondly, those whereby we confirm our own.
First, If no natural affection, whereby he should necessarily be carried to any thing without himself; can or ought to be ascribed unto God, then no such thing is here intended in the .word love; for that cannot be here intended which is not in God at all. But now, that there neither is nor can be any such natural affection in God is most apparent, and may be evidenced by many demonstrations. I shall briefly recount a few of them: — First, Nothing that includes any imperfection is to be assigned to Almighty God: he is God all-sufficient; he is our rock, and His work is perfect. But a natural affection in God to the good and salvation of all, being never completed nor perfected, carrieth along with it a great deal of imperfection and weakness; and not only so, but it must also needs be exceedingly prejudicial to the absolute blessedness and happiness of Almighty God. Look, how much any thing wants of the fulfilling of that whereunto it is carried out with any desire, natural or voluntary, so much it wanteth of blessedness and happiness. So that, without impairing of the infinite blessedness of the ever-blessed God, no natural affection unto any thing never to be accomplished can be ascribed unto him, such as this general love to all is supposed to be.
Secondly, If the Lord hath such a natural affection to all, as to love them so far as to send his Son to die for them, whence is it that this affection of his doth not receive accomplishment? whence is it that it is hindered, and doth not produce its effects? why doth not the Lord engage his power for the fulfilling of his desire? "It doth not seem good to his infinite wisdom," say they, "so to do." Then is there an affection in God to that which, in his wisdom, he cannot prosecute. This among the sons of men, the worms of’ the earth, would be called a brutish affection.
Thirdly, No affection or natural propensity to good is to be ascribed to God which the Scripture nowhere assigns to him, and is contrary to what the Scripture doth assign unto him. Now, the Scripture doth nowhere assign unto God any natural affection whereby he should be naturally inclined to the good of the creature; the place to prove it clearly is yet to be produced. And that it is contrary to what the Scripture assigns him is apparent; for it describes him to be free in showing mercy, every act of it being by him performed freely, even as he pleaseth, for "he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy." Now, if every act of mercy showed unto any do proceed from the free distinguishing will of God (as is apparent), certainly there can be in him no such natural affection. And the truth is, if the Lord should not show mercy, and be carried out towards the creature, merely upon his own distinguishing will, but should naturally be moved to show mercy to the miserable, he should, first, be no more merciful to men than to devils, nor, secondly, to those that are saved than to those that are damned: for that which is natural must be equal in all its operations; and that which is natural to God must be eternal. Many more effectual reasons are produced by our divines for the denial of this natural affection in God, in the resolution of the Arminian distinction (I call it so, as now by them abused) of God’s antecedent and consequent will, to whom the learned reader may repair for satisfaction. So that the love mentioned in this place is not that natural affection to all in general, which is not But, —
Secondly, It is the special love of God to his elect, as we affirm, and so, consequently, not any such thing as our adversaries suppose to be intended by it, — namely, a velleity or natural inclination to the good of all. For,—
First, The love here intimated is absolutely the most eminent and transcendent love that ever God showed or bare towards any miserable creature; yea, the intention of our Saviour is so to set it forth, as is apparent by the emphatical expression of it used in this place. The particles "so," "that," declare no less, pointing out an eximiousness peculiarly remarkable in the thing whereof the affirmation is [made], above any other thing in the same kind. Expositors usually lay weight upon almost every particular word of the verse, for the exaltation and demonstration of the love here mentioned. "So," that is, in such a degree, to such a remarkable, astonishable height: "God," the glorious, all-sufficient God, that could have manifested his justice to eternity in the condemnation of all sinners, and no way wanted them to be partakers of his blessedness: "loved," with such an earnest, intents affection, consisting in an eternal, unchangeable act and purpose of his will, for the bestowing of the chiefest good (the choicest effectual love): "the world," men in the world, of the world, subject to the iniquities and miseries of the world, lying in their blood, having nothing to render them commendable in his eyes, or before him: "that he gave," did not, as he made all the world at first, speak the word and it was done, but proceeded higher, to the performance of a great deal more and longer work, wherein he was to do more than exercise an act of his almighty power, as before; and therefore gave "his Son;" not any favourite or other well-pleasing creature; not sun, moon, or stars; not the rich treasure of his creation (all too mean, and coming short of expressing this love); but his Son: "begotten Son," and that not so called by reason of some near approaches to him, and filial, obediential reverence of him, as the angels are called the sons of God; for it was not an angel that he gave, which yet had been an expression of most intense love; nor yet any son by adoption, as believers are the sons of God; but his begotten Son, begotten of his own person from eternity; and that "his only-begotten Son;" not any one of his sons, but whereas he had or hath but one only-begotten Son, always in his bosom, his Isaac, he gave him: — than which how could the infinite wisdom of God make or give any higher testimony of his love? especially if ye will add what is here evidently included, though the time was not as yet come that it should be openly expressed, namely, whereunto he gave his Son, his only one; not to be a king, and worshipped in the first place, — but he "spared him not, but delivered him up" to death "for us all," Rom. viii. 32. Whereunto, for a close of all, cast your eyes upon his design and purpose in this whole business, and ye shall find that it was that believers, those whom he thus loved, "might not perish," — that is, undergo the utmost misery and wrath to eternity, which they had deserved — "but have everlasting life," eternal glory with himself; which of themselves they could no way attain; and ye will easily grant that "greater love hath no man than this." Now, if the love here mentioned be the greatest, highest, and chiefest of all, certainly it cannot be that common affection towards all that we discussed before; for the love whereby men are actually and eternally saved is greater than that which may consist with the perishing of men to eternity.
Secondly, The Scripture positively asserts this very love as the chiefest act of the love of God, and that which he would have us take notice of in the first place: Rom. v. 8, "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us;" and fully, 1 John iv. 9, 10, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." In both which places the eminency of this love is set forth exceeding emphatically to believers, with such expressions as can no way be accommodated to a natural velleity to the good of all.
Thirdly, That seeing all love in God is but velle alicui bonum, to will good to them that are beloved, they certainly are the object of his love to whom he intends that good which is the issue and effect of that love; but now the issue of this love or good intended, being not perishing, and obtaining eternal life through Christ, happens alone to, and is bestowed on, only elect believers: therefore, they certainly are the object of this love, and they alone; — which was the thing we had to declare.
Fourthly, That love which is the cause of giving Christ is also always the cause of the bestowing of all other good things: Rom. viii. 32, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Therefore, if the love there mentioned be the cause of sending Christ, as it is, it must also cause all other things to be given with him, and so can be towards none but those who have those things bestowed on them; which are only the elect, only believers. Who else have grace here, or glory hereafter?
Fifthly, The word here, which is hgapho", signifieth, in its native importance, valde dilexit, — to love so as to rest in that love; which how it can stand with hatred, and an eternal purpose of not bestowing effectual grace, which is in the Lord towards some, will not easily be made apparent. And now let the Christian reader judge, whether by the love of God, in this place mentioned, be to be understood a natural velleity or inclination in God to the good of all, both elect and reprobate, or the peculiar love of God to his elect, being the fountain of the chiefest good that ever was bestowed on the sons of men. This is the first difference about the interpretation of these words.
SECONDLY, The second thing controverted is the object of this love, pressed by the word "world;" which our adversaries would have to signify all and every man; we, the elect of God scattered abroad in the world, with a tacit opposition to the nation of the Jews, who alone, excluding all other nations (some few proselytes excepted), before the actual exhibition of Christ in the flesh, had all the benefits of the promises appropriated to them, Rom. ix. 4; in which privilege now all nations were to have an equal share. To confirm the exposition of the word as used by the Universalists, nothing of weight, that ever yet I could see, is brought forth, but only the word itself; for neither the love mentioned in the beginning, nor the design pointed at in the end of the verse, will possibly agree with the sense which they impose on that word in the middle. Beside; how weak and infirm an inference from the word world, by reason of its ambiguous and wonderful various acceptations, is, we have at large declared before.
Three poor shifts I find in the great champions of this course, to prove that the word world doth not signify the elect. Justly we might have expected some reasons to prove that it signified or implied all and every man in the world, which was their own assertion; but of this ye have a deep silence, being conscious, no doubt, of their disability for any such performance. Only, as I said, three pretended arguments they bring to disprove that which none went about to prove, — namely, that by the world is meant the elect as such; for though we conceive the persons here designed directly men in and of the world, to be all and only God’s elect, yet we do not say that they are here so considered, but rather under another notion, as men scattered over all the world, in themselves subject to misery and sin. So that whosoever will oppose our exposition of this place must either, first, prove that by the world here must be necessarily understood all and every man in the world; or, secondly, that it cannot be taken indefinitely for men in the world which materially are elect, though not considered under that formality. So that all those vain flourishes which some men make with these word; by putting the word elect into the room of the word world; and then coining absurd consequences, are quite beside the business in hand. Yet, farther, we deny that by a supply of the word elect into the text any absurdity or untruth will justly follow. Yea, and that flourish which is usually so made is but a bugbear to frighten weak ones; for, suppose we should read it thus, "God so loved the elect, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish," what inconvenience will now follow? "Why," say they, "that some of the elect, whom God so loved as to send his Son for, may perish." Why, I pray? Is it because he sent his Son that they might not perish? or what other cause? "No; but because it is said, that whosoever of them believeth on him should not perish; which intimates that some of them might not believe." Very good! But where is any such intimation? God designs the salvation of all them in express words for whom he sends his Son; and certainly all that shall be saved shall believe. But it is in the word whosoever, which is distributive of the world into those that believe and those that believe not. Ans. First, If this word whosoever be distributive, then it is restrictive of the love of God to some, and not to others, — to one part of the distribution, and not to the other. And if it do not restrain the love of God, intending the salvation of some, then it is not distributive of the fore-mentioned object of it; and if it do restrain it, then all are not intended in the love which moved God to give his Son. Secondly, I deny that the word here is distributive of the object of God’s love, but only declarative of his end and aim in giving Christ in the pursuit of that love, — to wit, that all believers might be saved. So that the sense is, "God so loved his elect throughout the world, that he gave his Son with this intention, that by him believers might be saved." And this is all that is by any (besides a few worthless cavils) objected from this place to disprove our interpretation; which we shall now confirm both positively and negatively: —
First, Our first reason is taken from what was before proved concerning the nature of that love which is here said to have the world for its object, which cannot be extended to all and every one in the world, as will be confessed by all. Now, such is the world, here, as is beloved with that love which we have here described, and proved to be here intended: — even such a love as is, first, the most transcendent and remarkable; secondly, an eternal act of the will of God; thirdly, the cause of sending Christ; fourthly, of giving all good things in and with him; fifthly, an assured fountain and spring of salvation to all beloved with it. So that the world beloved with this love cannot possibly be all and every one in the world.
Secondly, The word world in the next verse, which carries along the sense of this, and is a continuation of the same matter, being a discovery of the intention of God in giving his Son, must needs signify the elect and believers, at least only those who in the event are saved; therefore so also in this. It is true, the word world is three times used in that verse in a dissonant sense, by an inversion not unusual in the Scripture, as was before declared. It is the latter place that this hath reference to, and is of the same signification with the world in verse 16, "That the world through him might be saved," — ina swqh, "that it should be saved." It discovers the aim, purpose, and intention of God, what it was towards the world that he so loved, even its salvation. Now, if this be understood of any but believers, God fails of his aim and intention, which as yet we dare not grant.
Thirdly, It is not unusual with the Scripture to call God’s chosen people by the name of the world, as also of all flesh, all nations, all families of the earth, and the like general expressions; and therefore no wonder if here they are so called, the intention of the place being to exalt and magnify the love of God towards them, which receives no small advancement from their being every way a world. So are they termed where Christ is said to be their Saviour, John iv. 42; which certainly he is only of them who are saved. A Saviour of men not saved is strange. Also John vi. 51, where he is said to give himself for their life. Clearly, verse 33 of the same chapter, he "giveth life unto the world:" which whether it be any but his elect let all men judge; for Christ himself affirms that he gives life only to his "sheep," and that those to whom he gives life "shall never perish," chap. x. 27, 28. So Rom. iv. 13, Abraham is said by faith to be "heir of the world;" who, verse 11, is called to be father of the faithful. And Rom. xi. 12, the fall of the Jews is said to be "the riches of the world;" which world compriseth only believers of all sorts in the world, as the apostle affirmed that the word bare fruit "in all the world," Col. i. 6. This is that "world" which "God reconcileth to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them," 2 Cor. v.19; which is attended with blessedness in all them to whom that non-imputation belongeth, Rom. iv. 8. And for divers evident reasons is it that they have this appellation; as, — First, to distinguish the object of this love of God from the nature angelical, which utterly perished in all the fallen individuals; which the Scripture also carefully doth in express terms, Heb. ii. 16, and by calling this love of God filanqrwpia, Titus iii. 4. Secondly, To evert and reject the boasting of the Jews, as though all the means of grace and all the benefits intended were to them appropriated. Thirdly, To denote that great difference and distinction between the old administration of the covenant, when it was tied up to one people, family, and nation, and the new, when all boundaries being broken up, the fulness of the Gentiles and the corners of the world were to be made obedient to the sceptre of Christ. Fourthly, To manifest the condition of the elect themselves, who are thus beloved, for the declaration of the free grace of God towards them, they being divested of all qualifications but only those that bespeak them terrene, earthly, lost, miserable, corrupted. So that thus much at least may easily be obtained, that from the word itself nothing can be opposed justly to our exposition of this place, as hath been already declared, and shall be farther made manifest.
Fourthly, If every one in the world be intended, why doth not the Lord, in the pursuit of this love, reveal Jesus Christ. to every one whom he so loved? Strange! that the Lord should so love men as to give his only-begotten Son for them, and yet not once by any means signify this his love to them, as to innumerable he doth not! — that he should love them, and yet order things so, in his wise dispensation, that this love should be altogether in vain and fruitless! — love them, and yet determine that they shall receive no good by his love, though his love indeed be a willing of the greatest good to them!
Fifthly, Unless ye will grant, — first, Some to be beloved and hated also from eternity; secondly, The love of God towards innumerable to be fruitless and vain; thirdly, The Son of God to be given to them who, first, never hear word of him; secondly, have no power granted to believe in him; fourthly, That God is mutable in his love, or else still loveth those that be in hell; fifthly; That he doth not give all things to them to whom he gives his Son, contrary to Rom. viii. 32; sixthly, That he knows not certainly beforehand who shall believe and be saved; — unless, I say, all these blasphemies and absurdities be granted, it cannot be maintained that by the world here is meant all and every one of mankind, but only men in common scattered throughout the world, which are the elect.
The THIRD difference about these words is, concerning the means whereby this love of the Father, whose object is said to be the world is made out unto them. Now, this is by believing, ina o pisteuwn, — "that whosoever believeth," or "that every believer." The intention of these words we take to be, the designing or manifesting of the way whereby the elect of God come to be partakers of the fruits of the love here set forth, — namely, by faith in Christ, God having appointed that for the only way whereby he will communicate unto us the life that is in his Son. To this something was said before, having proved that the term whosoever is not distributive of the object of the love of God; to which, also, we may add these following reasons:— First, If the object be here restrained, so that some only believe and are saved of them for whose sake Christ is sent, then this restriction and determination of the fruits of this love dependeth on the will of God, or on the persons themselves. If on the persons themselves, then make they themselves to differ from others; contrary to 1 Cor. iv. 7. If on the will Of God, then you make the sense of the place, as to this particular, to be, "God so loved all as that but some of them should partake of the fruits of his love." To what end, then, I pray, did he love those other some? Is not this, "Out with the sword, and run the dragon through with the spear?"
Secondly, Seeing that those words, that whosoever believeth, do peculiarly point out the aim and intention of God in this business, if it do restrain the object beloved, then the salvation of believers is confessedly the aim of God in this business, and that distinguished from others; and if so, the general ransom is an empty sound, having no dependence on the purpose of God, his intention being carried out in the giving of his Son only to the salvation of believers, and that determinately, unless you will assign unto him a nescience of them that should believe.
These words, then, whosoever believeth, containing a designation of the means whereby the Lord will bring us to a participation of life through his Son, whom he gave for us; and the following words, of having life everlasting, making out the whole counsel of God in this matter, subordinate to his own glory; it followeth, — That God gave not his Son, — 1. For them who never do believe; 2. Much less for them who never hear of him, and so evidently want means of faith; 3. For them on whom he hath determined not to bestow effectual grace, that they might believe.
Let now the reader take up the several parts of these opposite expositions, weigh all, try all things, especially that which is especially to be considered, the love of God, and so inquire seriously whether it be only a general affection, and a natural velleity to the good of all, which may stand with the perishing of all and every one so beloved, or the peculiar, transcendent love of the Father to his elect, as before laid down; and then determine whether a general ransom, fruitless in respect of the most for whom it was paid, or the effectual redemption of the elect only, have the firmest and strongest foundation in these words of our Saviour; withal remembering that they are produced as the strongest supportment of the adverse cause, with which, it is most apparent, both the cause of sending Christ and the end intended by the Lord in so doing, as they are here expressed, are altogether inconsistent.
This article is taken from John Owen's magnificent work The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, (Book IV, Chapter II) of the Banner of Truth edition: London, 1963. This edition also includes the now heralded "Introductory Essay" by Dr. J.I. Packer, which as been reproduced and distributed separately by several publishers in booklet form.
CHAPTER II
An entrance to the answer unto particular arguments.
Now we come to the consideration of the objections wherewith the doctrine we have, from the word of God, undeniably confirmed is usually, with great noise and clamour, assaulted; concerning which I must give you these three cautions, before I come to lay them down: —
The first whereof is this, that for mine own part I had rather they were all buried than once brought to light, in opposition to the truth of God, which they seem to deface; and therefore, were it left to my choice, I would not produce any one of them: not that there is any difficulty or weight in them, that the removal should be operose or burdensome, but only that I am not willing to be any way instrumental to give breath or light to that which opposeth the truth of God. But because, in these times of liberty and error, I suppose the most of them have been objected to the reader already by men lying in wait to deceive, or are likely to be, I shall therefore show you the poison, and withal furnish you with an antidote against the venom of such self-seekers as our days abound withal.
Secondly, I must desire you, that when ye hear an objection, ye would not be carried away with the sound of words, nor suffer it to take impression on your spirits, remembering with how many demonstrations and innumerable places of Scripture the truth opposed by them hath been confirmed, but rest yourselves until the places be well weighed, the arguments pondered, the answers set down; and then the Lord direct you to "prove all things, and hold fast that which is good."
Thirdly, That you would diligently observe what comes near the stress of the controversy, and the thing wherein the difference lieth, leaving all other flourishes and swelling words of vanity, as of no weight, of no importance.
Now, the objections laid against the truth maintained are of two sorts; — the first, taken from Scripture perverted; the other, from reason abused.
We begin with the first, the OBJECTIONS TAKEN FROM SCRIPTURE; all the places whereof that may any way seem to contradict our assertion are, by our ‘strongest adversaries, in their greatest strength, referred to three heads: — First, Those places that affirm that Christ died for the world, or that otherwise make mention of the word world in the business of redemption. Secondly, Those that mention all and every man, either in the work of Christ’s dying for them, or where God is said to will their salvation. Thirdly, Those which affirm Christ bought or died for them that perish. Hence they draw out three principal arguments or sophisms, on which they much insist. All which we shall, by the Lord’s assistance, consider in their several order, with the places of Scripture brought to confirm and strengthen them.
I. The first whereof is taken from the word "world," and is thus proposed by them, to whom our poor pretenders are indeed very children: —
"He that is given out of the love wherewith God loved the world, as John iii. 16; that gave himself for the life of the world, as John vi. 51; and was a propitiation for the sins of the whole world, as 1 John ii. 2" (to which add, John i. 29, iv. 42; 2 Cor. v.19, cited by Armin. pp. 530, 531, and Corv. ad Molin. p. 442, chap. 29); "he was given and died for every man in the world; — but the first is true of Christ, as appears by the places before alleged: therefore he died for all and every one," Remon. Act. Synod. p. 300. And to this they say their adversaries have not any colour of answer.
But granting them the liberty of boasting, we flatly deny, without seeking for colours, the consequent of the first proposition, and will, by the Lord’s help, at any time, put it to the trial whether we have not just cause so to do. There be two ways whereby they go about to prove this consequent from the world to all and every one; — first, By reason and the sense of the word; secondly, From the consideration of the particular places of Scripture urged. We will try them in both.
First, If they will make it out by the way of reasoning, I conceive they must argue thus: —
The whole world contains all and every man in the world; Christ died for the whole world: therefore, etc.
Ans. Here are manifestly four terms in this syllogism, arising from the ambiguity of the word "world," and so no true medium on which the weight of the conclusion should hang; the world, in the first proposition, being taken for the world containing; in the second, for the world contained, or men in the world, as is too apparent to be made a thing to be proved. So that unless ye render the conclusion, Therefore Christ died for that which contains all the men in the world, and assert in the assumption that Christ died for the world containing, or the fabric of the habitable earth (which is a frenzy), this syllogism is most sophistically false. If, then, ye will take any proof from the word "world," it must not be from the thing itself, but from the signification of the word in the Scripture; as thus: —
This word "world" in the Scripture signifieth all and every man in the world; but Christ is said to die for the world: ergo, etc.
Ans. The first proposition, concerning the signification and meaning of the word world is either universal, comprehending all places where it is used, or particular, intending only some. If the first, the proposition is apparently false, as was manifested before; if in the second way, then the argument must be thus formed: —
In some places in Scripture the word "world" signifieth all and every man in the world, of all ages, times, and conditions; but Christ is said to die for the world: ergo, etc.
Ans. That this syllogism is no better than the former is most evident, a universal conclusion being inferred from a particular proposition. But now the first proposition being rightly formed, I have one question to demand concerning the second, or the assumption, — namely, whether in every place where there is mention made of the death of Christ, it is said he died for the world, or only in some? If ye say in every place, that is apparently false, as hath been already discovered by those many texts of Scripture before produced, restraining the death of Christ to his elect, his sheep, his church, in comparison whereof these are but few. If the second, then the argument must run thus: —
In some few places of Scripture the word "world" doth signify all and every man in the world; but in some few places Christ is said to die for the world (though not in express words, yet in terms equivalent): ergo, etc.
Ans. This argument is so weak, ridiculous, and sophistically false, that it cannot but be evident to any one; and yet clearly, from the word world itself it will not be made any better, and none need desire that it should be worse. It concludes a universal upon particular affirmatives, and, besides, with four terms apparently in the syllogism; unless the some places in the first be proved to be the very some places in the assumption, which is the thing in question. So that if any strength be taken from this word, it must be an argument in this form: —
If the word "world" doth signify all and every man that ever were or shall be, in those places where Christ is said to die for the world, then Christ died for all and every man; but the word "world," in all those places where Christ is said to die for the world, doth signify all and every man in the world: therefore Christ died for them.
Ans. First, That it is but in one place said that Christ gave his life for the world, or died for it, which holds out the intention of our Saviour; all the other places seem only to hold out the sufficiency of his oblation for all, which we also maintain. Secondly, We absolutely deny the assumption, and appeal for trial to a consideration of all those particular places wherein such mention is made.
Thus have I called this argument to rule and measure, that it might be evident where the great strength of it lieth (which is indeed very weakness), and that for their sakes who, having caught hold of the word world, run presently away with the bait, as though all were clear for universal redemption; when yet, if ye desire them to lay out and manifest the strength of their reason, they know not what to say but the world and the whole world, understanding, indeed, neither what they say nor whereof they do affirm, And now, quid dignum tanto? what cause of the great boast mentioned in the entrance? A weaker argument, I dare say, was never by rational men produced in so weighty a cause; which will farther be manifested by the consideration of the several particular places produced to give it countenance, which we shall do in order: —
1. The first place we pitch upon is that which by our adversaries is first propounded, and not a little rested upon; and yet, notwithstanding their clamorous claim, there are not a few who think that very text as fit and ready to overthrow their whole opinion as Goliath’s sword to cut off his own head, many unanswerable arguments against the universality of redemption: being easily deduced from the words of that text. The great peaceable King of his church guide us to make good the interest of truth to the place in controversy which through him we shall attempt; — first, by opening the words; and, secondly, by balancing of reasonings and arguments from them. And this place is John iii. 16, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
This place, I say, the Universalists exceedingly boast in; for which we are persuaded they have so little cause, that we doubt not but, with the Lord’s assistance, to demonstrate that it is destructive to their whole defence: to which end I will give you, in brief; a double paraphrase of the words, the first containing their sense, the latter ours. Thus, then, our adversaries explain these words: — "‘God so loved,’ had such a natural inclination, velleity, and propensity to the good of ‘the world,’ Adam, with all and every one of his posterity, of all ages, times, and conditions (whereof some were in heaven, some in hell long before), ‘that he gave his only-begotten Son,’ causing him to be incarnate in the fulness of time, to die, not with a purpose and resolution to save any, but ‘that whosoever,’ what persons soever of those which he had propensity unto, ‘believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,’ should have this fruit and issue, that he should escape death and hell, and live eternally." In which explication of the sense of the place these things are to be observed: — First, What is that love which was the cause of the sending or giving of Christ; which they make to be a natural propensity to the good of all. Secondly, Who are the objects of this love; all and every man of all generations. Thirdly, Wherein this giving consisteth; of which I cannot find whether they mean by it the appointment of Christ to be a recoverer, or his actual exhibition in the flesh for the accomplishment of his ministration. Fourthly, Whosoever, they make distributive of the persons in the world, and so not restrictive in the intention to some. Fifthly, That life eternal is the fruit obtained by believers, but not the end intended by God.
Now, look a little, in the second place, at what we conceive to be the mind of God in those words; whose aim we take to be the advancement, and setting forth of the free love of God to lost sinners, in sending Christ to procure for them eternal redemption, as may appear in this following paraphrase:
"‘God’ the Father ‘so loved,’ had such a peculiar, transcendent love, being an unchangeable purpose and act of his will concerning their salvation, towards ‘the world,’ miserable, sinful, lost men of all sorts, not only Jews but Gentiles also, which he peculiarly loved, ‘that,’ intending their salvation, as in the last words, for the praise of his glorious grace, ‘he gave,’ he prepared a way to prevent their everlasting destruction, by appointing and sending ‘his only-begotten Son’ to be an all-sufficient Saviour to all that look up unto him, ‘that whosoever believeth in Him,’ all believers whatsoever, and only they, ‘should not perish, but have everlasting life,’ and so effectually be brought to the obtaining of those glorious things through him which the Lord in his free love had designed for them."
In which enlargement of the words, for the setting forth of what we conceive to be the mind of the Holy Ghost in them, these things are to be observed: —
First, What we understand by the "love" of God, even that act of his will which was the cause of sending his Son Jesus Christ, being the most eminent act of love and favour to the creature; for love is velle alicui bonum, "to will good to any." And never did God will greater good to the creature than in appointing his Son for their redemption. Notwithstanding, I would have it observed that I do not make the purpose of sending or giving Christ to be absolutely subordinate to God’s love to his elect, as though that were the end of the other absolutely, but rather that they are both coordinate to the same supreme end, or the manifestation of God’s glory by the way of mercy tempered with justice; but in respect of our apprehension, that is the relation wherein they stand one to another. Now, this love we say to be that, greater than which there is none.
Secondly, By the "world," we understand the elect of God only, though not considered in this place as such, but under such a notion as, being true of them, serves for the farther exaltation of God’s love towards them, which is the end here designed; and this is, as they are poor, miserable, lost creatures in the world, of the world, scattered abroad in all places of the world, not tied to Jews or Greeks, but dispersed in any nation, kindred, and language under heaven.
Thirdly, Ina pas o pisteuwn, is to us, "that every believer," and is declarative of the intention of God in sending or giving his Son, containing no distribution of the world beloved, but a direction to the persons whose good was intended, that love being an unchangeable intention of the chiefest good.
Fourthly, "Should not perish, but have life everlasting," contains an expression of the particular aim and intention of God in this business; which is, the certain salvation of believers by Christ. And this, in general, is the interpretation of the words which we adhere unto, which will yield us sundry arguments, sufficient each of them to evert the general ransom; which, that they may be the better bottomed, and the more clearly convincing, we will lay down and compare the several words and expressions of this place, about whose interpretation we differ, with the reason of our rejecting the one sense and embracing the other: —
The first difference in the interpretation of this place is about the cause of sending Christ; called here love. The second, about the object of this love; called here the world. Thirdly, Concerning the intention of God in sending his Son; said to be that believers might be saved.
For the First; By "love" in this place, all our adversaries agree that a natural affection and propensity in God to the good of the creature, lost under sin, in general, which moved him to take some way whereby it might possibly be remedied, is intended. We, on the contrary, say that by love here is not meant an inclination or propensity of his nature, but an act of his will (where we conceive his love to be seated), and eternal purpose to do good to man, being the most transcendent and eminent act of God’s love to the creature.
That both these may be weighed, to see which is most agreeable to the mind of the Holy Ghost, I shall give you, first, some of the reasons whereby we oppose the former interpretation; and, secondly, those whereby we confirm our own.
First, If no natural affection, whereby he should necessarily be carried to any thing without himself; can or ought to be ascribed unto God, then no such thing is here intended in the .word love; for that cannot be here intended which is not in God at all. But now, that there neither is nor can be any such natural affection in God is most apparent, and may be evidenced by many demonstrations. I shall briefly recount a few of them: — First, Nothing that includes any imperfection is to be assigned to Almighty God: he is God all-sufficient; he is our rock, and His work is perfect. But a natural affection in God to the good and salvation of all, being never completed nor perfected, carrieth along with it a great deal of imperfection and weakness; and not only so, but it must also needs be exceedingly prejudicial to the absolute blessedness and happiness of Almighty God. Look, how much any thing wants of the fulfilling of that whereunto it is carried out with any desire, natural or voluntary, so much it wanteth of blessedness and happiness. So that, without impairing of the infinite blessedness of the ever-blessed God, no natural affection unto any thing never to be accomplished can be ascribed unto him, such as this general love to all is supposed to be.
Secondly, If the Lord hath such a natural affection to all, as to love them so far as to send his Son to die for them, whence is it that this affection of his doth not receive accomplishment? whence is it that it is hindered, and doth not produce its effects? why doth not the Lord engage his power for the fulfilling of his desire? "It doth not seem good to his infinite wisdom," say they, "so to do." Then is there an affection in God to that which, in his wisdom, he cannot prosecute. This among the sons of men, the worms of’ the earth, would be called a brutish affection.
Thirdly, No affection or natural propensity to good is to be ascribed to God which the Scripture nowhere assigns to him, and is contrary to what the Scripture doth assign unto him. Now, the Scripture doth nowhere assign unto God any natural affection whereby he should be naturally inclined to the good of the creature; the place to prove it clearly is yet to be produced. And that it is contrary to what the Scripture assigns him is apparent; for it describes him to be free in showing mercy, every act of it being by him performed freely, even as he pleaseth, for "he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy." Now, if every act of mercy showed unto any do proceed from the free distinguishing will of God (as is apparent), certainly there can be in him no such natural affection. And the truth is, if the Lord should not show mercy, and be carried out towards the creature, merely upon his own distinguishing will, but should naturally be moved to show mercy to the miserable, he should, first, be no more merciful to men than to devils, nor, secondly, to those that are saved than to those that are damned: for that which is natural must be equal in all its operations; and that which is natural to God must be eternal. Many more effectual reasons are produced by our divines for the denial of this natural affection in God, in the resolution of the Arminian distinction (I call it so, as now by them abused) of God’s antecedent and consequent will, to whom the learned reader may repair for satisfaction. So that the love mentioned in this place is not that natural affection to all in general, which is not But, —
Secondly, It is the special love of God to his elect, as we affirm, and so, consequently, not any such thing as our adversaries suppose to be intended by it, — namely, a velleity or natural inclination to the good of all. For,—
First, The love here intimated is absolutely the most eminent and transcendent love that ever God showed or bare towards any miserable creature; yea, the intention of our Saviour is so to set it forth, as is apparent by the emphatical expression of it used in this place. The particles "so," "that," declare no less, pointing out an eximiousness peculiarly remarkable in the thing whereof the affirmation is [made], above any other thing in the same kind. Expositors usually lay weight upon almost every particular word of the verse, for the exaltation and demonstration of the love here mentioned. "So," that is, in such a degree, to such a remarkable, astonishable height: "God," the glorious, all-sufficient God, that could have manifested his justice to eternity in the condemnation of all sinners, and no way wanted them to be partakers of his blessedness: "loved," with such an earnest, intents affection, consisting in an eternal, unchangeable act and purpose of his will, for the bestowing of the chiefest good (the choicest effectual love): "the world," men in the world, of the world, subject to the iniquities and miseries of the world, lying in their blood, having nothing to render them commendable in his eyes, or before him: "that he gave," did not, as he made all the world at first, speak the word and it was done, but proceeded higher, to the performance of a great deal more and longer work, wherein he was to do more than exercise an act of his almighty power, as before; and therefore gave "his Son;" not any favourite or other well-pleasing creature; not sun, moon, or stars; not the rich treasure of his creation (all too mean, and coming short of expressing this love); but his Son: "begotten Son," and that not so called by reason of some near approaches to him, and filial, obediential reverence of him, as the angels are called the sons of God; for it was not an angel that he gave, which yet had been an expression of most intense love; nor yet any son by adoption, as believers are the sons of God; but his begotten Son, begotten of his own person from eternity; and that "his only-begotten Son;" not any one of his sons, but whereas he had or hath but one only-begotten Son, always in his bosom, his Isaac, he gave him: — than which how could the infinite wisdom of God make or give any higher testimony of his love? especially if ye will add what is here evidently included, though the time was not as yet come that it should be openly expressed, namely, whereunto he gave his Son, his only one; not to be a king, and worshipped in the first place, — but he "spared him not, but delivered him up" to death "for us all," Rom. viii. 32. Whereunto, for a close of all, cast your eyes upon his design and purpose in this whole business, and ye shall find that it was that believers, those whom he thus loved, "might not perish," — that is, undergo the utmost misery and wrath to eternity, which they had deserved — "but have everlasting life," eternal glory with himself; which of themselves they could no way attain; and ye will easily grant that "greater love hath no man than this." Now, if the love here mentioned be the greatest, highest, and chiefest of all, certainly it cannot be that common affection towards all that we discussed before; for the love whereby men are actually and eternally saved is greater than that which may consist with the perishing of men to eternity.
Secondly, The Scripture positively asserts this very love as the chiefest act of the love of God, and that which he would have us take notice of in the first place: Rom. v. 8, "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us;" and fully, 1 John iv. 9, 10, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." In both which places the eminency of this love is set forth exceeding emphatically to believers, with such expressions as can no way be accommodated to a natural velleity to the good of all.
Thirdly, That seeing all love in God is but velle alicui bonum, to will good to them that are beloved, they certainly are the object of his love to whom he intends that good which is the issue and effect of that love; but now the issue of this love or good intended, being not perishing, and obtaining eternal life through Christ, happens alone to, and is bestowed on, only elect believers: therefore, they certainly are the object of this love, and they alone; — which was the thing we had to declare.
Fourthly, That love which is the cause of giving Christ is also always the cause of the bestowing of all other good things: Rom. viii. 32, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Therefore, if the love there mentioned be the cause of sending Christ, as it is, it must also cause all other things to be given with him, and so can be towards none but those who have those things bestowed on them; which are only the elect, only believers. Who else have grace here, or glory hereafter?
Fifthly, The word here, which is hgapho", signifieth, in its native importance, valde dilexit, — to love so as to rest in that love; which how it can stand with hatred, and an eternal purpose of not bestowing effectual grace, which is in the Lord towards some, will not easily be made apparent. And now let the Christian reader judge, whether by the love of God, in this place mentioned, be to be understood a natural velleity or inclination in God to the good of all, both elect and reprobate, or the peculiar love of God to his elect, being the fountain of the chiefest good that ever was bestowed on the sons of men. This is the first difference about the interpretation of these words.
SECONDLY, The second thing controverted is the object of this love, pressed by the word "world;" which our adversaries would have to signify all and every man; we, the elect of God scattered abroad in the world, with a tacit opposition to the nation of the Jews, who alone, excluding all other nations (some few proselytes excepted), before the actual exhibition of Christ in the flesh, had all the benefits of the promises appropriated to them, Rom. ix. 4; in which privilege now all nations were to have an equal share. To confirm the exposition of the word as used by the Universalists, nothing of weight, that ever yet I could see, is brought forth, but only the word itself; for neither the love mentioned in the beginning, nor the design pointed at in the end of the verse, will possibly agree with the sense which they impose on that word in the middle. Beside; how weak and infirm an inference from the word world, by reason of its ambiguous and wonderful various acceptations, is, we have at large declared before.
Three poor shifts I find in the great champions of this course, to prove that the word world doth not signify the elect. Justly we might have expected some reasons to prove that it signified or implied all and every man in the world, which was their own assertion; but of this ye have a deep silence, being conscious, no doubt, of their disability for any such performance. Only, as I said, three pretended arguments they bring to disprove that which none went about to prove, — namely, that by the world is meant the elect as such; for though we conceive the persons here designed directly men in and of the world, to be all and only God’s elect, yet we do not say that they are here so considered, but rather under another notion, as men scattered over all the world, in themselves subject to misery and sin. So that whosoever will oppose our exposition of this place must either, first, prove that by the world here must be necessarily understood all and every man in the world; or, secondly, that it cannot be taken indefinitely for men in the world which materially are elect, though not considered under that formality. So that all those vain flourishes which some men make with these word; by putting the word elect into the room of the word world; and then coining absurd consequences, are quite beside the business in hand. Yet, farther, we deny that by a supply of the word elect into the text any absurdity or untruth will justly follow. Yea, and that flourish which is usually so made is but a bugbear to frighten weak ones; for, suppose we should read it thus, "God so loved the elect, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish," what inconvenience will now follow? "Why," say they, "that some of the elect, whom God so loved as to send his Son for, may perish." Why, I pray? Is it because he sent his Son that they might not perish? or what other cause? "No; but because it is said, that whosoever of them believeth on him should not perish; which intimates that some of them might not believe." Very good! But where is any such intimation? God designs the salvation of all them in express words for whom he sends his Son; and certainly all that shall be saved shall believe. But it is in the word whosoever, which is distributive of the world into those that believe and those that believe not. Ans. First, If this word whosoever be distributive, then it is restrictive of the love of God to some, and not to others, — to one part of the distribution, and not to the other. And if it do not restrain the love of God, intending the salvation of some, then it is not distributive of the fore-mentioned object of it; and if it do restrain it, then all are not intended in the love which moved God to give his Son. Secondly, I deny that the word here is distributive of the object of God’s love, but only declarative of his end and aim in giving Christ in the pursuit of that love, — to wit, that all believers might be saved. So that the sense is, "God so loved his elect throughout the world, that he gave his Son with this intention, that by him believers might be saved." And this is all that is by any (besides a few worthless cavils) objected from this place to disprove our interpretation; which we shall now confirm both positively and negatively: —
First, Our first reason is taken from what was before proved concerning the nature of that love which is here said to have the world for its object, which cannot be extended to all and every one in the world, as will be confessed by all. Now, such is the world, here, as is beloved with that love which we have here described, and proved to be here intended: — even such a love as is, first, the most transcendent and remarkable; secondly, an eternal act of the will of God; thirdly, the cause of sending Christ; fourthly, of giving all good things in and with him; fifthly, an assured fountain and spring of salvation to all beloved with it. So that the world beloved with this love cannot possibly be all and every one in the world.
Secondly, The word world in the next verse, which carries along the sense of this, and is a continuation of the same matter, being a discovery of the intention of God in giving his Son, must needs signify the elect and believers, at least only those who in the event are saved; therefore so also in this. It is true, the word world is three times used in that verse in a dissonant sense, by an inversion not unusual in the Scripture, as was before declared. It is the latter place that this hath reference to, and is of the same signification with the world in verse 16, "That the world through him might be saved," — ina swqh, "that it should be saved." It discovers the aim, purpose, and intention of God, what it was towards the world that he so loved, even its salvation. Now, if this be understood of any but believers, God fails of his aim and intention, which as yet we dare not grant.
Thirdly, It is not unusual with the Scripture to call God’s chosen people by the name of the world, as also of all flesh, all nations, all families of the earth, and the like general expressions; and therefore no wonder if here they are so called, the intention of the place being to exalt and magnify the love of God towards them, which receives no small advancement from their being every way a world. So are they termed where Christ is said to be their Saviour, John iv. 42; which certainly he is only of them who are saved. A Saviour of men not saved is strange. Also John vi. 51, where he is said to give himself for their life. Clearly, verse 33 of the same chapter, he "giveth life unto the world:" which whether it be any but his elect let all men judge; for Christ himself affirms that he gives life only to his "sheep," and that those to whom he gives life "shall never perish," chap. x. 27, 28. So Rom. iv. 13, Abraham is said by faith to be "heir of the world;" who, verse 11, is called to be father of the faithful. And Rom. xi. 12, the fall of the Jews is said to be "the riches of the world;" which world compriseth only believers of all sorts in the world, as the apostle affirmed that the word bare fruit "in all the world," Col. i. 6. This is that "world" which "God reconcileth to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them," 2 Cor. v.19; which is attended with blessedness in all them to whom that non-imputation belongeth, Rom. iv. 8. And for divers evident reasons is it that they have this appellation; as, — First, to distinguish the object of this love of God from the nature angelical, which utterly perished in all the fallen individuals; which the Scripture also carefully doth in express terms, Heb. ii. 16, and by calling this love of God filanqrwpia, Titus iii. 4. Secondly, To evert and reject the boasting of the Jews, as though all the means of grace and all the benefits intended were to them appropriated. Thirdly, To denote that great difference and distinction between the old administration of the covenant, when it was tied up to one people, family, and nation, and the new, when all boundaries being broken up, the fulness of the Gentiles and the corners of the world were to be made obedient to the sceptre of Christ. Fourthly, To manifest the condition of the elect themselves, who are thus beloved, for the declaration of the free grace of God towards them, they being divested of all qualifications but only those that bespeak them terrene, earthly, lost, miserable, corrupted. So that thus much at least may easily be obtained, that from the word itself nothing can be opposed justly to our exposition of this place, as hath been already declared, and shall be farther made manifest.
Fourthly, If every one in the world be intended, why doth not the Lord, in the pursuit of this love, reveal Jesus Christ. to every one whom he so loved? Strange! that the Lord should so love men as to give his only-begotten Son for them, and yet not once by any means signify this his love to them, as to innumerable he doth not! — that he should love them, and yet order things so, in his wise dispensation, that this love should be altogether in vain and fruitless! — love them, and yet determine that they shall receive no good by his love, though his love indeed be a willing of the greatest good to them!
Fifthly, Unless ye will grant, — first, Some to be beloved and hated also from eternity; secondly, The love of God towards innumerable to be fruitless and vain; thirdly, The Son of God to be given to them who, first, never hear word of him; secondly, have no power granted to believe in him; fourthly, That God is mutable in his love, or else still loveth those that be in hell; fifthly; That he doth not give all things to them to whom he gives his Son, contrary to Rom. viii. 32; sixthly, That he knows not certainly beforehand who shall believe and be saved; — unless, I say, all these blasphemies and absurdities be granted, it cannot be maintained that by the world here is meant all and every one of mankind, but only men in common scattered throughout the world, which are the elect.
The THIRD difference about these words is, concerning the means whereby this love of the Father, whose object is said to be the world is made out unto them. Now, this is by believing, ina o pisteuwn, — "that whosoever believeth," or "that every believer." The intention of these words we take to be, the designing or manifesting of the way whereby the elect of God come to be partakers of the fruits of the love here set forth, — namely, by faith in Christ, God having appointed that for the only way whereby he will communicate unto us the life that is in his Son. To this something was said before, having proved that the term whosoever is not distributive of the object of the love of God; to which, also, we may add these following reasons:— First, If the object be here restrained, so that some only believe and are saved of them for whose sake Christ is sent, then this restriction and determination of the fruits of this love dependeth on the will of God, or on the persons themselves. If on the persons themselves, then make they themselves to differ from others; contrary to 1 Cor. iv. 7. If on the will Of God, then you make the sense of the place, as to this particular, to be, "God so loved all as that but some of them should partake of the fruits of his love." To what end, then, I pray, did he love those other some? Is not this, "Out with the sword, and run the dragon through with the spear?"
Secondly, Seeing that those words, that whosoever believeth, do peculiarly point out the aim and intention of God in this business, if it do restrain the object beloved, then the salvation of believers is confessedly the aim of God in this business, and that distinguished from others; and if so, the general ransom is an empty sound, having no dependence on the purpose of God, his intention being carried out in the giving of his Son only to the salvation of believers, and that determinately, unless you will assign unto him a nescience of them that should believe.
These words, then, whosoever believeth, containing a designation of the means whereby the Lord will bring us to a participation of life through his Son, whom he gave for us; and the following words, of having life everlasting, making out the whole counsel of God in this matter, subordinate to his own glory; it followeth, — That God gave not his Son, — 1. For them who never do believe; 2. Much less for them who never hear of him, and so evidently want means of faith; 3. For them on whom he hath determined not to bestow effectual grace, that they might believe.
Let now the reader take up the several parts of these opposite expositions, weigh all, try all things, especially that which is especially to be considered, the love of God, and so inquire seriously whether it be only a general affection, and a natural velleity to the good of all, which may stand with the perishing of all and every one so beloved, or the peculiar, transcendent love of the Father to his elect, as before laid down; and then determine whether a general ransom, fruitless in respect of the most for whom it was paid, or the effectual redemption of the elect only, have the firmest and strongest foundation in these words of our Saviour; withal remembering that they are produced as the strongest supportment of the adverse cause, with which, it is most apparent, both the cause of sending Christ and the end intended by the Lord in so doing, as they are here expressed, are altogether inconsistent.
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