1996 issue 3 - the establishment of the sovereignty of jesus part 4
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/12/2019 1996 Issue 3 - The Establishment of the Sovereignty of Jesus Part 4
1/7
Luke 5:12-6:16
he
Centrality of Faith in
the Old Testament
The Patriarchal Religion
The religion of the Old
Testament is obviously as
fundamentally a religion of faith
as is that
of
the New Testament.
--- ...the
religion
of
Israel was a
religion
of
faith...not
merely
because faith
was more
consciously its
foundation ,
but
because its
very essence
conSisted in
faith ,
and
this
faith was the
same radical
self-comrnitment
to God, not merely as the highest
good
of
the holy soul,
but
as the
gracious Savior of the sinner,
which m.eets us
as
the
characteristiC feamre of the
religion the New Testament.
The entire patriarchal narrative
is
forth with the design and effect
of
exhibiting the life of the
servants
of
God as a life of faith ....
---
..
.faith was for them (the
patriarchs) the precondition of all
obedience. The patriarchal
religion is ....characteristically
described
as
a walk 'with God'; its
peculiarity consisted preCisely in
tl?-e orderip.g
0
life.by entire trust
in God, and it expressed itself in
conduct growing out of this trust,
Gen. 3:20; 4:1; 6:22; 7:5; 8:18;
12:4; 17:23; 21:12,16. The
righteousness of the patriarchal
age was thus but the manifestation
in life of an entire
self-commitment
to
God, in
unwavering trust
in
His
promises.
- Warfield, pg . 406f.
The Mosaic Religion
The piety of the Old
Testament thus began with faith.
And though, when the stage of the
law was reached, the emphasis
might seem to be thrown rather
on
the obedience of faith, what
has been called 'faith
in
action,'
yet the giving of the law does not
mark a fundamental change in the
religion of Israel, but only a new
stage in its orderly development.
t (the giving of the law)
is
therefore grounded upon the
promise, and it grounds the whole
religious life of Israel
in
the grace
of the covenant of God, Exod.
20:2. It is only because Israel are
the children of God,
and
God has
sanctified them
unto
Himself and
chosen them to be a peculiar
people unto Him, Deut. 14: 1, that
He proceeds
to
frame them by His
law for His special rreasure, Exod.
19:5. Faith, therefore, does not
:
THECOUNSEL of Chalcedon April 1996
appear
as
one of the precepts.of
the law, nor as the virtue superior
to its precepts, nor yet as a
substitute for keeping them; IT ,
(FAITH) LIES BEHIND THE LAW
AS
ITS PRESUPPOSITION.
Warfield, pg. 407.
he
Definition
of
Faith
in
the Old Testament
Faith in the Old Testament
is
a reverential, Exod. 14:31; Num.
14:11; 20:12, and loving'faith,
which rests on the strong basis of
firm and unshaken conviction of
the might and grace of the
covenant God and
of
the '
trustworthiness
of all His
words, and
exhibits itself
in
confident
trust in
Jehovah and
unwavering
expectation of
the fulfillment
of,
no doubt,
all His
, promises, but
more
especially of
His promise
of salvation,
and in consequent faithful and
exclusive adherence to Him. In
one word, it (faith) consists in an
utter commitment of oneself to
Jehovah, with confident trust in
Him as guide and savior, and
assured expectation of His
promised salvation. - Warfield,
pg 410
he Doctrine
of
Saving Faith
FIRST, fa
ith
is not merely
belief
on
the part of man,
but
rather God's work in man's life,
Rom. 10 :17 ...
.
- Rushdoony,
SALVATION AND GODLY RULE,
pg 290
SECOND, faithrecogIi.izesat
-
8/12/2019 1996 Issue 3 - The Establishment of the Sovereignty of Jesus Part 4
2/7
once its condemnation in God's
sight, because faitn assents to
God's law and the
judgment
of
that law. s Bellamy declared,
'Saving faith consists
in
looking to
free grace, through Jesus Christ,
for salvation;
thu
s viewing God's
law,
and
your own case, as they
really be; and he that dlus
believes, shall
be
saved.'
Rushdoony, pg. 290.
THIRD, faith is saying Amen
to Christ and His salvation; it
means accepting the verdict of
death on ourselves
trust, reliance, or dependence
on
Jesus Christ, the great Mediator,
his satisfaction and merits,
mediation
and
intercession,
which
the humbled sinner has, whereby
he is
em
boldened to return home
to God in hopes of acceptance,
and
is encouraged to look to
and
tl1lst in God through him for that
complete salvation which is
offered
in
the gospel. --- Faith
emboldens the heart ..begets new
courage, lays the foundation for a
new
kind
of hope-- a hope
springing entirely from a new
Justifying faith is a saving grace,
wrought
in the
heart of
the sinner,
by the Spirit
and Word
of God,
whereby he, being convinced of
his sin
and
misery, and of the
disability in himself
and
all other
creatures to recover him out of his
lost condition,
not
only assents to
the tl1lth of the promise of the
gospel,
but
receives
and
rests
upon
Christ and His righteousness
therein held forth, for
pardon
of
sin,
and
for the accepting and
accounting of his person righteous
in
the sight of God for
salvation.
which
the law
pronounces to
lawbreakers, and
accepting the atoning
work
of Christ as
our
vicarious substitute. I t
means also the response
of gratitude
in
the forms
of works of law, the
obedience of faith, as the
Jesus was alienated from God on
the cross and suffered and died
Conclusion
f the Son of Man,
a
nd
He
alone, has the
divine authority on
earth to forgive all the
sins of everyone
who
places his faith in Him
under
the
condemnation
of
sin,
as
the Substitute for all those
who
tru t
in
Him for 6alvation.
means of setting forth God's
kingdom. Leon Morris says of
faith: 'Central to the New
Testament is the thought that God
sent HisSon to be the Savior of
the world. Chrtst accomplished
man
's salvation by dying an
atoning death on Calvary'S cross.
Faith is the attitude whereby a
man abandons all reliance in his
own efforts to obtain salvation, be
they deeds of piety, of ethical
gqodness, or anything else. It is
th
e attitude of complete trust in
Christ, of reliance on Him alone
for all that salvation means. '
Rushdoony pg.414.
FOURTH, faith . .is more than
belief, and more than knowledge:
it is a God given life and boldness,
When it is reduced
to
an act of
will or an act of intellect, it is
made man-centered and weak, or,
rather, invalid. --- Bellamy
stressed this factor, writing:
'Saving faith consists
in
that entire
foundation. Faith
in
Christ
emboldens the heart to look to
and trust
in
the free grace of God
through Him, for all things that
just such a poor sinner wants
(lacks). - Rushdoony, pg. 290.
FIFTH, this boldness of faith
lies in the assurance of being
forgiven
and
accepted by God in
Jesus Christ, Rom. 8:1 When
we know that we are THE
FORGIVEN, that we have been
released from the prison-house
of
sin
and
guilt
and
the totality of
death, then we are empowered by
the holy boldness of faith. A basic
aspect of this holy boldness is the
exercise of dominion; another
aspect of it is the exercise of
forgiveness. - Rushdoony, pg.
291. .
The Nature o True
Saving Faitlt ccording to the
Westminster Larger Catechism
Question
72.
What is justifying faith?
A
as his Lord and Savior,
then you have warrant
to believe that
if
you believe in
Him, He will forgive you
and
bring
God
into your life. If you
are
not yet a believer in Jesus,
then your sins are alienating you
from God and have placed you
under His condemnation. Jesus
was alienated from
God
on the
cross and suffered and
died under
the condemnation of sin, as the
Substitute for all those who
tlUSl
in Him for salvation. Repent of
your sins. Trust
in
Him
as
your
Lord and Savior.
f you are a believer, praise
God forthe constant forgiveness
of your every
sin
that continues to
come
into
yo
ur
life, with all its
healing power, as you trust
in
Christ for continued salvation
from sin. IJohn 1:9 says, Ifwe
keep
on
confessing our
Sil1.5 He is
faithful and just
to
keep
on forgiVing
us
our
sins and to
heep
on cleansing
us from all unrighteousness.
April 996 TH COUNSEL of Chalcedon
5
-
8/12/2019 1996 Issue 3 - The Establishment of the Sovereignty of Jesus Part 4
3/7
(5:27-28) The Demands of the
Sovereignty ofJesus
on
His Disciples
The
Attentive Look of
Jesus at Levi
"And after that He went out,
and
noticed .a tax-gatherer
named
Levi . .. 1 The Greek for "noticed"
denotes "looked at t t e n t i ~ l y
contemplated," often also
denoting enjoyment
in
looking at
that person, Lk. 7:24;Jn. 1:14,
;n
38; IJn. 1:1. Asj 'SUs looked
at the man, he looke4
disgrace extended to his family."
Lane on
MARK, pg
. 102.
The Unmerited
Kindness ofJesus
In the choice of
Levi,
(Matthew), into the
kingdom-family of Christ, and to
the office
of Apostle, we have a .
striking illustration of the sheer
grace of
jesus
Christ.
It was
the
intention of Christ to choose
simple and ignorant persons of
that rank, in
order
to cast down
dramatic response. Not ,only does
this reveal to us thatjesus'
word
is
a powerful word, able to move a
man to ab a
ndon
his entire life and
to surrender himself totally
to
the
will and command of Jesus; Jesus'
word
is also a sovereign ward,
because, in choosing His apostles,
"He ..summoned those whom He
Himself wanted, and they came to
Him,"
Mk.
3:13. Moreover, .
disciples did not become diSCiples
by their own free choice, but by
the calling ofJesus. "The Gospels
into hiS very being and
read
his
true character.
The Identity ofLevi
Levi was another
name of Matthew, Mat.
9:9; 10:3; Mk. 3:18; Lk.
6:15; Acts
1:13,
Other
of the apostles had two
names,jn.
11:16; Mat.
Levi hears Christ's call with the ears
of his heart, and Christ then draws
him into
the
closest
personal
relationship with Himself. Everything
depends on
Jesus
sovereign word
of
grace to this unclean man.
state ~ e r y c l e a r l y that
the fact of o o n ~
becoming ilcliscipJe or
being adiscipler
depends
on
jesus'
sovereign deciSion, and
not on the free choice
of individuals who are
especially drawn to
Him. This is shown
in
10:3; Mk. 3:18; Lk.
6:14. His father was Alphaeus,
not to be confused with the father
ofjallles
the Less,
Mk.
3:18;
15:40.
Levi (Matthew) was a
tax"collector. In fact when jesus
found him he was Sitting at his
desk at the tax-collector's toll
booth located
in
Capernaut:n. He
was a
jewish tax-collector
in
the
service of Herod Antipas. Such
bureaucrats were detested by
everyOl1e and were cqnsidered t)w
vilest of human beings. "The
practice ofleasing the customs
duty
of a district at a 'fixed sum
encouraged gross oppression
by
tax officers anxious to secure as
large a profit as possible.
When
a
jew entered the customs service,
he was regarded'as an outcast
from society:
he
was disqualified
as a judge or a witnesS
in
a court
session, was excotnmunicated
from the synagogue, and in the
eyes of the community his
'the wisdom of the
world:
I Cor.
2:6. But this publican, who
followed
an
occupation little
esteemed and involved
in
many
abuses, was selected for additional
reasons, that
he
might be an
example of Christ's undeserved
goodness, and might show in his
person that the calling of all of us
depends, not on the merits'of
our
own righteousness, but on His
pure kindness. Matthew,
therefore, was not only a wimess
and
preacher,
but
Was also
a
proof
and illustration of the grace
exhibited
in
Christ."- Calvin
The Power
in
the
Word
of
Jesus
The Power and Sovereignty
in the Word ofJesus
"And He said to
him
, 'Follow
Me.
'
Mankind has always been
impressed with the brevity and
urgency ofJesus' call of Levi
to
discipleship; and with the total
and immediate obedience of Levi's
6
m
COUNSEL
of
Chalcedon April,
1996
all stories concerning
the call of a disciple, Mk. 1:15f;
2:14f; Lk. 5:lf;jn. 1:35f."
Bornkamm, Jesus of Nazareth, pg.
145. "Not that all in whose ears
He utters His voice afe equally .
affected in their hearts:
but
in this
man
Christ intended ta give a .'
remarkable example, that we
might know that his calling was
not from
man. -
Calvin
The Demand of DiSCipleship
in
the Word
ofjesus
The Greek word for :'follow"is
AKOLOUTHEO, the ordinary
word for the intellectual; moral
and
religious follOwing of
someone or something. In the
O.T., God's people were
forbidden to "follow" or "go after"
other gods, Judg. 2:12; Dt. 4:3;
jer.
11:10, beci3,use
it
was
considered spiritual adultery,
Hosea 1:
2;
2.:7. Rather, God's
people were to "follow" or "go
after"Jehovah, Deut. 1;6.
-
8/12/2019 1996 Issue 3 - The Establishment of the Sovereignty of Jesus Part 4
4/7
"Following" God was "walking in
God's revealed ways," Deut. 5:30.
The focus of this incident is on
the Master who calls Levi to
discipleship. Levi hears Christ's
call with the ears of his heart, and
Christ then draws him into the
closest personal relationship with
Himself. Everything depends on
Jesus' sovereign word of grace to
this unclean man. Jesus calls Levi
"to abandon everything and, in
the first instance quite literally, to
follow Jesus from place to place,"
(Bornkamm, pg. 146) , as His
disciple. What He demands from
His apostles, He demands from all
His disciples: "to repent in light
of the coming \
-
8/12/2019 1996 Issue 3 - The Establishment of the Sovereignty of Jesus Part 4
5/7
was sublimely simple. "He said to
him, 'Follow Me. 'Christ spoke
and
levi
followed. It was
not
luke who said it, nor was it
anyone of the apostles. HE said
It is
not
my preaching, or your
pre ching, or an archbishop's ,
preaching,
that
can save souls;
it
is
'HE said,' and it is when th Lord
Jesus Christ,
by
the pivine Spirit,
says to a man, 'Follow Me,' .that
then the decisive work is done.
Did He not say to the primeval
darkness, 'Ught be '
and
light was;
and
God, the Omnipotent and
Eternal, has
but
to speak to man,
and a ,like result will follow. --
That
is the
way of
salvation;
Christ
bids
thee, whilst thou art at
thy
sin, leave it,
and thou
leavest
it. He bids thee trust Him, and
thou
dost trust Him;
and
trusting
Him thou art saved .
..
" Charles
Spurgeon, Metropolitan
Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol. 42, pg.
571.
Finally, the call of Christ to
discipleship is'immediately
effective.
Christ called and Levi
immediately responded. "The call
of
Matthew
(Levi)
was the call
of
effecnialgrace. 'Where the word
of the king is, there is power;' and
Jesus Christ spoke to MattheW the
word of THE king. --- And ) .
preaching
to
you in His
name
; we
do NOT say, 'Dear friend, do be
converted, if you will;' but we say,
Thus
saith the Lord: 'believe on
the lord Jesus Christ and thou
shalt
be
saved;' and with that
command goes the power of the
word of a King, and so'sinners are
saved."- Spurgeon', pg
573.
(5:29-32) The Sovereignty of
Jesus
in
the Choice
of
His Friends
The Literary Form
pf
this Story
There are three parts to this
story, a tripartite form shared with
at least six other Gospel stories,
Mk.
2:1;
Mk. 2:23f; Mt. 12:22f;
Mt. 21:15f; lk. 11:37f: Lk. l3:1Of.
FIRST, Jesus performs a radical
action; SECOND, th Pharisees'or
scribes protest His action; and
THIRD, Jesus makes a
pronouncement that silences
them. "This form,
with
its direct,
dramatic presentation, was well
suited to emphasize the startling
character of the Kingdom of God
which broke
in , step by step, as
Jesus and those around Him
performed their task. The FIRST
PART
of the form described an
action performed on some defmite
occasion ... The MIDDLE PART
of the form, the protest issued
in
the form of a challenge, assumes
that Jesus and His disciples ought
to behave as the scribes do.
BecauseJesus is judged as
essentially belonging to the same
camp as His remonstrants, His
actions appear offensive to them.
The THIRD
MEMBER
of the form,
the silencihg of the remonstrants,
confirms this observation. Jesus
justifies His action by addUcing a
traditional proverb which His
opponents
recognize as valid, ...
Jesus starts from the same baSis as
do His antagonists; if He did not,
He
would
be unable to silence
them. Where He differs from
them is in His interpretation of
the teaching adduced. The
THIRD
MEMBER of
the form
describes the defeat of the scribes
by an argument resting upon a
basis they acknOWledge. It is the
FIRST PART of this form, Jesus'
radical action, which brings into
focus the theologicali
y
significant'
elements in this incident. To the
scribes Jesus' conduct was
offensive 'because it was improper
for a teacher of the Law to share
meal fellowship with outcast and
ignorant
common
p.eople. Jesus':
action was actually more
8 TilE COUNSEL of Chalcedon April, 1996
revolutionary than they could
imagine. When Jesus
shared
meal
fellowship with the
tax
officials
and
the common people, it was .
the Messiah who was sitting with
sinners."- Lane on MARK
The .Feast for Jesus with
Tax-collectors
and
Sinners
The Feast
of oy
It was an exhilarating thing for
Levi to Jorsake everything to
follow
h ~ i
He "took the step
not
in
a spirit of grim resignation
but
with
banners flying. He had
no
regrets, but on the contrary
gathered ;a large company' for 'a
great feast' in celebratiofl ..."
Leon Morris: He also wanted to
introduce some of his friends
and
associates to his new Lord,
because a convened man will not
wish to go to heaven alone. -j.c.
Ryle
"Instead of feeling sorry at
leaving
hiS
well-paying business
and acting 'as though he was
making a sacrifice for Jesus, Levi
feels the opposite way; like
celebrating the event of his call by
Jesus. He
must
have
had
wealth to
own a houSe that was ~ p l e .
enough' to 'accommodate
such
a
crowd at a feast.... - Lenski , .
The Feast for JesliS
Luke
pu t
' on
thiS
expensive
banquet
for hiS many friends ahd
associateS, Mk. 2:15, to honor
Jesus a.nd to introduce them to
Him. "So :filled with deep, inner "
delight
Was
he
that
he " " '
immediately arranged a feast
in
honor of the One whom he
considered his Benefactor "
Hendriksen
The e4St
of
all Abundance
of
rood and
W j n ~
Levi's party is called a great
banquet", ,}v:ith reference,not , o
the mult itude of guests; but to the
-
8/12/2019 1996 Issue 3 - The Establishment of the Sovereignty of Jesus Part 4
6/7
-
8/12/2019 1996 Issue 3 - The Establishment of the Sovereignty of Jesus Part 4
7/7