Hi, I'm David Bercot. And tonight, we're going to be continuing our discussion on harmonizing Paul and James. Last night, we talked about Jesus' illustration of we Christians being branches on His vine. And we talked about that. What he teaches in that illustration is that in order for us to be ultimately saved, we have to have an obedient love-faith relationship with Him.
We can't say we love Him and not obey His commandments because He tells us," If you love me, you will obey my commandments." We also talked about the word" believe" in Greek, and noted that the Greek word for" believe" is very closely related to the Greek word for obey, that they would think of the two as going somewhat hand-in-hand. Now let's move beyond Jesus tonight to his disciples. And let me ask you a question. Who were the three primary leaders of the church when it first began?
That is, on the day of Pentecost and the first few years after that. I think we would all agree that the three most prominent were Peter, John, and then James, the half-brother of Jesus. Now some people get the impression, and to be honest, it's the impression I grew up with, and I think a lot of us do, that somehow the 12 apostles really never grasped Jesus' teachings. They basically fumbled the ball. So Jesus had to bring in Paul, who got everything straight.
And this misconception is amplified by the fact that the Book of Acts was written by Paul's companion, Luke. We tend to think of it as a history of the church during the first 10 or 20 years of its existence. But that's not at all what it's intended to be. It's a history of God reaching out to the Gentiles. That's the primary purpose of the book.
And except for the first few chapters, which do deal with Peter and John and the apostles there in Jerusalem, it's mainly a book about Paul's travels because Luke was the one who traveled with Paul. He didn't travel with Peter or Thomas or some of the others. Also, Paul left us more letters than the other 12 apostles all put together. By 12, I'm including Matthias.
But the truth of the matter is that Jesus chose His apostles very carefully, and all of them, except Judas, faithfully carried out His commission of making disciples a people of all nations. They all went out and spread the gospel. They all founded churches all around the ancient world. And all but the Apostle John died as martyrs, and he suffered as a faithful servant being sentenced to the mines on the island of Patmos.
To read more about what the Twelve Apostles actually did, I recommend to you Eusebius' History of the Church, and also the book entitled" Search for the Twelve Apostles," both of which are offered by Scroll Publishing. Revelation 21:14 says that the walls of New Jerusalem has twelve foundations, and that the twelve foundations have on them the names of the twelve apostles. Jesus built his church on the apostles. They didn't fumble the ball at all. So let's go to the testimony of Peter.
He's certainly the one who was the most prominent, who took the lead on the Day of Pentecost to Peter, who now has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And he is the first one who gives a really clear discussion of how we get on this vine that Jesus talked about.
Acts 2:36 through 40, Peter says," Therefore let all of the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles," Man and brethren, what shall we do?" Then Peter said to them," Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." So as by believing, repenting, a change
of heart, being baptized in a Christian baptism.
This is the normal way that we get attached to this vine of Jesus Christ. Again, Acts 10:34 through 35. This is Peter. He says," Then Peter opened his mouth and said," In truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. Now that doesn't jive, does it, with Martin Luther's gospel of just believe, just have faith? Peter said," No, there's a reason to fear Him. Jesus isn't Santa Claus.
He is our Lord." And he does want to see us work righteousness. It's also interesting to note that it was Peter, it wasn't Paul who Jesus used to open the door of salvation to the Gentiles. Now just a few verses after what we just read there in verses 34 through 35. Verse 43 says this, and I think it's very interesting.
Peter says," To Him, all the prophets witness that through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins or forgiveness of sins." Now, just a moment earlier, he said," Everyone who fears Him and works righteousness." Now he said," Everyone who believes in Him." In the Greek language," obey" and" believe" are very closely related. And that's why to Peter, there's no contradiction to one minute say those who work righteousness and the other one's those who believe.
Because believe implies that you're going to do whatever that person says whom you believe in. Now let's go to 1 Peter. 1 Peter 1:13-17. Peter writes," Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I'm sure that's one of the reasons that Luther approved of 1 Peter, because right there in the first chapter, Peter talks about grace. But let's stop for a moment and discuss that word grace.
For most Christians, for most of us, we know it only as a theological word. And Martin Luther is the one primarily responsible for that. But when Peter, Paul, and the other disciples used the word, it was simply a plain everyday word. Most of the Christians of the 1st century were illiterate. Paul didn't write to them in elevated Greek with highly technical terms, nor did Peter, who was a former fisherman. They used everyday language that common ordinary people understood.
The Greek word for grace is simply charis, which means favor, loving kindness, goodwill, unmerited kindness. Like I say, it was a fairly ordinary word. We're saved through grace because we're saved through God's kindness that we don't deserve. It's a favor from God. He favors us. His goodwill is shown towards us. But there is nothing in the Greek meaning of charis that disconnects it from obedience or makes it inconsistent with it. God is free to extend charis to whomever He wants.
And He chooses ultimately to extend His grace to those who abide on Christ's vine in faithful obedience. Getting on the vine doesn't necessarily require any obedience. It requires faith and repentance. We become branches on this vine through grace. But again, God doesn't extend this initial grace to just anyone, but only to those who have faith and who repent. On the other hand, grace or charis is properly contrasted with wages. If you earn something, then you don't need grace. You're entitled to your pay.
It's not a gift. But salvation is always a gift. It's never something we are able to earn. Let's continue with what Peter is saying here. He says," As obedient children, not conforming yourself to the former lusts as in your ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Because it is written," Be holy, for I am holy." And if you call on the Father who without partiality judges according to what? According to each one's work.
Conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear. Now again, does that fit Luther's model, or does that fit Jesus' model? Well, Jesus said we have to abide on this vine. It's going to involve obedience. There's going to be work that someone can look at. I don't mean works trying to earn merit, but works of obedience, works of faith.
Again, 1 Peter 4:17-19," For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God." And if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now, if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear? Again, whose gospel does that fit? The gospel of Jesus or the gospel of Martin Luther?
Let's go to 2 Peter, where he writes in chapter 2:15," For if after they escape the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome. The latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to having known it to turn from the Holy Commandment delivered to them.
Now 2 Peter was one of the books that Luther tried to shove into the back closet, saying," We just need to read First Peter, not 2nd Peter." We can turn astray. We can go back to the mud that we used to be in. And if we do that, our end is going to be worse than what it would be if we had never known Christ. Now that fits exactly what Jesus said about being on this vine, that if we don't bear fruit, we're going to be cut off and as a withered branch thrown into the fire.
And again, I would encourage you to read all of 1 Peter and all of 2 Peter. And I have some additional quotations on disk three that we didn't read just because of the lack of time tonight. Now let's move to the apostle John, the one who was so close to Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John, chapter 1 verses 16 and 17, we read," And of His fullness we have all received and grace for grace.
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Now, grace is in no way inconsistent with Jesus' parable about us being branches on his vine. As we've said, we get on the vine by grace, we stay on it by grace. And in the end, if we still remain on it till the end faithfully, we'll receive God's further grace at the end of that. At no time do we earn it or fully deserve it. But nowhere do the Scriptures contrast grace with obedience to Christ.
It's always grace versus the law of Moses, as John says there. Now when we go to the letters of John, well, they sound almost like a repeat of Jesus' words there at the Last Supper. For example, 1 John 2: 3 through 5, John writes," Now, by this, we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. He who says," I know Him and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in Him. But whoever keeps His Word, truly the love of God is perfected in Him.
By this we know that we are in Him." So how do we know that we're on this vine? It's if we're keeping His commandments. If we're ignoring His commandments, we're kidding ourselves if we think we're abiding on the vine of Jesus Christ. I have to admit, I am rather surprised that Martin Luther gave his okay to the book of 1 John. But I think the reason is because there's a lot of proof text you can grab out of there, a sentence here, a sentence somewhere else.
But when you read the entirety of it, it is such a confirmation of salvation through an obedient love relationship with Jesus Christ. Again, 1 John 2:10," And this, the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest.
Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother." Again, 1 John 5:1 through 4," Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves Him who is begotten of Him." Now Martin Luther would want to stop right there. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Hallelujah. But John continues. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments.
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. When we have the grace of God flowing through our veins, inhabiting our soul, we find that the yoke of Jesus Christ is easy. It is light, even though it requires human sacrifice at the same time, putting to death our flesh. 2 John 6 says," This is love that we walk according to His commandments." And again, I encourage you to read all three of John's letters.
This brings us now to the third prominent leader in the first few years of the church, and that was James, the half-brother of Jesus. Will we find that he's the one who's out of sync with everybody else? Let's see. Go through his book, James 1:12. He says," Blessed is the man who endures temptation for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." Does that fit with this obedient love-faith relationship?
Does that fit with being on this vine, a branch on it that can be cut off if we're not faithful? Because he doesn't say we've already been approved that the battle is all over, but when we've been approved, having endured temptation. James 1:22," But be doers of the Word and not hearers only deceiving yourselves." Reminiscent of what Jesus said at the end of the Sermon on the Mount.
How about James 2:12?" So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty." That's an interesting expression, the law of liberty. Now, at first glance, it might seem that talking about a law of liberty is a self-contradiction. But by no means, think of the people who came to America seeking liberty, seeking freedom. Now, did they imagine that under this new government, in this new country, there would be no laws? Of course not.
They knew there would be laws, but they would be the laws of free people. Well, likewise, we are under laws as Christians. We are under commandments, but they are the laws of a free people, people who've been freed from the bondage of Satan and of sin by Jesus Christ, people who are freed of the burden of the Mosaic Law. But yes, there are commandments by which we will be judged. The judgment isn't over with for us.
James 2: 14," What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?" Then James 2:20 through 26," But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works? And by works, faith was made perfect.
And the Scripture was fulfilled which says," Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Now what does James mean by works?
Well, from the context, it's obvious he means obedience to God's commandments, or actions that stem from a living faith. I so often hear commentators say that James is merely saying that if you have genuine faith, it will be demonstrated in your works. Now, if that's what James meant to say, he could have easily said that, couldn't he? He's a very clear writer. He doesn't speak in riddles and abstract thoughts. But the truth is there are a lot of people who have faith that Jesus Christ died for their sins.
A lot of people have faith that they have been saved. A lot of people have faith that if they die tonight, they will definitely go to heaven. But a lot of those same people find the commandments of Jesus odious and burdensome. The problem isn't lack of faith, it's lack of love. Back to what Jesus said," If you love me, you will keep my commandments." And as John said," His commandments are not burdensome if we love him." All right, let's read a few more passages from James.
James 5:9," Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. We're still branches on this vine. We can still be cut off." James 5:19 and 20." Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins." Yes, somebody who is on the vine can wander from the truth and end up losing their soul in eternal death.
Now let me ask you, is there anything that we've just read there in James that in any way contradicts the teachings of Jesus? Is there one iota of difference between His gospel and that of Christ? Well, no, there is none whatsoever. So we don't in any way have to struggle with how do we harmonize James with Christ. They both say the same things. So half of our task is over. I'm speaking of the task of harmonizing Paul and James.
There's nothing we need to change or explain away in James Gospel, because he taught the same gospel as Jesus. In fact, James was preaching the gospel of Christ when Paul was still persecuting Christians. At the council in Jerusalem, it was James who presided, not Paul. James fully understood the gospel because Christ had specially appeared to him while he was still on earth in his glorified resurrection body. James taught no different than Peter and John.
And as I said, more importantly, he taught no different than Jesus. Now let's move to Paul. Actually, it's unthinkable to imagine that Paul taught a different gospel than Jesus Christ did, or that he taught differently than James and the Apostles, who were so instrumental in founding the Christian Church in its early years.
In fact, I want to read to you right now a number of passages from Paul's writings that clearly demonstrate that he, like Peter, James, and John, taught that we are saved by maintaining an obedient love faith relationship with Jesus Christ. These passages also make it clear that Paul knew of and taught the three different time aspects of salvation, the past, present, and future aspects of it.
And that he taught them in the same sense that Jesus laid them out, not in the sense that evangelical theologians laid them out today. Now, I wish that time permitted me to read all of the relevant passages of Paul, but I think that the ones I do read will demonstrate adequately what I've just told you. But I really want to encourage you to read the rest of the passages from Paul, which are set out on disk three. Now, on most of these passages I read, I won't be able to do a lot of discussion on them.
And I know sometimes it can be tedious just to hear Scripture after Scripture after Scripture, but I really want you to listen closely, let this Scripture speak for themselves. We're going to start with Romans, Martin Luther's favorite book, that supposedly teaches that we're saved by faith alone, that obedience plays no role in our salvation.
Somehow Martin Luther must have overlooked the second chapter of Romans, verses 3 through 11, where Paul says," And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things," he's talking about ungodly things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart, you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each one according to his deeds. Eternal life to those who, by patient continuance in doing good, seek for glory, honor, and immortality.
But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation, and anguish on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek. But glory, honor, and peace towards everyone who works what is good to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for there is no partiality with God. So did Paul say that once we are saved, it's all done, that ungodly living thereafter will not affect our salvation? He said no such thing. Romans 3: 9 through 12.
What then? Are we talking about Jews better than they? Not at all, for we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is none who does good. No, not one. Now Martin Luther would have us believe that that passage is saying that even after we come to Christ, we don't do good.
Every one of us is still depraved. But Paul just said in the previous chapter that eternal life comes to those who by patient continuance in doing good, seek for glory and honor. So in Romans 3, he's talking about the unsaved condition of man, the condition we are all born into, that none of us is righteous. We all need salvation from Jesus Christ. We all have to be a branch on His tree if we're going to be saved. Romans 5:8-10.
But God demonstrates His love towards us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. See, he talks about the past. We have been saved by Christ Jesus. We're on His vine.
And through His life, if we maintain the Christ's life, if we maintain this communion with Jesus Christ being on His vine, bearing fruit, then we shall be saved. The future aspect.
Romans 8:1 through 6." There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." I can't tell you how many times I've heard that phrase quoted or seen that phrase in hymns without including the rest of what Paul said, the rest of the sentence, which says," Who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." He continues," For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." He condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous requirement of
the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. And yet, even though Paul said that, I have seen so many books that talk about carnal Christians that they're still saved even though Christ isn't at the center of their life. No, Paul says to be carnally minded is death. Romans 11:20 through 23. He says," Well said, because of unbelief, they the Jews were broken off, and you, the Gentiles, by stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.
For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore, consider the goodness and severity of God on those who fell severity, but towards you goodness if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And they also, the Jews, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. I mean, what more perfectly fits exactly what Jesus said in the illustration of the vine and the branches?
1 Corinthians 6:9-11," Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?" So is it true that there is no one who's righteous? If so, how could Paul say the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? That would mean none of us inherit it. Or when Paul quoted from the Old Testament saying there are none who are righteous, is he not talking about the ones who have not been saved in Jesus Christ, that there is nobody who is righteous, who can find salvation through their own goodness?
Again, he says," Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 7:19. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing. But keeping the commandments of God is what matters.
2 Corinthians 5:15 through chapter 6:1," He died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again." We also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. Yes, you can be saved by His grace, and yet receive it in vain if you don't abide on the vine. 2 Corinthians 13:5," Examine yourself as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?
Unless indeed you are disqualified." You know how strange today I hear so much slogans like this mouthed by self-righteous Christians? If you're 99% sure you're saved, you're 100% lost. Well, Jesus never said anything like that, nor did Paul. Paul says to test yourself. You should be 100% sure that you were saved, that you were born again and put on this vine of Jesus Christ, but then you should be continually testing yourself. Am I still on this vine? Am I still growing and producing fruit?
Is Jesus Christ still in me? Or have I become carnal? Paul encourages us to test ourselves, not to be self-righteous. I have it all made. Galatians 5:19 through 21.
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Again, Galatians 6:7-9," Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. The future aspect of salvation is still ahead of us. Ephesians 1:7," In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Now, does Jesus' illustration of the Vine negate that?
That we are redeemed through the blood of Christ, that our sins have been forgiven, that we've inherited these riches of grace, by no means. As we have said, nobody can get on this vine of Jesus Christ through His own righteousness. It's through God's grace. And it's because we've been redeemed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ that saved us. But so many Christians want to just dwell on the past aspect of salvation and not on the present, nor on the future.
And yes, we need God's grace in the present time, and we will need it in the future because we will have never earned our salvation at any stage of the game. But it doesn't change the fact that Christ requires us to walk obediently to Him. Ephesians 5:5-6," For this you know that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words." How many times does Paul have to say that? 2 Thessalonians 2:11 and 12.
And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who do not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. It seems like that is what has happened to today's church, that God has sent this strong delusion, that people want to believe the lie. They want to believe they can live without obedience to Jesus Christ, that somehow he can be their Savior without being their Lord.
1 Timothy 5:8," But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." Very similar to what Peter said. How could that be true if it's once saved, always saved? 2 Timothy 2:11 through 13." This is a faithful saying, for if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him." If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful. He cannot deny Himself.
No matter what we do, the character of God never changes. But if we deny Him, He is going to deny us, Paul tells us, again, the future aspect of salvation. Well, let me ask you this. Up to this point, has there been any conflict between Paul and James? I think you'd have to acknowledge, no, there hasn't been. They both teach salvation through an obedient love faith relationship with Christ.
They both teach that if we don't live obedient, godly lives, once we've been saved, once we are on this vine, we're not going to inherit the kingdom of God. And neither of them deny the fact that God's grace is essential in all three aspects of salvation, past, present, and future. However, you may be thinking to yourself," Yeah, David, but you haven't read any of the passages of Paul where he says very specifically we're saved by faith and not by works." You've just done the same thing as the people you criticize.
You've shoved all those verses in the back closet. No, not at all. We're going to look at those verses now. The verses that Augustine Luther and modern evangelical Protestants have made so famous. Now, if promoters of these verses have been using them honestly, then all I can say is we have a real mess on our hands. Because the gospel they've created from those verses directly contradicts what Jesus Himself taught.
And it directly contradicts the teachings of Peter, James, and John, as well as all of those passages from Paul that we've just read. But surely the Holy Spirit hasn't given us a bundle of contradictions as the Word of God. So does that mean we need to explain away these other verses? No, never! Explaining away something is never the answer. The answer comes from letting the Scriptures explain themselves. Rule number one when interpreting any document is always to pay attention to the context.
You never take a statement and separate it from the context in which it was said, not if you're seeking truth. But you see, that's what Martin Luther did. He totally ignored the context of Paul's writings, and thereby he created a whole new gospel that directly contradicts Jesus Christ. And what was the context of most of Paul's letters? Well, he explains at the beginning of his letters what the issues are that he's talking about.
And the Book of Acts also makes it quite clear of what was going on in the churches at that point. And the issue was that Gentiles were coming to Christ in hordes. They were flocking into the church. But many of the Jews felt that the Gentiles had to be first circumcised and live by the law of Moses in order to be Christians. Well, this put an enormous burden on the Gentiles, and it ignored the fact that Christ had fulfilled the Mosaic Law.
So this is the context that Paul writes virtually all of his congregational letters in. Addressing the question of do Gentiles have to be circumcised and live by the law of Moses? Well, Paul points out that even the Jewish Christians didn't become branches on the vine of Christ because they were faithfully keeping every jot and tittle of the Mosaic Law, because they weren't. They were saved through grace by their faith in Jesus Christ.
Salvation is not an obedient love faith relationship with Jesus, plus keeping the Mosaic Law. It's simply an obedient love faith relationship with Jesus Christ. We've been freed from the Mosaic Law with its bondage of endless regulations. Now last night I mentioned four erroneous methodologies that have led to today's gospel of easy believism and that have created this seeming contradiction between James and Paul. And those four, again, just to remind you, one, relegating the teachings of Jesus to the back closet.
Number two is this business of proof texting, of grabbing verses here and there, not paying attention to the context, and not looking at the totality of what the New Testament teaches. Number three, we haven't spoken about very much, and that was turning the New Testament writers into theologians and changing the everyday ordinary words that they were using into specialized theological terms. We talked earlier this evening about the word grace.
Two other words I want to mention are justify, which was an ordinary Greek word simply meaning to consider righteous, to attribute righteousness to somebody. And a very similar word, the word to impute, which simply means to consider. When it talks about imputing righteousness, it simply means considering a person to be righteous.
And so the terms to justify or to impute righteousness are basically synonyms, nothing theological about them, ordinary terms that you would hear in everyday Greek language, of whether you consider someone righteous or you don't. The fourth methodology that we talked about was dishonest Bible translations and reference works. Let me explain a little bit about that.
When the first five or six generations of English Christians read the King James Bible, it was immediately obvious to them that Paul was talking about the Mosaic Law. That's because the word" law" was capitalized as it properly should be. Now, originally, Greek was written in all capital letters, so a translator has to make a judgment call as to when to capitalize a word in English, or when to render it in all small letters.
Now, as we're going to see, the context of Paul's letters leave absolutely no doubt that he's not talking about law in general, that is, law with a small L. But he's talking specifically about the law of Moses, and that would be law with a capital L. But if you're using an ordinary King James or a new King James Bible, when you read Romans and the other letters of Paul, you will find that the word" law" is not capitalized, even when it's clearly referring to the Mosaic Law.
That's because the King James Version was" updated" in 1769, and in this" update," Dr. Benjamin Blayney took it upon himself to dishonestly alter law with a capital L to law with a lowercase L. Now on disk 3 of this set, I've included a picture of Romans chapters 2 and 3 from the original 1611 King James Bible so that you can see this dishonest alteration for yourself. Okay, enough of my comments. Now let's listen to what Paul has to say.
Romans 3:20 through 31:" Therefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." But now the righteousness of God, apart from the law, is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.
For there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance, God has passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then?
It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Or is he the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not. On the contrary, we established the law.
So what is Paul's context when he's talking about justification by works or by faith? It's the Mosaic Law. He's trying to establish that even the Jews themselves cannot be saved by the law, let alone trying to force the Gentiles to come under the bondage of the law. Because God will justify both the circumcised and the uncircumcised through faith. And he says," We don't make void the law. We establish it." That's what Jesus said. The law isn't going to pass away. It's going to be fulfilled. Romans 4:1 through 17.
This is a passage that we read the first thing last night that on his face would seem to contradict James. Paul says, what should we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace, but as debt.
But to him who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin. Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only? Or upon the uncircumcised also?
For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted while he was circumcised or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith, which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also.
And the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith, which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath. For where there is no law, there is no transgression.
Therefore, it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. As it is written," I have made you a father of many nations." So what is Paul talking about when he says that Abraham was justified by faith and not by works?
He's talking specifically about circumcision, that Abraham was declared righteous, considered righteous by God, because of his faith. Now, was Abraham's faith just mental assent? He believed in God, the first kind of belief that we talked about last night? No, it was that second kind of believing.
He left his home and spent the rest of his life as a nomad, living in tents, traveling to a great distant land, doing all of that in faith, and in faith offering up his son Isaac, or being willing to, as a sacrifice to God. Paul's point is that he was declared righteous before he ever entered into the circumcision covenant with God. Abraham was not originally circumcised. It was something God commanded him to do later after God had already declared him to be righteous.
Now, why it's important that we are declared righteous, that we're justified, or righteousness is imputed to us, is because none of us, after the fall of Adam, are absolutely righteous. So Paul and James don't contradict each other because they're talking about two entirely different things. Paul is talking about the work of circumcision, and to a greater extent, to the works of the Mosaic Law. But circumcision was his particular issue here.
James is talking about works of obedience to Jesus Christ, works of faith, this obedient love faith relationship with Christ. So we don't have to explain away Paul or explain away James either. Just look at what they're talking about. They're talking about two different things. And see, I think the great sin of Martin Luther is that he turned Paul into a theologian, that Paul is speaking in the abstract, giving a discourse on salvation.
And that's how we've all read Paul ever since, because this is how he's presented in almost every Bible dictionary, commentary, Bible encyclopedia, sermon, you name it. But Paul was not an abstract theologian. He was a practical man dealing with a practical issue. He was establishing churches or strengthening churches that had already been established by others.
And he was witnessing to the Gentiles, and as they came into these churches, they were being told by their Jewish brothers that you all have to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses if you're going to be part of our church. That's why he wrote his letters not to discuss theology, but to deal with a practical issue that was of great consequence.
All right, let me continue reading some of these other often quoted passages from Paul, Romans 10:1 through 5." Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, the man who does those things shall live by them. Okay, all throughout Romans, this is his context, the Mosaic Law. Now I go into a lot of this in more detail in the message I recorded last year about imputed righteousness, and I will direct you to that message rather than repeating everything I said there.
But when Paul talks here about the Jews trying to establish their own righteousness, he's not talking about people trying to live godly lives on their own strength and therefore are rejected by Jesus Christ. He was talking about the Jews, even after the law had been fulfilled, who were still trying to maintain righteousness before God by keeping the law. And they ended up putting to death God's own Son.
And then he says," The righteousness of the law," quoting from Moses," is the man who does those things shall live by them." See, that was a salvation by keeping perfectly the law, which nobody did except Jesus Christ. Romans 11:1 through 6," I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Even so then, at this present time, there is a remnant, according to the election of grace.
And if by grace, then it is no longer of works. Otherwise, grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace, otherwise work is no longer work. Again, is he talking about obedience to Jesus Christ? No! He's talking about the Jews who have been saved. They were not saved through obedience to the law. Works of the law. Does Paul have to say works of the law every time he uses that noun throughout this whole letter? Well, when you read the whole letter of Romans, he says it over and over again.
He makes it clear he's talking about works of the law. All right, let's move on to his letter to the Galatians. Chapter 2 verses 3 through 5.
He says," Yet not even Titus, who was with me being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised." And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in, who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage, to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. So what was the issue?
Was it an abstract issue of people trying to be obedient to Christ, people living godly lives when they should have been saying," Oh, all my righteousness are filthy rags, and I can do nothing good," and therefore just laying back and saying," I'm going to be saved by grace alone. I'm not even going to try to be godly or obedient to Christ." No, he's talking about circumcision again. The ones who were trying to bring the Gentiles into bondage there in Galatia were Jews.
The bondage was being circumcised and living by the law. This is clear in verses 14 through 21 of that same chapter. He says," But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all," If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? We who are Jews by nature are not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.
Even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law, no flesh shall be justified. But if while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not. For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I, through the law, died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. There's nothing there to even interpret. Paul is clear what he's talking about, that even the Jews weren't saved by the law. They were saved by grace just like the Gentiles.
And now that they are branches on this vine, then as Paul was able to say," It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." And that's what every Christian should be able to say. Now, a lot of them say that, but not truthfully so, because it is still their carnal flesh that lives. They have not died to self. They have not died to sin. Galatians 3:2," This only I want to learn from you.
Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?" I mean, I find it outrageous that theologian after theologian can go through Galatians, where it is so crystal clear that Paul is talking about the Law of Moses and talking about circumcision. And they all play this game of emperor's new clothes. Did you see anything in there about the law of Moses? No, I didn't see anything. No, he's just talking about law, even when he says it over and over and over again.
I'm not going to read any more from Galatians. I have more quotations there on disk 3 that anybody can see for themselves what the context is. Let's go to Ephesians.
Chapter 2 verses 8 through 17, he says," For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Now, I think we've all heard that quoted, you know, probably thousands of times in our lifetime." For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Aha, you might be thinking. Paul does say we're saved by faith alone and not by works.
And so obedience to Christ isn't part of salvation. But again, that's not what he's discussing in this passage. He's not writing in the abstract about salvation. He's dealing with the issue of Gentiles being forced to come under the law.
Because the very next verse he says," Therefore, remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by those or what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands, that at that time you were without Christ being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity. That is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity, and He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.
What is Paul's point is that we're not saved by the works of the law, that the law has been fulfilled, nailed to the cross, and it was a barrier that separated Jews from Gentiles. And now that wall of separation has been broken down. As he said it several times, there is neither Jew nor Greek in Jesus Christ. Okay, what about his letter to the Philippians?
Let's read that chapter 3 verses 2 through 5." Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation, for we are the circumcision who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." Though I also might have confidence in the flesh, if anyone else thinks that he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews concerning the law, a Pharisee.
So what is he talking about having confidence in the flesh? He's talking about circumcision. I honestly believe that a child with a sixth grade education would be able to see this without any difficulty. It's only when the wise and intellectual get hold of it that they turn Paul into something he was not and put words in his mouth that he never said. Colossians.
In him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
And you being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. So let no one judge you in food or in drink or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
Again, he's talking about the Mosaic Law, and the Jews were judging the Gentiles because they were not keeping the law. Now I mentioned that not only are Bible translations often dishonest, but so many commentaries, Bible notes, Bible encyclopedias and dictionaries are. Now throughout the Middle Ages, Rome often made it very difficult for the common people to ever hear what the Bible really said because they opposed translations made into the common language of the people.
Well, Martin Luther, of course, translated the Bible into German, but he did practically the same thing, just not as directly as Rome. He made sure he could color the vision of everyone who would read his Bible by making them see things that aren't even there. I mentioned yesterday that his introduction to the book of Romans is about half as long as the whole book is. In other words, he tells you everything that Paul says before you ever read it.
So when you read it, you're going to see something entirely different than what Paul actually did say. Hopefully by now you can clearly see that all of those passages that are so often quoted by the disciples of Luther, that salvation has no relation to works, to being a godly Christian, to being obedient to Jesus Christ, are being taken totally out of context. Paul is talking about works of the Mosaic Law, and the law he talks about should have a capital L on it when we translate that.
But see, Luther didn't put a capital L on it in his Bible, and he said this in the introduction. So you would hear this before you ever even got to Paul's words. Luther says," Accustom yourself then to this language, and you will find that doing the works of the law and fulfilling the law are two very different things.
The work of the law is everything that one does or can do toward keeping the law of his own free will or by his own powers." Now he's using law with a little L, making it equivalent to the commandments of Jesus. But since under all these works, and along with them, there remains in the heart, dislike for the law and the compulsion to keep it, these works are all wasted and have no value. This is what St.
Paul means in chapter 3 when he says," By the works of the law, no man becomes righteous before God." To fulfill the law, however, is to do its works with pleasure and love, and to live a godly and good life of one's own accord without the compulsion of the law. Now, I certainly have no problem in saying that it's not a matter of just keeping Jesus' commandments. And that's why we've described it as an obedient love-faith relationship.
If you just go out and," Okay, I'm going to try to keep these commandments of Jesus just the same way the Jews tried to keep the commandments of Moses." No, that's not going to do it, and you're going to fail. As Jesus said," Without Me you can do nothing." But that's not at all what Paul was even talking about. Saying that it's wrong and you're seeking your own righteousness if you try to obey Jesus Christ. Instead, just let it happen. If you have faith, it's just going to come out of you and you will do that.
Well, if so, then why didn't that happen? The German people believed Luther, but Germany, neither in his day nor any time since, has ever been a godly nation. It didn't work. And evangelical Christians say that today, the very same thing. And yet those same people who say," Oh, I've been saved apart from works, and therefore now I do things in Christ and in the Holy Spirit. Why then do they find the teachings of Jesus odious?
Why do they object so strenuously to what Jesus said and treat it as though He were giving us commandments that are impossible for humans to live, even with His Spirit." So in every one of Paul's congregational epistles, when he talks about works, he is speaking about works of the Law of Moses, particularly circumcision. He is not talking about living obediently to Jesus Christ.
But now Paul makes a couple of similar statements in his pastoral letters to Titus and Timothy that is similar to the kind of statements he made in his letters to these various churches. And from the context of these two letters, it's not clear if Paul is talking about the Mosaic Law. I assume he is because we have this whole host of other letters, and he says the same thing to each congregation dealing with the same issue. But let me read to you from Titus.
Now, Titus 1 does say this, which is probably the setting in which Paul makes his other statement. Let me read to you this:" For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not for the sake of dishonest gain.
Therefore, rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth." Now, in chapter 3, he says this," Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.
For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful. Now my guess is that when Paul makes a statement that our salvation was not by works of righteousness, which we have done, he's talking about the Mosaic Law, but I would by no means be dogmatic about that.
The thing to notice is that he's talking in the past tense. He says," But according to His mercy, He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, not through our righteous works." Nobody is attached to this vine of Jesus Christ because of His own righteousness. God saved us the past aspect of salvation totally apart from not only works of the Law, but our own obedience.
Again, as we've said, all he requires is that we believe, that we repent of our ungodly life and sins, that we receive the new birth and the washing of regeneration. And this is what causes us to become a branch growing on the vine of Jesus. It's not something that we earned. And we don't earn the future aspect either, but Jesus made it so clear we must obey His commandments if we are going to abide on this vine.
Obedience wasn't involved in our being attached to it, but it most certainly is involved in our staying on it.
And I think that's the context or thought when Paul writes Timothy, and he says," Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us" past tense, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. Again, Paul is talking about the past aspect of salvation.
We are saved, not according to our works, or none of us would be on this vine of Jesus Christ, but through grace. Well, in closing, I want to remind you that this message isn't finished until you read the scriptures that are contained on disk 3, because I've had to omit so many of them because of time restraints. Now, in my speaking, I've been reading from the New King James Bible, but the scriptures quoted on the disk are for the most part in the regular King James, which is actually the 1769 rendition.
Now on disk three, I have restored the capital L to the word" law" when it's speaking about the Mosaic Law. Now also on the disk are this very important passages from the book of Hebrews and from the Book of Revelation. Well, I hope after reflecting on all that I've shared over the past two nights and after you read the third disc, I hope it will be as clear to you as it is to me that salvation is not a one-time event. There are past, present, and future aspects of it.
And that the model that best sums up all that the New Testament teaches about salvation is the model that Jesus Himself gave us of abiding day in and day out as branches on his vine. It should be obvious that we are truly saved because of God's grace. Yet Christ requires an ongoing, obedient, love, faith relationship with Him. We must faithfully maintain this relationship with Him throughout the remainder of our life in order to experience the future aspect of salvation, that is, to eventually enter heaven.
And God will give us the enabling power to do so if we truly love Him with our whole heart, mind, and soul.