CHRIST & THE SCRIPTURES - Adolph Saphir

 My Review of Christ & The Scriptures

Ordinarily, Christians shine the spotlight of the New Testament on the Old Testament to illuminate the meaning of the law, the prophets and their procrastinations. Though not
disagreeing with this, Saphir effectively uses a sonar ping to form a full outline of Christ in both Testaments. 

The Old Testament is pregnant with Christ and gives birth to Jesus in the New. Saphir’s theological ultrasound is the deep calling to deep, a system of Scriptural echoes that builds the true picture of Christ as revealed in the whole Bible. The pregnant pauses, the spaces, between each punctiliar ping causes the mind to reflect momentarily, to think God’s thoughts after Him, as Christ is formed in us. 

Christ is the true image of God, the revelation of God. Scripture is the mirror in which we look to see Christ.

ARE ALL WHO DIE IN INFANCY SAVED? (Revisited)

ARE ALL WHO DIE IN INFANCY SAVED?

The issue of what happens to those who die in infancy can be emotional. Dealing with infants can be like dealing with fire or sticks of dynamite; all ought to be handled with tenderness and the utmost of care. A verse of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns’ satirical poem about a so-called Calvinist he calls Holy Willie quickly springs to mind and strikes a piercing but painful note in the ears and hearts of those born of the Spirit. The poem is called Holy Willie’s Prayer:

When frae my mither’s womb I fell,

Thou might hae plungèd me in hell,

To gnash my gums, to weep and wail,

In burnin’ lakes,

Where damnèd devils roar and yell,

Chain’d to their stakes…

 

Do Calvinists really believe that any dying infants go to Hell? Surely all Christians who have suffered the loss of an infant or a little child believe that the Bible gives ample comfort that they will see them again in glory. The 1619 Canons of Dort in Article 1:17 sums up what Calvinists believe regarding their children who die infancy:

 

Since we are to judge the will of God from His Word, which testifies that the children of believers are holy, not by nature, but in virtue of the covenant of grace, in which they together with the parents are comprehended, godly parents have no reason to doubt of the election and salvation of their children whom it pleaseth God to call out of this life in their infancy.[1]

 

Holy Willie is William Fisher (1737-1809). He was an elder in the Mauchline Kirk Session. His body lies buried in Ochiltree cemetery. Therefore, he was not just some windmill in Burns’ mind that he tilted at because of what he perceived to be Fisher’s hypocrisy. It would seem (at least according to the words Burns put in his mouth) that Fisher disagreed with Article 1:17 quoted above.

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On a personal note,  three or so years ago, a family asked me to attend Lady Cilento children’s hospital, to be with them as they unplugged the life-support for their infant. There was weeping and wailing! Subsequently, I conducted the funeral service. I even broke into song mid-sermon, (as much for my comfort as theirs). I broke into singing a verse of a song I remember singing in church at Christmas as a child, Away in a Manger. Even back then I loved the thought that Jesus loved the little children, that He loved me!

“Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask You to stay

Close by me for ever, and love me, I pray.

Bless all the dear children in Your tender care,

And fit us for heaven, to live with You there.”

Not long after that, at the same hospital, I was in attendance just before the delivery of a child who was only expected to live a few hours, and was there when the child died. I conducted a wee memorial service at the hospital to comfort the grieving family. As painful as it all was for me, I was fortified by the Spirit working with His Word in my heart. I thanked God that I had studied the subject, the result of which was the writing of a wee book on it, Are All Who Die in Infancy Saved? I believe that the Bible teaches that all who die in infancy are probably saved. What comfort!

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[1] Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom, Volume III, The Evangelical Protestant Creeds, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Sixth Edition, 1996, p. 585.

COUNCIL APPROVAL

 COUNCIL APPROVAL

Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do. Galatians 2:1-10.

Introduction

Have you ever seen those signs people put on their mailboxes? Perhaps you have one on your mailbox, “No Junk Mail”.  We didn’t have a sign like that, but we used to get hardly any junk-mail when we lived in a cul-de-sac at the end of a road. I guess the junk-mail deliverers couldn’t be bothered with our street. You may think that’s a good thing. However, my wife didn’t. For some strange reason, she likes junk mail. I guess it has to do with the sales and things.

Then, when I live in a manse I was amazed at the amount of junk-mail we got. Here’s what I want you to note: A lot of the junk mail comes from Christian organizations. We get mail from Christian outfits you’ve never heard of, outfits who have no church affiliation. It all causes me to wonder what is going on in the Lord’s Church?

It seems to me that every man and his dog has some ministry or other which needs my support, my financial support! What does this have to do with what we’re looking at? Well, in the following I would like you to see that Paul, his gospel, and his ministry all met with council approval.

In a word, there is an ordered structure to the Church of Jesus Christ. This ordered structure is the strength of the Church. It’s the spine, the backbone by which everything else is supported and is attached. Just as it is in society, so it is in the Church. If there is no system of checks and balances then everyone gets to do what they like.

In any organized society you must seek council approval before you do anything. You need to consider society as a whole before going ahead with whatever it is you want to do. Therefore, you’d meet with the council and you’d submit your plans for approval. At least that’s how things are done in a civilized world. Why? Because whatever you choose to do will have an impact on everyone else.

Is there any more civilized society on earth than Christ’s church? Christ Himself runs it. It is His organization. Therefore, if you have plans to do something, you must submit them to the church. You don’t just run off and do your own thing, such as starting your own private ministry. You’re supposed to bring your plans before the council of the church for approval. Look at the Apostle Paul. He took his case before the council of the church. He went with Barnabas and Titus to talk to the council about his gospel ministry.[1]

The Meeting

This meeting took place in Jerusalem. I believe the meeting mentioned here refers to an account that is recorded in Acts 15. Paul, Barnabas, and Titus were all involved in the general meeting of the council. But Paul met in private with the Apostles Peter, James, and John.

According to Acts 15:3, the church at Antioch had sent Paul, Barnabas, and Titus to the General Assembly at Jerusalem. Yet we are told in our text in Galatians 2:2 that Paul went there because of a revelation he’d been given. So then, did the church send Paul or did the Lord talk to him personally? What’s wrong with the church sending him and the Lord confirming it by way of revelation? I think it just reinforces the fact that the Lord gifts His church with wise leaders. He puts elders in His church and He gives them the ability to know what to do.

So the church sent Paul, Barnabas, and Titus to the General Assembly at Jerusalem. And, Paul, as an Apostle, received special confirmation that this was the Lord’s will. Well, look at the subject matter of this meeting up ahead. But for now, we need to note that the members of this council included Apostles and elders.

We don’t have Apostles in the church anymore. Apostles were men who witnessed the resurrection and were commissioned by Christ. Paul refers to himself as one “born out of due time” 1 Corinthians 15:8. Now that we have the completed canon of Scripture we do not need Apostles. The Scriptures are sufficient for all our needs. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good workö” 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Therefore, we have all we need when we have the Scriptures. However, everything in the church is to be done decently and in order 1 Corinthians 14:40. And to accomplish this the Lord has put in place an ordered structure. It’s called Presbyterianism, which simply means Eldership.

Each church has Presbyters, which is another name for Elders. These elders have meetings in order to discuss the spiritual functioning of the local church. They also meet with Presbyters or Elders from the other churches from time to time. This is what Paul is talking about in our text. He is part of a committee sent from the local church at Antioch. They are to meet with committees from other churches in one huge committee meeting. This committee is meeting to discuss doctrinal issues affecting the church as a whole.

I remember saying, with a note of sarcasm, to one of the lecturers when I was at theological college, “When I become a minister I’ll get to be on a million committees. “He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Don’t mock committees. God is a Committee!” It’s true that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the “Committee” that planned, approved, and built the universe. So the point the college professor made is well taken.

The Triune God is three Persons but One God. Each Person considers the Other Person’s wellbeing before giving approval. Like the Trinity, we, the Church, are a plurality of persons. Therefore like God, we ought to meet and discuss the things that will promote the wellbeing of the body corporate.

It’s all about checks and balances. The right-hand needs to know what the left is doing! Otherwise, we may end up working against ourselves and, as you know, a house divided falls. Therefore, we need to note the wisdom of the ordered structure of the Lord’s church. We see it displayed before us in this text. Council meetings have a firm Scriptural basis. One verse should suffice to cap off our first point, “Where there is no counsel the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety” Proverbs 11:14. As we used to say in Scotland, “Two heads are better than one!”

The Matter

Remember what has already been said, i.e., that elders meet to discuss the matter of doctrine. So what’s the matter? The doctrinal matter of this particular meeting was to do with the doctrine of gospel liberty. That’s why Paul says, “[I] communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles” Galatians 2:2.

We know all about the false teachers who were infiltrating the church. The heart of the matter was to circumcise or not to circumcise. So Paul tells the Galatians that the council approved that Titus the Greek remain uncircumcised Thus he wants them to see that his gospel is the Church’s gospel. That’s Paul’s point here. The Church had been infiltrated by people promoting their own ministries. The trouble was that a lot of these ministries were not approved ministries. The fact was that they were causing a schism in the church! As Samuel John Stone says in his hymn,

Though with a scornful wonder

Men see her sore oppressed,

By schisms rent asunder,

By heresies distressed,

Yet saints their watch are keeping…

It’s the job of the Presbytery to keep watch over the church. And that’s exactly what this Presbytery meeting was all about. “We see what’s happening in the Church. Now, what are we going to do about it? What is our plan, our strategy, our course of action? What shall we do to protect and promote the well-being of the Lord’s Church against those who are causing division?”

Paul wants the Galatians to see that what he taught them is the orthodox teaching of the church. He wants them to see that his gospel is council approved. He wants them to see that his ministry is counsel approved.

The gospel says a man doesn’t need to be circumcised to be saved. He wants the Galatians to see that the Judaizers are not part of the church If the Judaizers were part of the church they would follow the teaching of the Gospel. But here are the Judaizers saying that men need the gospel plus to be saved.

Apparently, a sect had developed from these Judiazers who become known as the Ebionites. This group regarded Paul, not as an Apostle, but as an apostate from the law of Moses. Of course, their accusations were false because the Ebionites had a false view of the law, as did their fathers the Pharisees and Judaizers.

Nowadays there are all kinds of Christian sects and cults around. For example, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Moonies, etc., etc., etc. It’s clear that these groups are on about another gospel and not the gospel Paul is defending. I remember receiving a book from the Mormons, i.e., The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The title is THE BOOK OF MORMON. And the subtitle reads “Another Testament of Jesus Christ”. As I began to read through it, I figured that instead of Another Testament of Jesus Christ, a more accurate description would be “A Testament of Another Jesus Christ”. It doesn’t take an Einstein to figure out that the Mormons are on about another gospel. Then there are those cults and sects where it’s a bit more difficult to tell. For instance, there are legalist groups such as the Seventh Day Adventists. They say that the whole of the Christian church is apostate apart from them. They adhere to all the Old Testament’s dietary laws, and, of course, they have a mammoth hangup with the Christian Sunday Sabbath.

Then some say that you must be baptized to be saved. So they add what they call baptism to the gospel. Along with the Seventh Day Adventists, they would condemn the repentant thief on the cross to hell. Some of them would say the thief on the cross had already been baptized. But what does that then say about their legalistic “Believers Baptism”? And of course, to legalists, baptism is not baptism unless you’re fully immersed. These legalists say you must be fully immersed just like – well, we’re still waiting on them proving to the church from Scripture that someone was fully immersed! Like the Adventists with their Saturday Sabbath, we hear all about the practice of the early church. We hear about men like St. Columba, we hear about men being immersed three times, seven times, but they never prove a thing from the Bible. This is because the meaning and mode of Christian baptism is a theological argument, not a historical one.

Then there are the Antinomians who are the opposite of the legalists! Antinomians are usually of the Dispensationalist camp. Their catchphrases are usually things like, “That was Old Testament, but this is the New Testament.” Or, “We’re under grace, not law!” Then they quote their favorite proof texts. 

Free from the law!

O happy condition,

Sin all you like

There’s always remission!

But let’s not kid ourselves. Even the Antinomians bind people’s consciences with things the Scriptures are silent on. You’ll find both Legalist and antinomian alike say, for instance, “Thou shalt drink no alcohol! “You can’t be a Christian if you drink alcohol!” Therefore both Legalists and Antinomians are guilty of adding to the gospel, be they adding baptism, i.e., baptism done only the way they think it ought to be done, be it Sabbath from Friday evening to Saturday evening. be it doing whatever you like, on whatever day you like, as the Antinomian would have it. All are adding to the clear teaching of the gospel!

The truth of the matter is that there is liberty (freedom) in the gospel. But it’s not the gay abandon of the Antinomians. But there are also legal requirements too. But certainly not the requirements of the legalists!

Let’s look and see what the General Assembly decided,

Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren. They wrote this letter by them:

The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:

Greetings.

Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment— it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.

Farewell.

So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. Acts 15:22-31.

There’s nothing there about circumcision, baptism, or Saturday Sabbaths. The gospel brings liberty to the captives. It sets you free! But free to do what? To do as you like? No! The Gospel sets you free to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus says, “If you love Me keep My commandments.” Therefore, we must not go a millimeter beyond what the Bible teaches us, It’s the pure unadulterated Word of God that must be the measure of whether people are part of the church at large or not.

In summary: We’ve looked at the meeting, and we’ve seen that the Lord has put in place a system of church government. This we call Eldership-ism better known as Presbyterianism. (Presbyters are elders.) The Presbytery meets to deal with matters of faith and doctrine (such as we see in our text).

We’ve looked at The Meeting and The Matter. And we’ve seen that what Paul has been teaching is in line with what the church at large is believing. Which in a word is this, The Gospel alone is sufficient for salvation.

The Mission

What was the Apostle Paul’s mission? What was, what is, the mission of the church? It’s the Great Commission, isn’t it? In Matt. 28:18ff., Jesus said, “‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”

Now consider what Paul says in the following, “And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised” Galatians 2:9. So, what do we have here? We have the organized church of Jesus Christ being obedient to the Great Commission. But make sure you notice:

1.      Missions to the nations were not just one big free-for-all. It was Council Approved.

2.      That the Apostles and Elders are agreed on what the gospel is. It was Council Approved.

3.      That the right hand of fellowship is given only to those who believe in the gospel. They are Council Approved.

In a word, the Church is the repository of the Gospel. Remove the ordered structure of the Church and you’ll end up with a lot of what we have today. You’ll have all kinds of cults, sects, and denominations springing up all over the place. And have you noticed that each one claims to be the true Biblical church? Each one emphasizes what it thinks the gospel is. The Apostle Paul fought the good fight in his day. And we need to fight the good fight in our day. First off we need to fight for the purity of the gospel. Secondly we need to offer the right hand of fellowship to all who believe in the same gospel. This being done we then need to send out council-approved missionaries.

At the time of the Reformation, there was a group of people known as the Waldensians. The Church Reformers sent out a delegation to meet with the Waldensians. The Waldensians had not submitted to the false gospel of Rome. So they had been persecuted by the papacy for centuries. But on September 12, 1532, they met with the Swiss Reformer William Farel. They held their meeting with the Elders. They discussed the matter of doctrine. Then they set about their mission – which in their case was to translate the Scriptures into French. What a day that must have been when the Reformers and the Waldensians extended to each other the right hand of fellowship. The Waldensians could see that the Reformers were the repositories of the true gospel. Therefore they submitted themselves to the authority of the church. Therefore they received Council Approval.

Conclusion

We began by talking about junk mail. I mentioned that a lot of it was from Christian organizations. You’re probably wondering how I can call it junk mail. Well, I’ve never heard of a lot of these organizations. We call a lot of these groups “para-church organizations”. A para-church is an organization that exists alongside the church while not being part of it. A lot like a paramilitary organization, it isn’t exactly the military though it acts as if it is. And, since the para-church groups are exactly that, i.e., para-church, this means they need to solicit financial support from somewhere. Hence all the Christian junk mail. They all claim to be doing a great work. But a great work for whom? How can I trust any organization not under the authority of the Church? How can I trust those who don’t have Council Approval?

I’m Presbyterian. I’m Reformed. Therefore I believe in the structured authority of the church. It would be wonderful to extend the right hand of fellowship to the groups. No doubt some of them are doing a great work for the extension of the Lord’s kingdom. But how can they be – if they refuse to submit to the authority of the church? From what I understand of the Scriptures this makes all parachurch organizations a law unto themselves.

Christ didn’t say the gates of Hades will not prevail against the PARA-church. The Church alone has been entrusted with the gospel of Jesus Christ, by Jesus Christ, the sole Head of His Church. Christ has put in place gifted men to rule in His church. All in accordance with His Word. Therefore, whether we like it or not, all para churches ought to get back into church where they belong.

Do you remember the second half of that Proverb I read earlier? “In the multitude of counselors there is safety” Proverbs 11:14b. I tell you that it’s not safe having all these organizations running around. Who knows what kind of twisted gospel they might be teaching the nations. And the bit that miffs me personally is that they solicit funds from me to help them!

Enough of this nonsense. The para churches need to get back into the churches. Along with the rest of us, they need to submit themselves to the checks and balances the Lord has put in place. Paul didn’t say, “O well, I’ve got the gospel and there’s a job to do. I can’t hang around here arguing over doctrine when there’re people needing saved!” Nor did he say, “The church has been infiltrated by Legalists and Antinomians. I’ll just form my own group and get on with it. I’ll just send begging letters to the different churches and their members to support my worthy cause.” No! He wanted to make sure the church herself was believing in the Gospel.

Listen closely: Paul’s first and foremost mission was to the Church. He knew what the devil knows, i.e., that if you destroy the foundation and the pillars of the church that if you remove the ordered structure, the spine, the backbone, then as the body without the spirit is dead, so is the church! The church will crumble back to dust. And the Gospel? Well, it would return to God who gave it. It’s almost like that verse in Ecclesiastes, “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to the God who gave it” Ecclesiastes 12:7. But we have the Lord’s assurance that this won’t happen no matter how bad it looks at the moment. The Lord likens His Church, the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. Though it’s the smallest of seeds, it will grow and grow and grow, like leaven, it will permeate the whole earth!

Reformation begins in the heart of the individual then it spreads, even to all the nations. Martin Luther discovered what the Gospel was. He extended the right hand of fellowship to those who believed the same gospel. We are justified by grace through faith alone. Why don’t you begin a Reformation in your heart? Make sure your gospel is the same as that adhered to here, the gospel that’s taught here is the same as that that was rediscovered at the Reformation, which is that of the Apostle Paul, which is grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to the Scriptures alone, to the glory of God alone. This is the Gospel entrusted to the saints once and for all. For this is the only Gospel that has been Council Approved.

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[1] There may, of course, be some exceptions for private and personal ministries. For examples, the publishing of Christian articles and books.

CALLED BY GRACE

 CALLED BY GRACE

For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Galatians 1:13-17. 

Introduction

I remember watching a program on TV years ago. An air-traffic controller was asked what was his most stressful moment. He recounted the time when the big screen with all the blips on it went blank! All these planes full of all these people were up in the sky with no one to direct the traffic! With no one calling the shots a major disaster was inevitable. He said his heart started pumping again when the power came back on to the screen. No one aboard the planes was any the wiser. No one was aware of the terrible danger of a collision they had been in.

Have you ever thought about who’s calling the shots in the world? People are like little ants on the face of the earth. People rushing around everywhere, Bicycles, horses, cars, boats, trains, planes. Like those on the plane, most people are oblivious to the great danger they’re in. They’re oblivious to the fact that God is in control of everything. They’re oblivious to the hand of God directing the traffic of humanity from the beginning of time. However, we are not ignorant of the Sovereign God who is in control of every hair that falls from your head. We are not ignorant of the God who knows about every sparrow that falls from every tree, are we? We are not oblivious of the God who brings out the stars and keeps them up there, the God who calls them all by name, the God who set the planets in motion, the God who is in control of all things.

The general context of the following may be summed up as The Gospel is not from man but God. The general theme is as follows, God set you apart and prepared you, then called you by His grace.

The Separation

Paul says in v. 15 that, “[God] had separated him from him from his mother’s womb.” What does he mean by this? Does he mean as soon as he was born God snatched him away from his mum as if she was just some surrogate mother? No! It means that God was going to use this man Paul for a mighty work. It means that God had his hand on Paul from the moment of his birth. It means that right from day one God had intended to use the Apostle Paul to preach the Son of God among the other nations. God separated, set him apart, from birth for that purpose.

You or I might set aside a chicken or a turkey and fatten it up for a special occasion, maybe Christmas dinner. Or you might have a horse you’re going to use for a special task, show-jumping, mustering, for the kids to learn to ride on, pulling a buggy, whatever. God had a special purpose in mind when He separated Paul right from his birth. Paul was going to grow up and be used by God to write thirteen New Testament epistles, fourteen if you include the Epistle to the Hebrews.

People talk about being an “accident!” They say they were the result of an unplanned pregnancy. Well I want you to see that there is no such thing as an “unplanned” human being. Every human being has been planned by God. God is the One who decides when and where people will live, “He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their habitation” Acts 17:26. Therefore you might want to glorify God by thanking Him that you were born in a country where there is law and order. You live in a country where you can worship God with great freedom. You can thank God you live in an age when you’re not burned a the stake for what you believe.

Think about it. Did you choose when you wanted to be born? Did you choose where you wanted to be born? The Apostle Paul was born exactly where and exactly when God planned for him to be born. Paul was no accident and neither is any human being for that matter.

Why are we here? What is our reason for being? What is the meaning of our existence? “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever” (Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 1.) Paul was born and separated by God to bring God glory in due time. Every human being who has ever existed will bring glory to God in due time. Scripture says, “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28.

Christians bring glory to God willingly. Non-Christians will bring Him glory unwillingly. For there will come a day when every creature in creation will bow the knee to God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ. So then, every child who has been aborted, every miscarried baby, every human being in existence will somehow on the last day bring glory to God by submitting to Jesus Christ willingly or otherwise. How can this be? It’s because Almighty God who is Sovereign of the universe planned it that way.

God had it all planned before the foundation of the world who would be born when, where, who would do what, and when. He has a job for everyone. That job is to glorify Him. If you were going to build a huge skyscraper you’d hire a bunch of people, wouldn’t you? You’d equip them with everything they needed, all the materials, tools, etc. You’d be looking for people with certain skills, plumbers, electricians, that sort of thing. Well, God is doing something of the same thing as He builds His Kingdom. The main difference is that He is the One who equips His workers. He gives His employees skills. He trains them throughout their whole life. He bestows certain gifts upon certain people at certain times. He is the Foreman in charge and He makes sure the job gets done.

Paul was a chosen vessel. God separated him for a special job from birth. This is the common practice of the Lord. The Lord said to His Prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I set you apart; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations” Jeremiah 1:5.

We tend to make big complaints out of small things. My nose is too big. My eyes are the wrong color. I wish I was a boy instead of a girl. I wish I was Scottish instead of Australian! But the Psalmist in Psalm 139 got it right when he said, “You have formed my inward parts; You have covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them” Psalm 139:13-16.

Scripture is very clear when it says we are all formed from the same lump of clay. Didn’t God form Adam from the dust of the ground and breath into his nostrils? Scripture says, “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to Him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have the power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? Romans 9:20, 21. The Apostle Paul was to be a vessel for honor. God, the Potter, formed Him just as He wanted. He set Paul aside to dry and harden, as it were. God was going to use him in His own good time when it pleased God.

You are a chosen vessel. Does that make you feel important? It should! You were chosen before the foundation of the world to be in Christ. Didn’t Jesus say, “You did not choose Me but I chose you”? John 15:16. He chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit. In other words, you are a vessel for honor. You are chosen for the purpose of bringing God honor and glory.

Listen to the Word of God, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace” Ephesians 1:4-6.

You are a chosen vessel into which God has poured His glory, just as He poured out His Spirit upon us and into our hearts. You are precious in the sight of the Lord. You are so precious that He came and bought each one of you. Christ purchased you with His own blood (Acts 20:28). Even though it might be years before God converts you, He separates you from birth, as He did Paul. When Paul was converted on the road to Damascus did the Lord not say to Ananias “[Paul] is a chosen vessel of mine”? Acts 9:15.

The Apostle Paul, then, was separated from birth. But did God just leave him sitting on the shelf collecting dust until it pleased Him to convert him? No! Remember the verse that says, “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

The Preparation

[Paul was] exceedingly zealous for the traditions of [his] fathers. So we see straight away that Paul had been busy before his conversion. He was into a religious thing called Judaism. He advanced in this religion beyond many of his contemporaries, he says v. 14. He was exceedingly zealous for the traditions of his fathers.

What is Judaism? Judaism was the religion of the Hebrew people. The Jewish nation had its origin in the calling of Abraham. God brought the Hebrews or Jews out of captivity in Egypt. They were His chosen people. Like Abraham, they weren’t chosen because they were nice blokes. They were chosen because God is gracious to sinners.

Without going into the whole history of Israel I’ll just mention one or two pertinent things. God covenanted with Israel. In simplified terms, He married Himself to them. We might put a ring on our finger to symbolize marriage. The sign and seal of God’s covenant marriage to Israel was of course male circumcision. Circumcision symbolized the removal of Israel’s sin. It was also a reminder that one of their offspring would save them from their sin as promised. It was also a reminder that this would be done by the shedding of blood.

The Law of the Covenant was given, the Ten Commandments at Sinai. This took place some 400 years after circumcision, the sign of the covenant was introduced. Along with the Commandments, God gave certain stipulations to the Jews. They were permitted to eat only certain foods. They weren’t allowed to sew together two different materials. We look at all of this and we wonder what it all means. Well, what it all means is this. God was separating a people unto Himself. All the dietary regulations, all the ceremonies, all that God commanded the Jews to do and not to do, was to separate them from the other nations. God was making them different from the world.

But you know the story. The Jews were a rebellious people, They wanted to be like the rest of the world. Sound familiar? Between the end of the Book of Malachi and John the Baptist, God was silent for 400 yrs. During this time Judaism developed. Some Jews were pacifists, and so let other nations conquer them unchallenged. Others wanted to fight. A bridge that collapsed at a sports event in Israel was named after a Jewish freedom fighter. Judas Macabeas wasn’t one to lie down and be a doormat. So he fought. All this was going on during the time we call “Between the Testaments”.

Nowadays there are many different Christian sects and cults. Between the period of the Old a New Testaments, different sects began to appear as Judaism began to spread here and there. We’re most familiar with the Sadducees and the Pharisees. But there were many others. At the time of Jesus, the Sadducees basically controlled the Temple at Jerusalem, while the Pharisees basically controlled just about all the synagogues. The synagogues were not unlike some modern-day churches. The word synagogue means “a bringing together”. Like the church, there was prayer, the singing of praises, the reading of the Scriptures, and a sermon would be preached from the Scriptures in the synagogue. It was easy for these synagogues to be transformed into Christian churches as the Gospel spread.

Now then, after that brief history lesson let me say this: many Christians today equate the whole of Judaism with the religion of the Pharisees. Lots of Christians are under the assumption that up until the time of Jesus people were saved by keeping God’s Law. They think that they were saved by works not grace back then. However, this isn’t the case. Since Adam fell it’s always been salvation by grace. We have always been justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Let’s now focus our attention back on Paul for a moment. Before his conversion on the road to Damascus Paul was involved in Judaism. I want you to see that even though God had separated him from birth. Paul was a broken vessel. He proved he was a broken vessel by his zeal for Judaism. He was a zealot. I want to make it clear that the Judaism of the Pharisees was not the way of salvation revealed in the Old Testament.

Judaism and Christianity are complete opposites. Judaism is a religion of works and bondage. Christianity is about grace and freedom. Before his conversion, even though he could probably recite you most of the Old Testament, Paul was in bondage. He was in a strait-jacket made from the traditions of his fathers. They had so distorted the way of salvation by grace that they didn’t even recognize the Promised Messiah. Paul said to the Messiah on the road to Damascus “Who are you?”

It’s little wonder John the Baptizer called the Pharisees “a brood of vipers”. Jesus Christ called them the same thing, “You brood of vipers!” It’s just like the devil, the father of all the little vipers, to distort the way of salvation! Before his conversion, Paul was zealous for the traditions of his fathers. The tradition was to pile rules and regulations onto the backs of people. They made people obey things that God hadn’t even said. Instead of “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”, Judaism said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy”. Where do you find the commandment to hate your enemies in the Old Testament? Judaism added to the Word of God. Judaism took away from the Word of God. But the main thing was that it was distorting and confusing the way of salvation, which always has been by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

The context of the following verse is that some of the Jews wanted to dump a load of their religion onto Christians. Peter in Acts 15:10 says, Now therefore, why do you try to test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” Then in v. 11, “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

That great Reformer John Calvin says,

Seeing that the covenant of life is eternal, and the same which God made with His servants from the beginning until the end of the world, it were an absurd thing, and intolerable, that any other way to obtain salvation should be taught at this day than that which the fathers had in times past. Therefore, Peter affirms that we agree very well with the fathers, because they no less than we reposed hope of salvation in the grace of Christ...

Calvin goes on to say that Peter here removes the stumbling-block the Jews had placed in front of themselves by disobedience.

So then, when Jesus Christ met Paul on the road to Damascus, He called him out of the darkness of his false religion, which was the traditions of his fathers. Paul wrongly thought a man could be saved by his own works. This proves that Paul was indeed a broken vessel, wasn’t he? He even persecuted Christians for believing in salvation by grace alone and not by works.

Do you see any similarities between yourself and Paul before his conversion? Do you see yourself as a broken vessel just like him? Before you were saved you thought you could get into heaven by being good, didn’t you? You compared yourself to murderers and rapists ad thought you were fit for heaven. You thought to yourself, “I know I’ve done a few bad things, but I’m pretty good,” didn’t you? You thought to yourself, “Why wouldn’t God let me into heaven? He’s a good God!” Well, God says there’s only one way to get into heaven, and it’s by grace through faith in Christ. You won’t get there by being a good little boy or girl. You’ll only get there by trust in Jesus Christ as presented in the gospel.

Before conversion, we are all like Paul before his conversion. We are zealous for the traditions of our fathers. Be good, and she’ll be right mate. Wrong! Trust in Christ alone and she’ll be right. Anything that happened to you before your conversion was that which lead up to your conversion. Where you were born, when you were born, how many brothers, sisters. What school you went to, your friends, your teachers, neighbors, the whole bit! God’s in control of all of this.

If you belong to God, then He separated you from birth. O you didn’t know it but God did. It was in preparation for your conversion. Many Christians look at their life before conversion as a wasted life. There is no wastage in God’s glorious kingdom. Why? Well here’s that verse again, “We know that all things work together for good to those       who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” What is God’s purpose for you? That you should glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.

If you were a plumber before your conversion, then seek to convert other plumbers after your conversion. If you were the butcher or the baker or the candlestick maker before conversion, then don’t quit and become a monk. Bring the Gospel to bear on your brothers and sisters, your parents, your children, and your neighbours. God separated you from birth he prepared you to bring Him glory in due time.

I had not lived in Scotland for over twenty years at the time. When I would telephone my dad on occasion, he would say, “I was talking to so and so and they can’t believe that you’re now a preacher of the Gospel!” They couldn’t believe it because they knew me before I met the Lord Jesus Christ! Look at John Newton, the writer of Amazing Grace. From clapping people in irons and selling them into a life of slavery, to setting them free again with the Gospel.

Your life before your conversion is not wasted. It is used to bring glory to God. Look what it says about Paul, “But they were hearing only, ‘He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.’ And they glorified God in me.” Galatians 1:23-24.

The Reparation

“Reparation” happens when something is “repaired”, when something that was broken is mended. Reparation means amends are made for injury caused. To make amends. Reparation took place at Calvary. Christ on the cross was repairing the breach between God and man.

We know it’s no accident when a human being is born, don’t we? We know it was no accident that Jesus was born when He was born. Neither was it an accident He was born where He was born. Scripture says, “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” Galatians 4:4-5. In the Old Testament, the saints looked forward to this reparation. They knew of the One who was coming to make amends with God for their sin. They knew because God had told them.

So then, what Christ did on the cross He did in space and time. His crucifixion was an event that took place in history. It was at Calvary that Christ repaired what Adam had broken. God promised the Old Testament saints that He was going to do it, and then He did it. Now we have His Word that He has done it. It’s a fact. How do we know it’s a fact? How do we know for sure that all of this has taken place? Well, look what Paul says in verses 15 and 16, “When it pleased God … to reveal His Son in me.” God who had separated and prepared him now revealed His grace to him personally.

Like many religious people, Paul had been struggling to save himself. But all he was doing was bringing himself eternal destruction. But Paul was called by grace when he met Jesus Christ. When Christ knocked him to the ground He got Paul’s attention. It was here at his coercion that Jesus applied to Paul the benefits He had won at the cross. Christ had made reparation with God at the cross. He did it on behalf of sinners. Paul was one of those sinners for whom Christ died. Therefore, at his conversion, Paul became a repaired vessel. The image of God that had been smashed to distortion was again shining in Paul. God the Holy Spirit began gluing the shattered pieces of Paul’s life back together. And it was all because of what Christ did on the cross, and not because of anything Paul had done. It was all of grace.

If you have been called by grace you are a repaired vessel. God the Holy Spirit is busy at work repairing your life. He’ll keep on working in your life till the day you die. You have this promise that “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6.

Conclusion

If you belong to the Lord you have seen that His hand was upon you from birth the same as Paul. You were born when and where God wanted you to be born. Your life before your conversion was preparation for your conversion. Now to be sure, not everyone experiences “a road to Damascus” conversion. Maybe you don’t even know when you were converted. The main thing is that you know you are converted.

We know we are converted when we find ourselves seeking the face of Jesus each day. We know we are converted when we find ourselves hating our sins. We know we are converted when we are repenting of our sins, and when we are confessing our sins to God and begging His forgiveness. We know we are converted when we are trusting in God’s grace alone for salvation. When we have stopped trying to earn points with God by our good deeds. We are converted when we see it is through faith alone we are saved. We are converted when Jesus Christ is revealed to us and we trust in Him alone.

Jesus Christ wants to give you rest from your labours. He wants to remove that burden from your shoulders. That great weight of rising every morning and not knowing whether you’ve done enough to please God. The burden of not knowing in what condition you’ll be in when you die.

Come to Jesus. Don’t trust your own actions. Don’t trust your own faith or resolve no matter how strong you think it is. Come to Jesus. He’ll give you rest. He promised to! For He says, “Come to Me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

You need to come to Jesus. He is calling you by His grace. Perhaps he separated you from birth. Perhaps He has prepared you for this very moment. Will you come?

It’s a wonderful thing to be called by grace!

INSPIRATION

 Inspiration

The writer wound a foolscap page into his Olivetti typewriter and awaited inspiration. Sipping his fusion tea, he stared at the blank sheet. His mind began to drift as a cool breeze came through an open window. He found himself in an orchard, or maybe it was a forest. Suddenly, the silence was broken in two! He came to his senses, all his senses: hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, and touching. High alert! The rat-a-tat of a machine gun? No, it was more like friendly fire of a woodpecker tapping. The WWII veteran paused, took a deep breath and sipped his fruity tea to steel his nerves. He then resumed rapidly punching the keys of his typewriter. The little hammers swung back and forth, beating his story into shape, a story of unrequited love, but with a twist in the tale.

There was a man and a woman, and they were naked. She plucked a piece of fruit from a tree and gave it to him, or was it a hand grenade with the pin removed? They both ran for cover. There was a breeze that shook the leaves on the trees and chilled their hearts. A voice, an inspired voice, called out to them. Ice crystals began to form in their bloodstreams. So engrossed in his story, the writer struggled to get his bearings. It was as if he really was there. He tried a breathing exercise. In steady rhythm, he breathed in and he breathed out. His racing heart began to slow down.

Situational awareness set in. The writer now knew exactly where he was. Meanwhile, back to his story. To no avail, the man and the woman had tried to camouflage themselves. However, the voice knew exactly where they were and kept on crying out to them. Rather than surrender, they tried to save themselves by blaming everything and everyone, other than themselves. The voice told them to come out into the light because the war is over. The couple felt compelled to comply.

The writer considered the pithy weight of those words, ‘the war is over’ as he un-scrolled the full page with zip. Full of inspiration, with a clean sheet back in the typewriter, he began joyously tapping away. Yes, he thought, the man and the woman are now reconciled to each other and to their enemy, the one whose voice they had fled from. The voice gave them glad tiding and some clothes to wear. They were now fully clothed and in their right minds, as they were led out of the orchard. That place had now become as a dangerous jungle to them.

The writer loved a happy ending. Satisfied with his story, he now settled down to the hard work of word-checking and editing. He looked up the word ‘inspiration’. Had he used it correctly? He immediately thought of a verse of Scripture, ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.’ He grabbed his concordance of the Bible. Inspiration (theopneustos, from two words, theos and pneo) ‘God-breathed’.

The army veteran’s heart began to race again as he considered the gravity of the concept that all Scripture is God-breathed. ‘Does that include Genesis? Will God, therefore, hold me guilty for plagiarising His work, for treating it in such a cavalier manner?’ In a panic, he wanted to jump out of the open window and run up the street, anywhere, to escape his feelings of anxiety as he lost the context of reality. However, just then, the cool breeze once more wafted in the window. Then he remembered what he had written. ‘The war is over!’ The war within, with his woman, with his neighbour, with his enemy, but especially with the voice that had called him out of darkness and into the light.