Creation

In the beginning …the earth was without form, and void…And [then] God said…

And God said…

The land had no shape and it was covered with water and empty and formless, but then ‘God said’. Those two words changed everything. When ‘God said’ things changed, a habitable environment formed, lands and seas appeared. When ‘God said’ light and life came into existence and everything was different. It is the Word of God that gives light and life to men.

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

(Psalms 33:6)

What happened when ‘God said’?

(1)	‘Let there be light’	‘and there was light’	‘it was good’
(2)	‘Let there be a firmament’	‘and it was so’
(3)	‘Let the waters be gathered’	‘and it was so’	‘it was good’
(4)	‘Let there be lights’	‘and it was so’	‘it was good’
(5)	‘Let the waters bring forth’	‘And God created’	”
(6)	‘Let the earth bring forth’	‘and it was so’	‘it was good’

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good.”

It Was Good

Formerly the land was formless and empty, but God spoke, and now it is good. Everything God does is good. God is good.

“And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth… (Ex 34:6)

Everything God did was good and so everything God saw was good; but after man fell into sin – “GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

What is Creation

According to the Baptist Catechism, God’s work of creation is:

The work of creation is God’s making all things of nothing (1), by the Word of His power (2), in the space of six days (3), and all very good. (4)

1. Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
2. Hebrews 11:3 – “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God”
3. Exodus 20:11 – “For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is”
4. Genesis 1:31 – “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good.”

God completed His work of Creation in 6 days. On each of the first 3 days, God created a realm and on each of the succeeding 3 days God filled that realm with items which correspond to it.

Day 1 Light	Day 4 Sun, Moon, and Stars
Day 2 Sky and Seas	Day 5 Birds and Fish
Day 3 Land, Grass, and Trees	Day 6 Animals and Man

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Day 1 – Light

2Cor 4:6 – For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Says Gill:

…this was the first thing made out of the dark chaos; as in the new creation, or work of grace in the heart, light is the first thing produced there…

Were heavenly bodies that give light created in day 1? If there was no sun, how could the Earth have day and night? Is it possible the sun was created on day 1, but was not visible from Earth until Day 4, after God had separated the waters above and below the Earth with an expanse, as per Scofield?

Day 2 – Sea and Sky

Psalm 19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

The word ‘firmament’ here in verse 6 comes from the Latin Vulgate: ‘firmamentum’.

According to Webster, firmament means:

The region of the air; the sky or heavens. In scripture, the word denotes an expanse, a wide extent; for such is the signification of the Hebrew word, coinciding with regio, region, and reach. The original therefore does not convey the sense of solidity, but of stretching, extension; the great arch or expanse over our heads, in which are placed the atmosphere and the clouds, and in which the stars appear to be placed, and are really seen.

The expanse here forms the atmosphere of Earth – the humid air (waters above) and clouds above the Earth – the space where the birds fly (Gen 1:20) – and on up to the space occupied by celestial bodies (Gen 1:17) are all the ‘firmament’ or ‘expanse’.

Ps 148:4 – Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.

God does not say ‘it was good’ on this day. Gill quotes Jarchi who postulates that ‘because the work of the waters was not finished; it was begun on the second day, and perfected on the third; and therefore the phrase is twice used in the account of the third day’s work.’ This may be true – the Septuagint does include the phrase, though. Perhaps the phrase is not used because nothing was completed on this day that is benefiting for God’s people to dwell in His good land.

Day 3 – Dry Land

Ps 33:7 – He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.

Two ‘good’ acts are performed on this day: (1) preparation of dry land and (2) furnishing of that land – seed bearing plants and fruit bearing trees. These items are suitable and essential for animal life.

Preparation of the Land is key in Genesis: see 12:7, 13:15, 15:18, and 26:4, for example.

Somehow, God made mature (already having seeds and fruit) living plants and trees before the sun existed. Though there was no sun (Day 4), there was light (Day 1). The sun was put in place on the next day. When God created the first trees with their seeds, He created not only this first generation, but all those that would exist throughout history, because they would descend from them.

Says Calvin:

he [Moses] signifies not only that herbs and trees were then created, but that, at the same time, both were endued with the power of propagation, in order that their several species might be perpetuated. Since, therefore, we daily see the earth pouring forth to us such riches from its lap, since we see the herbs producing seed, and this seed received and cherished in the bosom of the earth till it springs forth, and since we see trees shooting from other trees; all this flows from the same Word. If therefore we inquire, how it happens that the earth is fruitful, that the germ is produced from the seed, that fruits come to maturity, and their various kinds are annually reproduced; no other cause will be found, but that God has once spoken, that is, has issued his eternal decree; and that the earth, and all things proceeding from it, yield obedience to the command of God, which they always hear.

Day 4 – Sun, Moon, and Stars

According to Scofield, there is no creative act on this day. The lights from the heavens were allowed to reach the dry land on this day, merely. John Gill says on this verse:

…some writers, both Jewish and Christian, and even modern astronomers, understand this only of the appearance of them [sun, moon, and stars], and not of the formation of them; they suppose they were made on the first day, but did not appear or shine out so clearly and visibly as now on the fourth day: but it seems rather, that the body of fire and light produced on the first day was now distributed and formed into several luminous bodies of sun, moon, and stars…

“…let them be for signs, and for seasons…”

The phrase ‘let them be for signs’ is clearly NOT an endorsement for astrology, given other things the Scriptures have to say regarding diviners. Rather, the sun and moon were given the role of marking out ‘seasons, days, and years’.

Is this a Biblical mandate to follow a lunar calendar?

O give thanks to the Lord of lords: …To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Ps 136:3-9)

Days 5 & 6

‘Let the waters bring forth…’

All fowl and water life derive their being from water. On this, Calvin says:

Why should it not be lawful for him, who created the world out of nothing, to bring forth the birds out of water? And what greater absurdity, I pray, has the origin of birds from the water, than that of the light from darkness? Therefore, let those who so arrogantly assail their Creator, look for the Judge who shall reduce them to nothing. Nevertheless if we must use physical reasoning in the contest, we know that the water has greater affinity with the air than the earth has.

‘Let the earth bring forth…’

It is interesting to note that land animals were taken from the Earth. Animal creatures are made up of Earthly materials – they are taken from the Earth and return to it in death.

 

We will consider the creation of man in a separate article…

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John Gill
John Calvin
John Sailhamer

In The Beginning

In the beginning…

What is the beginning?

Genesis is the book of beginnings and the beginning of the book of Genesis begins with these words about the beginning. But what is the beginning referenced here? Is it the beginning of the natural universe perhaps? Is it the beginning of space and time and matter maybe? Or perhaps, Moses simply means the beginning of God’s work of creation or that this is the beginning of history. After all, all history begins in the first moment God created.

Note carefully the way the opening of the book of John reads:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

(John 1:1-3)

Note that the ‘Word’ is Jesus Christ (John 1:14). Jesus was ‘with’ God and He ‘was’ God. He (already) was ‘in the beginning’.

In the beginning, God…

The Existance of God

It is interesting that the Bible does not begin by defining God or by proving his existence. He is just assumed. The following is from AW Pink on God’s existance:

No argument is entered into to prove the existence of God: instead, His existence is affirmed as a fact to be believed. And yet, sufficient is expressed in this one brief sentence to expose every fallacy which man has invented concerning the Deity. This opening sentence of the Bible repudiates atheism, for it postulates the existence of God. It refutes materialism, for it distinguishes between God and His material creation. It abolishes pantheism, for it predicates that which necessitates a personal God. “In the beginning God created,” tells us that He was Himself before the beginning, and hence, Eternal…

Perhaps Moses doesn’t prove God’s existence because the people for whom Moses composed this work were already in covenant relationship with Jehovah and needed no formal introduction. Perhaps it is because at this point in the narrative, it is enough to simply state that He is and that He is the Creator of all things. It may also be that as man was made in the image of God, His existence and attributes are so undeniably certain that the Creator cannot be denied by any rational/reasonable creature. Or, perhaps it may be that God only makes himself known to His own and they only can know and love him:

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Cor 2:10-14

According to the Baptist Catechism, there is no excuse not to believe in God, but only His Word and Works reveal Him to our souls -

Q3. How do we know there is a God?

A. The light of nature in man, and the works of God, plainly declare that there is a God; but His Word and Spirit only, do effectually reveal Him unto us for our salvation.
(Rom. 1:18-20; Psalm 19:1,2; 2 Tim. 3:15; 1 Cor. 1:21-24; 1 Cor. 2:9,10)

…God created…

The Trinity and Ex Nihilo

The Hebrew word used here for God is Elohim. According to Gill:

The word used is “Elohim” …which signifies power, creation being an act of almighty power: but it is rather to be derived from the root in the Arabic language, which signifies to worship, God being the object of all religious worship and adoration; and very properly does Moses make use of this appellation here, to teach us, that he who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth is the sole object of worship

According to the Scofield Reference Bible:

It is explicitly stated here that ‘God’ created the heaven and the earth. Looking back at John 1:3, we see that all things were made by the ‘Word’ (i.e. Christ, cf. Heb 1:2) – an explicit and stunning proclamation of the deity of Christ in the opening of John’s gospel.

It is here that we recognize that all God created was out of nothing (ex nihilo). Before the beginning there was nothing, or the beginning wouldn’t be the beginning. See Hebrews 11:3 – Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Gill sums up this section in this way:

From hence we learn, that the world was not eternal, either as to the matter or form of it, as Aristotle, and some other philosophers, have asserted, but had a beginning; and that its being is not owing to the fortuitous motion and conjunction of atoms, but to the power and wisdom of God, the first cause and sole author of all things; and that there was not any thing created before the heaven and the earth were…

…the heaven and the earth…

The Land and Sky

The beginning of the Bible begins with the story of the creation of the ‘land’ (אֶרֶץ in Hebrew, γῆν in Greek) and the ‘sky’. Land is a key recurring theme in the Pentateuch – God’s Chosen People in God’s Chosen Land. As the Pentateuch was composed for the children of Israel by Moses as they were about to debark on their journey into the promised land, what greater comfort could Moses provide than to remind them here that God is the Creator of ‘all’ the land and as Creator it is in his purview and power to decide who occupies it. It was not Canaanite land, but God’s Land and He decides who occupies it. However, according to John Gill the ‘Earth’ signified here is not ‘the dry land’ but the ‘whole mass of earth and water before their separation, and when in their unformed and unadorned state …the terraqueous globe, in their chaotic state, as they were first brought into being by almighty power.’

As Gill comments, we are here told that the land God created was in its original composition ‘without form’ (shapeless?) and ‘void’ (empty). Does this mean that God created the materials of the universe before he shaped them into their present form in the six days?

…And the Spirit of God moved…

The Trinity

It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word used for God (Elohim) here is plural. Is this a ‘royal’ plurality or an early hint at the Trinity? Does this name, Elohim, represent God’s revelation of Himself as Creator and Lord over his creation? Gill states:

It (Elohim) is in the plural number, and …is thought by many to be designed to point unto us the mystery of a plurality, or trinity of persons in the unity of the divine essence: but whether or no this is sufficient to support that doctrine, which is to be established without it; yet there is no doubt to be made, that all the three Persons in the Godhead were concerned in the creation of all things…

In this verse we find a reference to the ‘Spirit of God’ moving upon the waters. This is not a clear definition of the Trinity, but even in the first two verses of the Bible, the nature of God is hinted at. We see in these first two verses the working of God The Father (Gen 1:1), The Son (John 1:3), and the Holy Spirit (Gen 1:2) in the Creation of the Wold.

The New Creation

God’s work of creation here is a reminder of God’s greater work of creation yet to take place. Isaiah prophecies:

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

(Isaiah 65:17-25)

This passage is often erroneously applied to the Millennium, but we see in verse 17 above, that the Lord is describing His work of creation – His creation of a ‘new’ sky and a ‘new’ land – the old will pass away from memory. In that land will be joy and peace and it will be inhabited by God’s ‘elect’, those that are the true Jerusalemites – ‘the seed of the blessed of the LORD’.

Compare the passage above with the following from John:

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.

(Revelation 21:1-5)

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Bibliography

Sailhamer
Calvin
Gill
Pink
Scofield

Ten Suggestions to Grow in Grace in the New Year

The following is a summary of an article from the Contrast blog. See the original blog post for full descriptions of each.

1. Read your Bible before you read your email, turn on the radio, etc.
2. Start attending the church events you normally miss
3. Begin and stick to a pattern of daily family worship
4. Start reading systematically through the Bible
5. Read at least two Christian biographies this year
6. Start keeping a prayer log
7. Start meeting for fellowship and accountability with other Christians
8. Begin reading about and praying for the persecuted church
9. Start praying that the Lord would give you opportunities to share your faith with others
10. Don’t do anything you couldn’t ask the Lord to bless in prayer!

The Obedience of Christ

In my last post on the Atonement, we looked at John Murray’s four-fold summary: Sacrifice, Propitiation, Reconciliation, and Redemption. In this we look at the beginning of Chapter 2 of Murray’s Work, Redemption Accomplished and Applied, which covers what Murray calls the “inclusive rubric under which these more specific categories may be comprehended.” This unifying principle that summarizes Christ’s Atoning work is: O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E (I can hear that children’s song in my head as I type this).

In chapter 2, Murray talks about the one Scripture passage above all others that beautifully describes Christ’s work – Isaiah 53. And no wonder, can any one read that chapter and not see the form of a perfectly obedient servant?

Also, see, for example:

• For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
  (John 6:38)
• For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Rom 5:19)
• But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Phil 2:7-8)
• Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation… (Heb 5:8-9)

 

In His incarnation, Christ became “like us” (Rom 8:3) and lived a life of perfect obedience, for us, before the Father. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in our sanctification to make us “like Him” so that more and more we can obediently say, “not my will, but thine, be done” (Lk 22:42).

I will have more on the ‘active’ and ‘passive’ elements of Christ’s atonement in the next post.

A Brief Categorization of the Atonement

Introduction

According to John Murray, there is no single specific category that the Scriptures use to summarize the full extent of the glory of the atonement. In the second chapter of his Work, Redemption Accomplished and Applied, Dr. Murray postulates (in passing) that the varied aspects of Christ’s sacrifice can be described in the following categories in the Bible

1. Sacrifice
2. Propitiation
3. Reconciliation
4. Redemption

Word Study

It is a very interesting study to look at each one of these words to see their rich meaning. Combined, they present a very rich (though not exhaustive) view of Christ’s Death.

Sacrifice

Sacrifice in the Old Testament

According to the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary:

To offer to God in homage or worship, by killing and consuming, as victims on an altar; to immolate, either as an atonement for sin, or to procure favor, or to express thankfulness…

According the ISBE, there are the following types of sacrifices in the Mosaic era:

• The Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1:3-17)
• The Meal Offering (Leviticus 2:1-16)
• The Peace Offering (Leviticus 3:1-17)
• The Sin Offering (Leviticus 4:1-35; 24-30, etc.)
• The Guilt Offering (Leviticus 5:14-6:7)
• Others – Wave, heave, drink

Wouldn’t it make an interesting study to research how the NT conveys that Christ is the fulfillment of each? He poured out Himself on our behalf, He is our Peace, He was made our sin offering, He bore our guilt, etc…

Sacrifice in the New Testament

• And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. (Eph 5:2)
• …but now once in the end of the world [ages] hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Heb 9:26)
• But this man [Jesus], after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God (Heb 10:12)
• For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us… (1 Cor 5:7)

Offerings are Sacrifices

Murray does not mention it, but in my mind, the term ‘offering’ is closely related to the term sacrifice (as we see in the following Old Testament ‘Offerings’)

• By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Heb 10:10)
• For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Heb 10:14)
• So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many… (Heb 9:28)

Propitiation

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines ‘propitiation as:

1. The act of appeasing wrath and conciliating the favor of an offended person; the act of making propitious.
2. In theology, the atonement or atoning sacrifice offered to God to assuage his wrath and render him propitious to sinners. Christ is the propitiation for the sins of men. Rom 3. 1 John 2.

• Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation… (Rom 3:25)
• …he is the propitiation for our sins… (1 John 2:2)
• God…loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)

According to Strong, the Greek Word translated propitiation in 1 John is ἱλασμός:

hilasmós – properly, propitiation; an offering to appease (satisfy) an angry, offended party. ἱλασμός is only used twice (1 Jn 2:2, 4:10) – both times of Christ’s atoning blood that appeases God’s wrath…By the sacrifice of Himself, Jesus Christ provided the ultimate ἱλασμός (“propitiation”).

The word in Rom 3:25 is from the same root – ἱλαστήριον, which is used in the Greek Old Testament to translate the Hebrew word for “the covering of the ark, which was sprinkled with the atoning blood on the Day of Atonement” [Strongs]. According to LSJ, hilasterios is a propitiary gift and is the opposite of the word ‘anathema’ (curse).

Much more could obviously be said about these words.

Reconciliation

According to Mr. Webster, reconciliation means:

1. The act of reconciling parties at variance; renewal of friendship after disagreement or enmity.

Reconciliation and friendship with God, really form the basis of all rational and true enjoyment.

2. In Scripture, the means by which sinners are reconciled and brought into a state of favor with God, after natural estrangement or enmity; the atonement; expiation.

• when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Rom 5:10)
• And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech [you] by us: we pray [you] in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.(1 Cor 5:18-20)
• And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself…And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in [your] mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled (Col 1:20-21)

Redemption

Again, a definition from Mr. Webster:

1. To purchase back; to ransom; to liberate or rescue from captivity or bondage, or from any obligation or liability to suffer or to be forfeited, by paying an equivalent; as, to redeem prisoners or captured goods; to redeem a pledge.

10. In theology, to rescue and deliver from the bondage of sin and the penalties of God’s violated law, by obedience and suffering in the place of the sinner, or by doing and suffering that which is accepted in lieu of the sinner’s obedience.

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Gal. 3. Titus 2.

• Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom 3:24)
• Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us… (Gal 3:13)
• In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace (Eph 1:7)
• In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins: (Col 1:14)
• Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Tit 2:14)
• …by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us]. (Heb 9:12)
• Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (1 Pet 1:18-19)

Again, in my own thinking, I thought of a word not listed above, but probably covered by the idea of redemption: ‘ransom’.

Ransom

A “ransom”, of course, is a price paid to purchase a slave or captive. If found the following definition from Wuest’s Word Studies on 1 Tim 2:6

The word “ransom” is antilutron, made up of anti and lutron. The latter was the common word used of the ransom of a slave or prisoner. anti was the preposition signifying substitution. Dana and Mantey, in their Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament (p. 100), say that “there is conclusive proof that the dominant use for anti in the first century was instead of.” They quote Moulton and Milligan in Vocabulary of the Greek Testament as saying, “By far the commonest meaning of anti is the simple instead of.” Thus the antilutron is a payment given instead of the slave or prisoner, that is, in substitution for the slave or prisoner. The person holding the slave or prisoner is satisfied with the payment as a substitute for the slave he owns or the prisoner he holds.

• “Who [Jesus] gave himself a ransom for all” (1 Tim 2:6).
• “…the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mt 20:28, Mark 10:45)

Summary

This is but a brief effort to understand the basic categories that describe the atonement. Obviously, much more could be said about all of these, but what I have here serves my purpose in thinking through, albeit not to any great depth, the meaning of each. Let us be thankful for the rich manifold grace of God and the many ways in which he magnified His grace through the Atonement of His Son, Our Lord. Lets be ever mindful of that as we study His Word.

My Son Matthew is Thankful

What Matthew is Thankful For

Matthew’s thankful list : that Jesus made the sky, for all my family, for God, Christmas trees, Christmas lights, chocolate milk, trains, Disney World, for Karis because she plays with me, for Alyssa because she has soft hair, daddy because he plays hotwheels and trains with me, for mommy because she hugs and kisses me all day.

[Note: Matthew made this Pilgrims and Indians table centerpiece from toilet paper tubes and felt.]

 

 

Here’s a Thanksgiving Special from Moody Radio you can listen to with your family…

The Crossing: A Cabin Boy’s Journal

Join Patrick Blythe, a cabin boy on the Mayflower, as he journeys across the Atlanic. Like most of the crew, Patrick is irreligious and derisive toward the pilgrims but finds himself pulled in two directions—toward the God of the pilgrims and toward the relative safety of his coarse companions.

Listen to Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Why Give Thanks?

• Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (2 Cor 9:15)
• Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light (Col 1:12)

How to Thank God

• Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 5:19-20)
• Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Col 3:16-17)

What is the Result of Giving Thanks?

• For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. (2 Cor 4:15)

Happy Thanksgiving !

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness:
come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD he is God:
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100

Prayer of Thanksgiving

O LORD God, heavenly Father, from Whom without ceasing we receive exceeding abundantly all good gifts, and Who daily of Thy pure grace guardest us against all evil: Grant us, we beseech Thee, Thy Holy Spirit, that acknowledging with our whole heart all this Thy goodness, we may now and evermore thank and praise Thy loving kindness and tender mercy: through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.

• Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (Ja 1:17)
• In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (I Thes. 5:18)

Anselm on the Atonement

The following is a continuation of a study I began a few weeks ago (part 1, part 2) when I read about Anselm and his theory of the atonement as opposed to other views which don’t require the absolute necessity of the vicarious sacrifice of atonement of the God-Man.

Introduction

There are a handful of theological heavyweights whose life’s work has been instrumental in the formation of Christian theology. Some of these men were accomplished scholars, some were reluctant monks or small town pastors who never sought the spotlight, but were thrust into it when serious heresies challenged the orthodoxy of the church. A handful of these men include:

Athanasius – Trinity and Defense of Biblical Christology
Augustine – Depravity: Nature of Man and Sin
Anselm – Substitutionary/Vicarious Doctrine of the Atonement
Luther – Justification by Faith Alone

According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Anselm:

Anselm was one of the most important Christian thinkers of the eleventh century. He is most famous in philosophy for having discovered and articulated the so-called “ontological argument;” and in theology for his doctrine of the atonement. However, his work extends to many other important philosophical and theological matters, among which are: understanding the aspects and the unity of the divine nature; the extent of our possible knowledge and understanding of the divine nature; the complex nature of the will and its involvement in free choice; the interworkings of human willing and action and divine grace; the natures of truth and justice; the natures and origins of virtues and vices; the nature of evil as negation or privation; and the condition and implications of original sin.

Anselm’s Theory of the Atonement

This theory holds that sin is a violation of the divine honor or majesty and, as committed against an infinite being, deserves an infinite punishment. The majesty of God requires him to execute punishment, while the love of God pleads for the sparing of the guilty. This conflict of divine attributes is eternally reconciled by the voluntary sacrifice of the God-man, who bears in virtue of the
dignity of his person the intensively infinite punishment of sin, which must otherwise have been suffered extensively and eternally by sinners. This suffering of the God-man presents to the divine majesty an exact equivalent for the deserved sufferings of the elect and that, as the result of this
satisfaction of the divine claims, the elect sinners are pardoned and regenerated. This view was first broached by Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) as a substitute for the earlier patristic view that Christ’s death was a ransom paid to Satan, to deliver sinners from his power.

Anselm’s acute, brief and beautiful treatise entitled “Cur Deus Homo” constitutes the greatest single contribution to the discussion of this doctrine. He shows that “whatever man owes, he owes to God, not to the devil. He who does not yield due honor to God, withholds from him what is his, and dishonors him and this is sin. It is necessary that either the stolen honor be restored, or that punishment follow.” Man, because of original sin, cannot make satisfaction for the dishonor done to God – “a sinner cannot justify a sinner.” Neither could an angel make this satisfaction. None can make it but God. “If then none can make it but God, and none owes it but man, it must needs be wrought out by God, made man.” The God-man, to make satisfaction for the sins of all of mankind, must “give to God, of his own, something that is more valuable than all that is under God.” Such a gift of infinite value was his death. The reward of his sacrifice turns to the advantage of man and thus, the justice and love of God are reconciled.

[Quote from AH Strong, who quotes Crippen's analysis in "History of Christian Doctrine", Systematic Theology, page 407]

Another Quote from AH Strong

“The justice of God demands satisfaction, and as an insult to infinite honor is itself infinite, the satisfaction must be infinite, i e., it must outweigh all that is not God. Such a penalty can only be paid by God himself and, as a penalty for man, must be paid under the form of man. Satisfaction is only
possible through the God-Man. Now this God-man, as sinless, is exempt from the punishment of sin; his passion is therefore voluntary, not given as due. The merit of it is therefore infinite; God’s justice is thus appeased, and his mercy may extend to man.”

[The Encyclopedia Britannica (as quoted by Strong in Systematic Theology)]

Strong references other defenses of this doctrine:

• Treatises by Candlish and Smeaton
• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, 2:470-540
• Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin, II, 17:3; II, 16:7; II, 16:2

From Wikipedia…

The Satisfaction (or Commercial) theory of the atonement was formulated by Anselm of Canterbury in his book, Cur Deus Homo (lit. ‘Why the God-Man?’). He has introduced the idea of satisfaction as the chief demand of the nature of God, of punishment as a possible alternative of satisfaction and equally fulfilling the requirements of justice thus opening the way to the assertion of punishment as the true satisfaction of the law. In his view, God’s offended honor and dignity could only be satisfied by the sacrifice of the God-man, Jesus Christ. Anselm undertook to explain the rational necessity of the Christian mystery of the atonement. His philosophy rests on three positions—first, that satisfaction is necessary on account of God’s honour and justice; second, that such satisfaction can be given only by the peculiar personality of the God-man Jesus; and, third, that such satisfaction is really given by this God-man’s voluntary death.

According to this view, sin incurs a debt to Divine justice, a debt that must be paid somehow. Thus, no sin, according to Anselm, can be forgiven without satisfaction. However, the incurred debt is something far greater than a human being is capable of paying. All the service that a person can offer to God is already obligated on other debts to God…

The only way in which the satisfaction could be made─that humans could be set free from their sin─was by the coming of a Redeemer who is both God and man. He himself would have to be sinless, thus having no debt that he owed. His death is something greater than all the sins of all humanity. His death makes a superabundant satisfaction to the Divine Justice.

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Church History Books

The Story of Christianity This is a very readable history of the Christian faith. The book covers The Early Church, The Imperial Church, Medieval Christianity, and many of the events and people that led early moral reform efforts that preceded the Protestant Reformation. Church history is truly an exciting topic and Gonzalez makes it read that way. Gonzalez is particularly good, in my opinion, in the early chapters on the Early Church fathers. Each short readable chapter reads like a vignette of an important figure in the early church and their stance during times of apostasy and persecution. This book is the standard introduction today and is used in numerous Bible Colleges and Seminaries, but it is very readable and enjoyable. As an added bonus, it is helpful to have this book handy if you listen to the Christian History Series by David Calhoun at Covenant Seminary Online.

Church History in Plain Language I’ve heard good things about this book, so I picked it up when I found it at a used bookstore. I had already read a few chapters from Gonzalez when I decided to cover the same ground with Shelly. I was very disappointed, to say the least. Given that Shelley is trying to cover a LOT of territory (Early Church to Present Era) in a simple and readable one volume work, but I found it simplistic and patronizing. The work tries to hard to make a history book read like a novel in my opinion and its just simply not my style. I initially had no appreciation for the work at all, UNTIL I started reading Medieval Church History in Gonzalez. Without a solid grounding in Middle Age European History, I was lost reading about all the rival popes and kingdoms vying for power. At one point I switched from Gonzalez to this work and I found it much more enjoyable. At this point I finally ‘got’ the popularity of Shelley and found it useful. Although not a detailed history, I think Shelly does a good job of covering all the primary people, places, and events of Church History in a very readable volume. I recommend this work for a High School audience.

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs Almost every history book one reads is compiled by scholars who have read what others scholars wrote, synthesized the material, and formed their own conclusions. Foxe is different. He lived it – he is a first or second hand witness of much of what he writes about in the later English reformation. The work begins with unbelievable myths about the Apostles and other early church martyrs. It covers a few medieval heroes of the faith and then Wycliffe, Luther, Tyndale, and Calvin. Foxe is brilliant in his coverage of the heroes of the English reformation – Cromwell, Lady Jane, John Hooper, Latimer, and Ridley. This work was prized by the Puritans – each Puritan family who could afford it would have a copy of Foxe’s Martyrs next to his Geneva Bible (and in later times – Pilgrim’s Progress). This is truly one work which should be required reading for EVERY Christian. Nothing I’ve ever read has ever made me more proud of my faith than Foxe’s “Monuments of the Church”.

Here I Stand As good as Foxe’s book is, and in spite of the fact that I believe that it should be required reading for every Christian, I can’t help but save my highest regard for this work on the life of Luther. So much of the terminology and beliefs we take for granted on a daily bases as 21st Century believers were just simply not available to our Medieval fathers. The Priesthood of the believer, Justification by Faith, the authority of God’s Word and much in the way of tradition, style, and jargon is due to Martin Luther. Luther lived a fascinating life and his story is riveting. Luther was no en-halo’d mythical saint plucked from some Gothic Fresco. He was an ordinary flesh and bones man – a weak, frail, sinful, man – and God used him in powerful and extraordinary ways! Simply amazing!

One of the reasons you may not fully appreciate your rich full Christian/Protestant heritage is because you don’t know it. We must reach past our own movements and schisms and return to the struggles against persecution and heresy of our fathers to put our faith in perspective. Read any one of these books in the coming year and your faith will be enhanced!