BY WHAT STANDARD (Review)

 Written by multiple authors, some better than others, very Baptist-centric but that's OK because it is still a good resource for understanding the times (1 Chron. 12:32; Matt. 16:3). 

Though it covers a whole lot more, perhaps the book may summarized in general by the following couple of quotes that jumped out at me:

"[In] Cultural Marxism ... The working class has been replaced by minorities. Majority groups are defined as "privileged" and "oppressive." Minority groups are defined as "underprivileged' and "oppressed." p. 12.  

"...Cultural Marxism ... reduces everything to race, class, and sex. Cultural Marxism divides people up slightly differently than Classical Marxism. Classical Marxism divides people up into the bourgeoisie and proletariat, the haves and the have nots - between those who control the means of production and those who do not. In Cultural Marxism, you divide the world between those who establish and benefit from the cultural hegemony and everyone else. Those who do not benefit from the cultural hegemony are oppressed by it. For one reason or other, they are not part of the dominant group. Ethnic Gnosticism is rooted in this Cultural Marxist paradigm." p. 106. 

THREE KINDS OF DEATH

 

THREE KINDS OF DEATH 

Westminster Shorter Catechism 19

Quest. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell?

Ans. All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under His wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of Hell forever. 

Introduction

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We have already considered the meaning of Original Sin. We saw that Original Sin refers to our corrupt nature that each of us inherits from Adam, which is to say that we are all born with a tendency towards disobedience to God and His Law. And we saw that this Original Sin we each inherit can be traced all the way back to Adam and his first sin. We saw that Adam’s First Sin is simply another name for the Fall of Man. And then we considered the fact that Original Sin produces Actual Sin. In short, we saw that God does not call us sinners because we sin. Rather, the truth of the matter is that we sin because we are sinners. As a bird flies because it is a flier, as a fish swims because it is a swimmer, so fallen man sins because he is a sinner. We saw all of that and more as we considered the estate into which man fell when Adam sinned his first sin.

In the following we’re going to look at the real unhappy subject of the misery of that estate. Now, it’s not all doom and gloom on account of God sending us a Saviour to rescue us from this estate of sin and misery. However, it is necessary, if we are going to give our Lord the honour He is due, to consider the estate from which He redeemed us.

Let’s not lose sight of the fact that God has provided an escape from the trinity of death. The three kinds of death are: 1. Loss of communion with God, i.e., Spiritual Death. 2. Misery in this life and then death, i.e., Physical Death. And 3. Pains of Hell forever, i.e., Eternal Death.

Spiritual Death

When God entered into the covenant with Adam in the Garden He said, “Of every tree in the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). It’s a fact of history that Adam did eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So we don’t need to go there. But what we need to look at is what happened when Adam ate the forbidden fruit.

First off, we need to acknowledge the fact that Adam died spiritually the very moment he ate of the forbidden fruit. By dying spiritually, we mean that Adam broke his communion with God. We see evidence of this in Genesis 3:8 with Adam and Eve hiding in the bushes from God. If they had perfect communion with God, then why are they hiding from Him? If you keep in mind that our relationship with God is always covenantal you won’t have too much trouble understanding what’s wrong here.

The terms of the covenant agreement were broken by Adam. Therefore, God had every right to inflict the full force of the covenant penalty upon Adam and Eve. However, we see the grace of God in that He came to see, so to speak, the reason for the breach. So, in this we learn that we ought to find out the facts before we take action against anyone who wrongs us. It might be something as simple as a misunderstanding.

But when the LORD, i.e., Jehovah or, if you prefer, Yaweh, inquired about the incident, it was made clear to all parties involved, Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, that this was no misunderstanding. We can see this most clearly from what it says in Genesis 3:24, “So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” So, spiritual death then, is loss of fellowship or communion with God. Spiritual death is to be banished from the benign presence of God.

Now, because Adam and Eve are our first parents this means that all their descendants are born in this spiritually dead condition. Paul, in Ephesians 2:1 calls this “spiritual deadness” being “dead in trespasses and sins.” There is a whole congregation like this mentioned in Revelation 3:1. Jesus says of that church, “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” So, obviously if these people are able to walk around, their deadness must be a spiritual deadness. According to Scripture all of humanity suffers from this same spiritual deadness on account of Adam’s first sin.

The Romans 5:12 passage attests to this, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” So, since you and I and billions of other human beings are walking around, we must conclude that the death referred to is spiritual death, which results in physical death, and that for some, this spiritual then physical death may even result in eternal death (if God does not savingly intervene).

Now, we know that God did intervene on behalf of many spiritually dead people. That is what the Gospel, the Good News, is all about. As the LORD said to Israel through His prophet Isaiah, “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated you from God” (Isa. 59:1-2a).

Spiritual death is your sin separating you from God. But just before we move on, let me remind you of something that happened on the day that Adam (and all mankind) died spiritually. There’s a little verse in Genesis which says, “Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21).

Now, to be sure, if you saw what happened here from a distance, all you would see would be the LORD making clothes of skin and putting them on Adam and Eve. However, in light of the whole rest of Scripture, we take it that the LORD killed an animal, perhaps a sheep, in front of Adam and Eve, and clothed them with its skin. In this we see that not only was there a spiritual death on the day Adam ate the forbidden fruit, but there was also the physical death of a substitute – an animal.

So, we see then the grace of God in that He cared even for these spiritually dead, and therefore rebellious, human beings by clothing them in skins. But, surely in this, He also symbolized, as He did throughout the Old Testament, the Substitutionary Atonement to be performed by the One promised in Genesis 3:15, “He shall bruise your head [i.e. the Serpent], and he, the serpent shall bruise His [i.e. the Promised One’s] heel.”

So, even though all mankind became spiritually dead in Adam’s first sin, the LORD still sounded the note of hope for fallen man by clothing Adam and Eve, thus declaring the first Gospel promise.

Physical Death

The Lord said to Adam after he had sinned, “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19). Spiritual death is when your relationship with God is dissolved. Physical death is where your relationship with your own body is dissolved. The final moment of this dissolving occurs when your body dies. Then the body ordinarily goes through a process of dissolution, which is to say that it crumbles back to the dust from whence it was taken.

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To be sure we are more familiar with physical death than we are with spiritual and eternal death. We see physical death around us in the world. We lose loved ones; we hear about physical death in the news. We see dead animals, usually in the form of “roadkill”. And we are reminded of what Adam and Eve probably saw when the LORD clothed them with skins.

Yes, we see physical death in the world. However, we learn about spiritual and eternal death from the Scriptures. Yes, the Scriptures have a lot to say about physical death. But as it is with both spiritual and eternal death, physical death can only be understood through God’s written revelation, i.e., the Scriptures.

Think about it, a Naturalist, or a Darwinist doesn’t understand death the way we do. Why? It’s because unlike us he is still spiritually dead. Physical death is as much a spiritual thing as spiritual and eternal death. For the Scriptures clearly teach that death is a trinity of sorts. There is an interconnection. The one leads to the other, spiritual, then physical, and then eternal – unless God intervenes in the individual’s life. But the point is that unless the LORD intervenes in your life, you will remain spiritually dead until you physically die, and then you will go on dying eternally.

One of the indications that you have been made spiritually alive by God’s grace is that you believe what He says in His Word. He says through His Apostle in 1 Corinthians 2:14 that “spiritual things are spiritually discerned”, to paraphrase a little. Therefore, if you are spiritually dead you will not believe what the Bible says about death. But the Scriptures say that death is what we earn on account of our sin. “The wages of sin is death” in other words. But the rest of that verse goes on to say that “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). Just as there is more to death than the physical dissolution of the body, so there is more to life than just the physical maintaining of the body.

There are spiritual and eternal dimensions to life as well as death. There is spiritual life, physical life, and eternal life. As spiritual deadness brings with it physical deadness and eternal deadness, so spiritual life, brings with it physical life and eternal life. The true Christian, by the grace of God, has escaped the last of the trinity, i.e., eternal death. But the non-Christian receives all three – unless God intervenes on his behalf. But that would make him a true Christian, wouldn’t it?

Ecclesiastes 12:7 is as true for the Christian as the non-Christian, “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return to God who gave it.” As Job says, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed by the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21b).

So physical death then is the Lord taking you and me away from our bodies.

Eternal Death

Hell is a place of punishment. It is the place of eternal separation from God. It is a place of fiery torment body and soul. It would appear that Jesus, more than anyone in Scripture, spoke of this place. E.g., Matthew 25:46, “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

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Now, the thought of any human being perishing eternally in the fires of Hell is a horrendous picture to the mind of any reasoning person. There’s something about the very thought that repulses us! The mere thought of it has caused some Christian scholars to reject the Bible’s teaching on Hell. But on what basis can they reject it? For instance, if you reject the everlasting punishment in Matthew 25:46 (just quoted above), then upon what basis can you accept the eternal life spoken of there? If there is no everlasting death, then how can you say that there is eternal life? If you say that the everlasting punishment is just figurative, then how can you insist that the eternal life mentioned there is not figurative, but real?

Either everlasting punishment and eternal life are real or they’re not, else we’re back to where the Naturalists are. They say there is no such thing as spiritual life or death, or any such thing as everlasting punishment or eternal life. But they say this because they reject the written revelation of God, i.e., the Bible. But we don’t reject the revelation God has given us in Scripture. Therefore, we believe what God says about Hell as a place of torment.

Hell, then, is the place of everlasting torment for sinners who never repented of their sins against God in this life. We see this everlasting-torment mentioned in Mark’s Gospel where Jesus says, “And if your eye makes you sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’” (Mark 9:47-48). So, again we see that Hell is a place of fiery torment.

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus found in Luke 16 testifies to this. “And being in torments in Hades, he [i.e. the Rich Man] lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in the water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’” (Luke 16:23-24). Even if the flames of fire were just used to symbolize the torments of Hell, it would mean that the pains of Hell would be even worse than being in a burning fire!

Speaking to the Thessalonians of the Lord’s return to judge the Apostle Paul says, “Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thess. 1:7-9). The wicked will “be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.” We mentioned earlier that spiritual death is loss of fellowship or communion with God. And that it meant banishment from the benign presence of God. Well, eternal death is eternal banishment from the benign presence of God in Hell.

Now, there’s one last thing under this head we need to note before we tie it all together. Jesus says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Hell” (Matt. 10:28). We’ve mentioned already that spiritual death is the disintegration of communion with God. Eternal death is eternal disintegration of communion with God. And we mentioned that physical death was the disintegration of communion between your own body and your own soul/spirit.

Jesus in the Matthew 10:28 verse just quoted is saying that we should fear the One who is able to destroy both body and soul in Hell. This would suggest, would it not, that people in Hell will have their own bodies back? In other words, it allows for the great resurrection of the saved and the unsaved that is to take place on the Last Day – the Day of Judgment. Jesus attests to this where He says, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29).

Conclusion

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We’ve seen that spiritual death results in physical death. But spiritual and physical death do not necessarily result in eternal death. Therefore, there is hope yet for every human being living at this very moment! Yes, all mankind lost communion with God when Adam sinned. Yes, mankind was placed under God’s wrath and curse. Yes, mankind was made liable to all miseries in this life and to death itself. However, not all mankind will suffer the pains of Hell forever. Why? Because “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

May God keep on enabling us to keep on believing in His Son, that we should not keep on perishing but rather keep on having everlasting life. And let us not forget to tell others about the grace of God toward sinners found only in the only Saviour God has provided, even Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ alone by His life, death, and resurrection restores sinners to life, even life everlasting. Jesus alone brings communion with God, removes God’s wrath and curse, brings joy even in this life, and releases us from death and Hell forever.

We’ve asked the question as stated in Westminster Shorter Catechism 19: What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell? And we’ve contemplated something of the answer: All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under His wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of Hell forever.

YOUR WORD IS TRUTH (TOLLE LEGE)

 YOUR WORD IS TRUTH (TOLLE LEGE)

My Bedside Clock

As I lay awake one night I got to silently praying to God. Eventually I was asking Him to forgive me for a past sin. Like the road to Hell, my past transgression had begun with good intentions. I saw the error in what I was trying to do. However, the more I struggled to free myself, the more entangled in Satan’s web of deceit I became. The sin was not physical but a battle in my mind. I confessed my sin to God and said in my mind, “Please forgive me.” At that instant my bedside Google clock lit up! Then a dotted bar with the sequential colours appeared. It made me think of a rainbow, yes, a rainbow in the night. It all began to disappear and all that remained was the time. 1:14. I thought the time was random. Then I thought maybe it was alluding to a verse of Scripture. There’re 66 Books in the Bible. Take your pick!

My big brother's book

I remembered the time as a brand-new Christian, upon hearing that my nephew Ciaran, eight at the time, had become totally paralysed, I had run into my bedroom, closed the door, cracked open my Bible at random and had read the first thing that caught my eyes: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16b). I prayed for my nephew with tears and asked God to help me find a righteous man that would pray for him too. So, I visited church after church asking people to pray for my nephew. As a baby Christian, I had no idea what a righteous man looked like! Anyway, it was a long, long road to healing for my nephew, and my brother even wrote a book about his journey of healing. It is a bilingual book, Scottish Gaelic/English, called Bogha-frois san Oidhche: Rainbow in the Night by Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh.

So, what else could my strange clock be telling me other than to look at James 1:14? “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” Wow! My good intentions were the temptation, and my own lust was the enticement. Yikes! And look where it all leads to, yes, the road that leads to Hell is mentioned in the next verse, “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15).

I don’t trust A.I. Google clocks for forgiveness. (You can ask my clock what the weather’s going to be, why the sky is blue etc., but I still don’t trust it.) However, I trust the God who forgives (Isaiah 1:18). I also do not recommend using your Bible in such a haphazard way as to crack it open to read the first verse you see! The old worn-out illustration of this is, ye olde, “Judas went and hanged himself …go thou and do likewise!” However, Saint Augustine was converted through reading a random verse after cracking open God’s Word.

I was trying to write a Christian song (see below for rough lyrics) when I started thinking of Augustine’s conversion, the famous “Tolle lege, tolle lege.” Augustine (354-430) was living a debauched life when he came under conviction for his sins:

“A strong surge of thought dredged from my secret depths and cast up all my misery in a heap before my inner eye… I flung myself carelessly down under some fig tree and let the reins of weeping go… I said to you, in words something like these: ‘And you, O Lord, how long, how long? Will you be angry forever? Remember not past iniquities.’ For I felt I was in their grip and I cried out in lamentation: ‘How long, how long, tomorrow and tomorrow. Why not now? Why not an end to my vileness in this hour?

“Such were my words and I wept in the bitter contrition of my heart. And see, I heard a voice from a neighbouring house chanting repeatedly, whether a boy’s or a girl’s voice I do not know, and oft repeating, ‘Pick it up and read it; pick it up and read it.’ My countenance changed, and with the utmost concentration I began to wonder whether there was any sort of game in which children commonly used such a chant, but I could not remember having heard one anywhere. Restraining a rush of tears, I got up, concluding I was bidden of heaven to open the book and read the first chapter I should come upon…

Excitedly then I went back to the place where Alypius was sitting, for there I had put down the apostle’s book when I got up. I seized it, opened it and immediately read in silence the paragraph on which my eyes first fell: ‘…not in the ways of banqueting and drunkenness, in immoral living and sensualities, passion and rivalry, but clothe yourself in the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to glut the body’s lusts…’ [see Romans 13:13-14]. I did not want to read on. There was no need. Instantly at the end of this sentence, as if a light of confidence had been poured into my heart, all the darkness of my doubt fled away.” E.M. Blaiklock, The Confessions of Saint Augustine, [Book 8, Chapter 12], Hodder and Stoughton, 1983, 203-4. 

YOUR WORD IS TRUTH (TOLLE LEGE)

I heard the voice of children playing down the way

The song they sang had rhythm, I thought I heard them say

“Pick it up and read it! Pick it up today!”

“And you’ll find life in Jesus. He’ll wash your sins away!”

I lifted up that Book, a Bible given to me

And turned its pages slowly to see what I might see

And to these words my eyes were drawn as if by special plea

““Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, let us walk honestly.”

Tolle lege, tolle lege, Your Word will help me grow

Sanctify me by Your truth, Your Word is truth, I know

I looked away and wondered what God would have to do

To cleanse a sinful wretch like me whose sins were not a few

My eyes were drawn to Jesus, His cross came into view

He shed His blood to cleanse us, I now know this is true

I’ll tell my family and my friends, and strangers on the way

There’s a Book that tells of Jesus. That He’s the only way

If they pick it up and read it, if they pick it up today

They’ll find life in Jesus. He’ll wash their sins away.

Tolle lege, tolle lege, Your Word will help us grow

Sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is truth, we know

THREE KINGS

 THREE KINGS

“Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan” Genesis 14:14.

Introduction

We have already seen Abram rescue his nephew Lot. Lot had been captured by a confederacy of kings led by Chedorlaomer. But Abram and 318 of his own men went and defeated Chedorlaomer. We should note also Abram had three allies go with him, viz., Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, (Gen. 14:13, 24). These three men were no doubt heads of related clans, related to each other, but not Abram. However, important to the story, they had some kind of covenant relationship with Abram. So, we need to set the scene, don’t we?

Chedorlaomer invaded the plain of Jordan to put down a rebellion against him. But Abram and a few men pursued his army. So Abram, under cover of darkness, defeated Chedorlaomer’s retreating army. And now Abram has returned with all the goods that Chedorlaomer had carted off. He also brought back Lot and his goods as well as the women and the people (Gen. 14:16).

So, we meet Abram at the Valley of Shaveh, or, as it is called in Genesis 14:17, “the King’s Valley.” We get the impression that Abram and his men are encamped there, though we’re not told. But we are told that the king of Sodom went out to meet him (Gen. 14:17). And we’re also told that the king of Salem brought out bread and wine to him. So, kings came out to honor the victorious Abram when he was at the King’s Valley. And the crux of our story, as one commentator puts it, is the faith or failure of one man: Abram.

As you know, there’s more to being a Christian than meets the eye. That oft quoted verse, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood...” speaks volumes. There are invisible forces at work on earth, and I’m not talking about gravity and such like. I’m talking about forces for good and forces for evil, forces of light and forces of darkness. We’re thankful Christ has power and authority over all forces. However, each human being is responsible for his or her own actions.

In the following we’ll keep one eye on Abram and the other on what’s going on behind the scenes. Let’s see how the Christian of the Christians handles this situation. Let’s see how he handles wrestling against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness and spiritual host in heavenly places.

Abram, as you know, is the father of the faithful, even you and me. And you know as well as I do the certain temptations that come before us. So let’s see what we can learn from Abram our father in Christ. Whereas the king of Sodom is about to tempt Abram to failure, the king of Salem encourages Abram to keep the faith.

The general gist of what we’re looking at is: There’s an exceedingly great reward for those who keep the faith.

The First King

“The king of Sodom went out to meet him...” (Gen. 14:17). We take it that this is the same king of Sodom whom Chedorlaomer defeated. So we take it that he wasn’t one of those who fell in the asphalt or tar pits mentioned back in Genesis 14:10. So here he is coming out to meet Abram. But notice that he’s carrying something. However, you won’t see it with the naked eye. It’s invisible. But there he is placing it right in front of Abram’s feet. It’s a stumbling block. Have you ever noticed that you never see a stumbling block? That’s how come you stumble over it!

In Portsmouth in the south of England they have Admiral Nelson’s ship the Victory. And on the wooden deck of the ship is a polished brass plaque with words to this affect: “This is the spot where Admiral Nelson fell.” There’s always some joker who reads it and says, “No wonder he fell, I nearly tripped over it myself!” We read the inscription on the stumbling block the king of Sodom place before Abram in Genesis 14:21. It reads, “Give me the persons and take the goods for yourself.” What a contrast this is to the second king who came out and blessed Abram and Abram’s God! One cared about who Abram was. The other cared about what Abram had.

So first off we need to look at who it is who is saying this to Abram. This is the king of Sodom. He is the king of the Sodomites. Now then, in light of what we know about Sodom, do you think this king ruled his kingdom well? What does Genesis 13:13 say about his kingdom? “The men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.” The LORD had already brought judgment upon them by having another nation cart them off. And here’s something that is most overlooked today: A society in which immorality abounds is already under the judgment of God!

We hear some Christians say, “Oh America better watch out or God will judge it!” Or “Australia better hurry up and mend her ways or God’s going to judge her!” Don’t people read their Bibles anymore? Haven’t they read that God’s judgment is the moral decay of your society? Judgment is when the rulers of the nation cannot be trusted because they lie! It’s when God is replaced by Mammon! It’s when the creature is worshipped instead of the Creator!

God’s judgment is when sin is permitted to flourish in the streets of a nation. It’s when abortion is given on demand. It’s when fornicatory relationships are accepted as marriages. It’s when adultery is laughed at. It’s when homosexual acts are accepted as normal behaviour. It’s when people are encouraged to abuse their bodies with drugs – free needles! We thank the Lord through Jesus Christ we’ve escaped from these things. For this is judgment.

How can I say that this and such like is the judgment of God? Well, this I know because the Bible tells me so! “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due” (Rom. 1:24-27). It’s a judgment of God to have Him give up on you. It’s to receive the due penalty for your error.

And Christians have got nothing to crow about, for we are saved solely by the grace of God. If you’re going to boast about something, then make sure it’s about the grace of God towards sinners such as yourself. As Christians we ought to be thankful our judgment was poured out on Jesus Christ and not us.

But let it be known that the moral disintegration of any society IS the judgment of God. And we know from the Epistle of Jude that Sodom and Gomorrah “are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance [or punishment] of eternal fire” (Jude 1:7). The fire and the brimstone that God poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah was simply an intensification of the judgment that had already begun. So, in our text we see a king, the ruler, the leading Sodomite, come out to Abram and say, “Gimme! Keep the goods, but gimme the people.”

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We’re told back in Genesis 14:11 that Sodom had been relieved of all its goods. Now the wealth of the nation or city is in the hands of Abram. So on the surface this looks like a generous offer this first king is making Abram. “Here’s your reward Abram – all the goods of Sodom.” It would have been easy enough, I would think, to hand over the people. What would Abram want with a bunch of depraved and debauched people? Who would want them?  Well, the king of Sodom wants them! A king may survive without his goods but he cannot survive without his people.

King Robert the Bruce of Scotland ended up in a cave all alone with only a spider for company. But when the people got behind him by the grace of God he defeated a nation with a number ten times larger. But when God gives up on your nation it becomes nothing more than chaff for the fire. The king of Sodom, under the invisible direction of Satan was, as it were, placing a brief case with an unexploded bomb in it, an I.E.D., at the feet of Abram.

There used to be a game show on the TV in Scotland in which the contestant could either take the money or open the box. Some of the audience would yell, “Take the money!” others “Open the box!” The idea was that there might be an even greater prize in the box. Sometimes they would turn down huge sums of money to open the box. Only to find it empty! The king of Sodom is asking Abram the same question: Take the money or open the box?

The Bible says the just shall live by faith (Rom. 1:17). Hebrews says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). The devil says, “Take the money!” But the Lord says, “Open the box! There’s an exceedingly great reward in it for you!”

Abram, it’s make your mind up time. What’s it going to be? Take the money or open the box? So what did Abram do? “But Abram said to the king of Sodom, ‘I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing from a thread a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’” (Gen. 14:22).

In America they swear allegiance to a flag. Abram has sworn allegiance to the LORD. And we see that Abram’s faith in the Lord was strong at this point. It was as if he had heard the words of Jesus, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). So Abram opted, as it were, to open the box. That’s faith. He let the king of Sodom have the people and all the goods.

But only after he had given that portion to the LORD we call a “tithe” i.e., a tenth. And he also made the stipulation that Aner, Eshcol and Mamre could take what they wanted. For he had made a covenant of sorts with them. So who was the person to whom he gave a tithe?

The Second King

Genesis 14:18, “Then Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine...” The king of Salem came to Abram to strengthen him – to encourage him in the faith. In the light of the rest of Scripture, i.e., Redemptive History, you can’t help but see more than a hint of the Lord’s Supper here. Bread and wine is a picture of the bountiful blessings of the Lord. Bread and wine represent the fruit of the earth. In the Lord’s Supper they are a picture of Christ body and His blood – the body that was broken and the blood that was shed when He rescued us from the enemy and redeemed us. Has not Abram rescued Lot his brother in Christ from the enemy?

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Commenting on this verse, Matthew Henry says, “Bread and wine were suitable refreshment for the weary followers of Abram; and it is remarkable that Christ appointed the same as the memorials of His body and blood, which are meat and drink indeed to the soul. Melchizedek blessed Abram from God. He blessed God from Abram.” Yet, I know that some of the commentators say that there’s no connection between bread and wine here with the bread and the wine in the Lord’s Supper. However, you’ll see the connection if you view Abram rescuing Lot as a type of Christ rescuing His people, for this whole passage before us has many pictures of Christ in it. In fact, not a few claim that Melchizedek is Christ – so clear is the picture of Christ in him. I used to have an inclination towards thinking Melchizedek was the preincarnate Christ. I used to think that perhaps he was the Second Person of the Trinity, i.e., the Angel of the Covenant.

We’re told in Hebrews that Melchizedek was, “Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life...” (Heb. 7:3). It almost sounds as if Melchizedek could be the preincarnate Christ. But if you read to the end of the verse in Hebrews 7: 3 you see he was “made like the Son of God.” So Melchizedek may not be the Son of God, the Word, the Logos. But we are told that he is like Him! Therefore, even if he is not the preincarnate Christ, we certainly should be able to see Christ clearly in this man.

Does Christ not bring out bread and wine to strengthen battle-weary Christians? Does Christ not bless His people – the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart and so forth? Melchizedek is the king of Salem. Salem is the short form of Jeru-SALEM. And Salem like “shalom” means “peace.” Is Christ not named the “Prince of Peace” by Isaiah in 9:6? Is His dwelling place not the “Jerusalem above” of Galatians? (Gal. 4:26).

The name Melchizedek means, “king of righteousness” Is Christ not the King of Righteousness? We’re told in Genesis 14:18 that Melchizedek was also “The priest of the God Most High.” In Hebrews 7:15 Christ is called a priest “...in the likeness of Melchizedek...” Christ is therefore like Melchizedek. Melchizedek is like Christ – he is the one who represented Christ. And don’t we bring our tithes to Christ our High Priest, just as Abram gave a tenth of all he had to the one like Christ?

So perhaps this second king is not the preincarnate or preexistent Christ, being only like Him, though we leave the door slightly ajar on this. But neither is Melchizedek Shem as some have argued. For Shem has a mother and a father whose name is recorded in Scripture, even Noah. Melchizedek is a mysterious character only because we’re not given very much information in Scripture about him. But he came out to encourage and strengthen Abram in the LORD. And paradoxically, are Christians not at their weakest right after their moments of victory? The devil sent his henchman, his underling, the king of Sodom…

Abraham is victorious at this point in time. Don’t we tend to think that maybe we gained the victory in our own strength? Pride sets in when we accomplish something – especially when we do an excellent job! Perhaps you get 100% in some exam. Or you do a real good job of showing the Mormons or the Jehovah’s Witnesses the error of their ways! An example of this for me was the time Martin Lloyd-Jones (or maybe it was Spurgeon?) was approached by someone after a Sunday Worship Service. “That was the best sermon I’ve ever heard! It was brilliant!” said the person. “I know!” replied Lloyd-Jones (or was it Spurgeon?) “You know?” said the person. “Yes I know because the devil has already told me!” And so it would be for Abram after his brilliant victory.

But what does the second king, King Melchizedek, say to Abram? He blesses Abram reminding him of who his God is, i.e., “Possessor of heaven and earth.” “Abram, you think you’ve got a lot of goods. Your God owns heaven and earth!” And look what he says to Abram in Genesis 14:20, “And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

It was the Lord who gave Abram the victory. But everything about this mysterious man was encouraging to Abram. To sum it up in a word, everything about Melchizedek says, “Abram, keep the faith!” This of course was a complete contrast to the first king who said, “Abram, keep the goods!” So Abram gave the king of Salem a tenth. The rest he gave to Aner, Eschol and Mamre. Not forgetting the king of Sodom himself. So what did this leave Abram with?

The Third King

Now, I don’t want to elaborate too much on this at the moment, we can do that up ahead. But I do want you to see something that is generally overlooked. I want you to connect what we’ve just looked at with Genesis 15:1, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’”

God Most High communicated with Abram through a vision. Whether Abram is still at the King’s Valley we’re not told. How long after the victory? Again we’re not told. But we are told “the word of the LORD” came to Abram. Who or what was this “word of the LORD”? Well, we’re told that He is Abram’s “shield.” Apparently a good case can be made for translating the word “shield” as “sovereign. “ Be that as it may, the One who came to Abram in this vision is the One who watches over him. He is the One who protects him and covers him as would a shield.

I’ve given this Person the title King because I believe this to be the One who would become the King of Kings and Lord of Lords i.e., Christ. Melchizedek was like the Son of God, but this is the Son of God. This is the Word who was going to become flesh. This is the One who was going to come and have His body broken and His blood shed for us. This is the One who was going to come and rescue us from our captivity to the enemy. This is the One who told Abram to get out of his country, from his kindred, from his father’s house. This is the One who is the covering or shield, protecting Abram and all Abram’s children of faith from their sins.

Now then, surely, it’s clear to us by now that Abram doesn’t worship any of the things the world has on offer. He’s a wealthy man, nothing wrong with that. But he doesn’t drive around in a flash car with the bumper sticker which reads, The one who dies with the most toys wins! No! He’s much more like the person singing in the 8th century Irish hymn, Be Thou My Vision:

Riches I need not, nor man’s empty praise,

Thou mine inheritance, now and always;

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

The writer of that hymn must have read the words in Genesis, “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward” (Gen. 15:1). There is an exceedingly great reward for all those who honor the Lord. Abram honored the Lord by giving Melchizedek a tenth of all. He gave all the rest of the goods away! “High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art!”

Now, it’s true that the words “I’m...your exceedingly great reward” may be rendered as you see in the margin, “your reward shall be great.” But if you keep in mind what Jesus says about Abram, you won’t go too far wrong. Jesus said, “Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56).

Abram knew his exceedingly great reward was coming because he could see the coming of Christ, for Paul tells us in Galatians that the Gospel was preached to Abram (Gal. 3:8). And what’s the Gospel all about if it’s not the revelation of Jesus Christ? – the Christ that we can see so clearly in this passage?

Conclusion

The first king we looked at was the king of Sodom. He brought a stumbling block and placed it before Abram. He was used by the devil to tempt Abram to failure. But Abram kept the faith.

The second king was the king of Salem. He reminded Abram of Christ in the things he brought and the things he said. He encouraged Abram to keep the faith.

And the third King? Well, He was the King of Kings Himself. He was Abram’s shield – his exceedingly great reward. He was the object of Abram’s faith. So always keep in mind that there’s an exceedingly great reward for those who keep the faith. Don’t let the things of the world distract you from keeping your eyes on your reward.

Don’t let anyone, not even a king, stop you from looking at the object of your faith – Jesus Christ.

ORIGINAL SIN

 

ORIGINAL SIN 

Westminster Shorter Catechism 17

Quest: Into what estate did the Fall bring Mankind?

Ans: The Fall brought mankind into a state of sin and misery.

Westminster Shorter Catechism 18

Quest: Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate wherein man fell?

Ans: The sinfulness of that estate wherein man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called Original Sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it.

Introduction

When we looked at how all of mankind sinned when Adam sinned his first sin, we saw that the world is in the state it’s in today because we all sinned in Adam. Death, decay, sin and misery on the planet earth and throughout creation is on account of Adam’s first sin.

We were also reminded of the good news that God has set about redeeming us from our sins and His creation from the effects of man’s sin in Jesus Christ. But the main thing we looked at was how the guilt of Adam’s first sin was transferred to all his offspring, even you and me. We saw that Adam was representing each one of us in the Covenant of Works in the Garden. And as such, his first sin was imputed or credited to us by God, because Adam as our representative broke that Covenant. And we also saw that this meant that each of us has inherited death from Adam.

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What we’re looking at in the following is a subject theologians call Original Sin. A lot of people think Original Sin refers to Adam’s first sin. But this isn’t quite what is meant by the term. Original Sin has more to do with the sinful nature each of us inherits on account of Adam’s first sin, which is to say that God does not call us sinners because we sin. Rather, we sin because we are sinners by nature. We sin because of what we are in Adam. We are sinners. A bird flies because of what it is. It is a flier. A fish swims because of what it is. It is a swimmer. A man sins because of what he is. He is a sinner. Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&As 17 and 18 deal with this.

Original Sin

The result of Adam’s first sin: Adam’s first sin resulted in sin and misery for all Mankind, including you and me. As Romans 5:12,18a,19a says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned … Therefore, as through one man’s offence judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation … By one man’s disobedience many were made sinners.”

We see then that our forefather Adam was the man who opened up the gate and let sin and its partner misery enter the world. It was through our Natural Head, Adam, that mankind became the “living dead”, or, as they say about criminals on the way to execution, “Dead Men Walking.”

From God’s side, this meant that God, on account of Adam’s first sin, placed the entire human race under judgment or condemnation. We became cursed of God when Adam sinned. And because we are cursed or condemned, (i.e., are under God’s judgment), we suffer from sin and misery in this life. As the catechism says, “The Fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery.”

As sinners, what is our lot in life? Sin and misery! Now, this isn’t to say that human beings in this estate have no enjoyment. Of course they do. As a bird loves to fly and a fish loves to swim, so a sinner loves to sin! Fallen man takes a great deal of pleasure in sinning, doesn’t he? As a pig loves to wallow in the mud, so fallen man loves to wallow in sin. Fallen man loves to roll about in, and be submersed in, sin.

What is sin? Sin is the transgression of God’s Law. So, in Adam, (i.e., those who are outside of Christ), mankind delights in breaking God’s Ten Commandments. To be sure, not all men and women break all Ten Commandments outwardly. But inwardly is another kettle of fish entirely. And that’s what we’re talking about. We’re not so much talking about kettles of fish, but cans of worms.

When Adam first sinned, he opened up a big can of worms. He brought mankind into the realm of dirt, decay, and death. He brought us out of the estate of righteousness and joy. And into an estate of sin and misery.

So, Westminster Shorter Catechism 18 asks, Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate wherein man fell? To which it replies: The sinfulness of that estate wherein man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called Original Sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it.

1.     We inherited the guilt of Adam’s first sin (which we have looked at above).

2.     We have also lost our original righteousness (which we have looked at above).

3.     Our whole nature has been corrupted (which we’ll look at in the following).

4.     Our actual transgressions proceed from our corrupt nature.

So then, it sounds like we’re in a bit of a mess (to understate it!). Our whole nature is corrupt. We are Totally Depraved as the “T” in the T.U.L.I.P. acronym says, which is to say that there is not one aspect or corner of our whole being that has not been corrupted by sin. This means that we ought not to trust ourselves but rather trust the God who made us. And is this not what is meant by Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”? Our mind, our ability of understanding, has been darkened by the Fall. This is what is meant by Jeremiah, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9).

Our heart, our faculty for making decisions, has become corrupted by the Fall. “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5), Every aspect of our heart and mind, our whole being is inclined toward sin. So, we see that Original Sin refers to our corrupt nature in our unregenerate state. When Adam sinned, we fell into an estate of degeneracy, i.e. the estate of sin and misery.

What is Man’s chief end? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Does Man in his unregenerate state do this? Does he glorify God? Does he enjoy God? You’d have to answer “No!” to that, wouldn’t you? But why doesn’t he glorify God and enjoy Him? Well, it’s because of Original Sin, his corrupt nature.

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If you had a pure, clean and clear glass of water and you put a drop of poison in it, would the whole contents of the glass be contaminated? Of course it would. Well, that’s kind of what our nature has become like. To be sure, we might not all be poisoned full strength, like battery acid or whatever. For some unregenerate people do seem less polluted by sin than others. However, the poison of Adam’s first sin has permeated our whole being. None of us, apart from Christ, has escaped that poisoning.

What do we know thus far? The Catechism questions refer to Original Sin and Actual Transgressions, or, if you will, Original Sin and Actual Sin. Well, we know that Original Sin refers to our corrupt nature. For as David the Psalmist says of himself (which is also true for every one of us), “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Psa. 51:5). We inherit Original Sin, i.e. a corrupt nature, from the moment of our conception. And this Original Sin springs from our connection with Adam and his first sin. “Adam’s first sin” is simply just another term for the Fall. We all became corrupt in the Fall. This then, is Original Sin. It is our corrupt nature. Actual Sin is what comes out of our own sinful hearts, that which flows from our corrupt nature.

Actual Sin

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If you’ve ever seen a sewer drain bubble over, you’ll be getting the picture. Actual Sin is what springs from a polluted and poisoned heart. According to Scripture, the unregenerate heart of every human being (apart from Jesus) is like this. Instead of being springs of pure, clear, living water (the kind you see on a Scottish hillside after heavy rain), in the eyes of God we are like overflowing sewers.

But even this Actual Sin can be traced all the way back to Adam’s first sin, i.e. the Fall. So, Original Sin means at least three things,

1.     That we are liable to punishment for Adam’s first Sin, i.e. the Fall.

2.     Fallen Man lacks the desire to do right, i.e. keep God’s Law.

3.     Fallen Man has a positive inclination to do wrong.

What does this mean in practical terms? Well, it means that Fallen Man is under the condemnation of God, which is another way of stating that the unregenerate exist in the estate of sin and misery. And as such, is proof that he is liable to punishment for Adam’s first Sin, i.e. the Fall.

How can fallen man truly be happy when he knows in his heart that he has to die and face the judgment of God? How can fallen man truly be happy when he spends his whole life trying to suppress this knowledge? He tries to deny the fact that he’s fallen. He even tries to deny the fact that Adam ever existed! We see this expressed by the invention of theories such as the Theory of Evolution, which tries to say that we are not descended from Adam, but rather some sub-human creature. The Theory of Evolution, which is an offshoot of Naturalism, even denies the very need of a Designer or Creator.

And there are of course other false religions. They are legion! They invent their own god or gods; idols produced in corrupt hearts. Fallen Man is enslaved by his false gods; idols made in his own image and likeness. Make no mistake, false gods are the product of fallen man’s own corrupt imagination. And all of this is simply on account of Actual Sin, which is the outflow of Original Sin. Therefore, it is all deserving of the punishment of God.

The Lord’s Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 2:1 that fallen man is dead in his trespasses and sins. He says that while in this estate or condition we conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh. Then he says in Ephesians 2:3b that we were “fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by NATURE children of wrath.”

So, Fallen Man, by his very nature, is under the condemning wrath of God. He is dead in his trespasses in sins and conducts himself in accordance with his dead nature. This is the estate of sin and misery in which he exists. Then he dies and awaits the Final Judgment. So, we see then, that Fallen Man is indeed liable to punishment for Adam’s first Sin, i.e. the Fall.

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Now, the next thing is that Fallen Man lacks the desire to do right, i.e. keep God’s Law. How should we illustrate this? Take veal. Apparently, veal comes from a calf that is kept motionless in a stall. It eats and drinks, but it cannot exercise itself. It’s kept this way so that its meat will be tender on your plate when it is finally slaughtered. Fallen Man is a bit like a veal calf. But the main difference is that Fallen Man would rather stay in the constricting stall, than step out and worship the God who made him. Fallen Man would rather face the abattoir, the slaughter, i.e. Final Judgment, than serve God.

This is all on account of Original Sin which manifests itself in Actual Sin. Again, Genesis 6:5b, “Every intent of the thoughts of [fallen man’s] heart [is] only evil continually.” Or as Jesus says in Matthew 15:19, “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” Or as the Apostle Paul says in Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissentions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries and the like.” I wonder if he missed anything out! But we can see that Paul covers inward corruptions as well as the outward. Most of the works of the flesh can take place in the heart as well as in the street! Scripture makes it very clear then, that Fallen Man lacks the desire to do right, i.e. keep God’s Law.

And finally, Fallen Man has a positive inclination to do wrong. Not only does he lack any desire to do what is right, but also, he has a bias towards what is wrong. And of course, the Scriptures, especially the Ten Commandments, spell out what is right and what is wrong. Jesus refers to this kind of thing in Luke 6:45b-46 where He says, “An evil man out of the treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” Would Jesus ever tell you to do anything contrary to God’s will, as laid out in the Ten Commandments? But these Fallen Men to whom Jesus is speaking are just spewing forth evil from their hearts like a broken sewer pipe! They are not doing what Jesus is saying to them. Rather they are doing what their corrupt nature is saying to them.

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In the Sixties the saying was “Do your own thing, Man!” In the Seventies it was: “If it feels good, do it!” In the Eighties it was: “Everybody’s doing it!” From the Nineties onward and into the 21^st century the heart of Fallen Man has not changed. It is still bent toward doing its “own thing” and not God’s will.

The Bible says that “The carnal mind [i.e. the fallen mind] is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are of the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:7-8). Enmity against God means war with God! And when you are at war you must physically fight against your enemy.

Also, 1 Corinthians 2:14 says that, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.” To consider the things of the Spirit of God as “foolishness” is to be at war with God! It is to display or manifest a positive inclination to do wrong.

Conclusion

We’ve seen that, as a bird flies because it is a flier, as a fish swims because it is a swimmer, so a man sins because of what he is - a sinner! He is a sinner on account of Original Sin and Actual Sin, i.e., his own actual sin. According to Roderick Lawson Original Sin includes at least three things: “Liability to punishment for Adam’s first Sin, i.e. for the Fall. Lack of desire to do right, i.e. keep God’s Law. A positive inclination to do wrong… Actual Sin springs directly from our own evil hearts.”[1]

We’ve considered something of WSC Q&As 17: Into what estate did the Fall bring Mankind? To which it answers: The Fall brought mankind into a state of sin and misery. And Q&A 18: Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate wherein man fell? To which it replies: The sinfulness of that estate wherein man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called Original Sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it.

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[1] Roderick Lawson, The Shorter Catechism with Commentary and Scripture Proofs, (Free Church of Scotland Publications Committee, no date), Edinburgh, 16.