His Word Today

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” (John 7:37).

One of the most important perspectives which arose out of the 16^th century Protestant Reformation was the principle that Scripture interprets Scripture. This means that what God previously revealed in Scripture will be essential to what God presently reveals. In other words, what the Gospel of John says in John 6 about coming to Christ is essential to understand what John 7 says about coming to Christ.

Within the immediate context of John 7 and the observance of the Feast of the Tabernacles, John 7:37 begins by saying it was the last day of the feast, the great day. This was the final day of the feast in which a very special tradition was observed. Dr. John MacArthur explains:

“A tradition grew up in the few centuries before Jesus that on the seven days of the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles, a golden container filled with water from the pool of Siloam was carried in procession by the high priest back to the temple. As the procession came to the Water Gate on the south side of the inner temple court, three trumpet blasts were made to mark the joy of the occasion and the people recited Isa. 12:3, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” At the temple, while onlookers watched, the priests would march around the altar with the water container while the temple choir sang the Hallel (Ps. 113–118). The water was offered in sacrifice to God at the time of the morning sacrifice. The use of the water symbolized the blessing of adequate rainfall for crops. Jesus used this event as an object lesson and opportunity to make a very public invitation on the last day of the feast for his people to accept him as the living water. His words recall Isa. 55:1.”

We must first of all recall that this is not the first time Jesus referred to Himself as the living water or that thirsty people could come to Him and drink. This is most reminiscent of what Jesus said to the Woman at the Well (John 4).

It also is not the first time Jesus spoke of people coming to Him. However, Jesus stressed in John 6 that the only way people could come to Christ for salvation was when the Father gave them, the elect, as a gift to the Son (John 6:35-44).  Jesus said that “all that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37). Jesus also said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44).

So, when Jesus stood up on the last day of the feast and passionately cried out with all of His being, ““If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink” He was saying this in light of what He has previously stated in His Bread of Life Discourse. Additionally, the verb phrase “let him come” is a present imperative command but in the passive voice. This coming is not something we do actively by ourselves but rather is done on our behalf. By whom? I would submit by God the Father who draws us to the Son, gives us to the Son and enables us to come to the Son by sovereign regeneration (John 3:1-8). When God the Father does this sovereign work, we are enabled by the Holy Spirit to drink of the waters of salvation.

Notice the three key words: thirsts, come and drink. To thirst means to strongly desire. To come literally means to become. Finally, to drink means to soak up, to experience and to absorb. God the Father’s sovereign work, based upon the person and work of Jesus Christ and the regenerating work in the soul of the unconverted by the Holy Spirit, satisfies the sinner’s longing in their soul and they become a child of God and finds what their thirsty soul has longed for and has discovered in the Gospel.

Clara T. Williams wrote the following lyrics in 1875. The song is entitled Satisfied.

1. All my life I had a longing
   For a drink from some clear spring,
   That I hoped would quench the burning
   Of the thirst I felt within.

Refrain:
Hallelujah! I have found Him
Whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my longings,
Through His blood I now am saved.

2. Feeding on the husks around me,
   Till my strength was almost gone,
   Longed my soul for something better,
   Only still to hunger on.
3. Poor I was, and sought for riches,
   Something that would satisfy,
   But the dust I gathered round me
   Only mocked my soul’s sad cry.
4. Well of water, ever springing,
   Bread of life so rich and free,
   Untold wealth that never faileth,
   My Redeemer is to me.

Soli deo Gloria!

Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?” (John 7:33-36)

1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

We have already seen the truth of I Corinthians 2:14 in Jesus’ conversations with the unconverted. Two examples are Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemas (John 3) and the Woman at the Well (John 4). While Jesus communicated spiritual truths in both cases, the individuals involved did not, and according to I Corinthians 2:14 could not, understand the spiritual significance of Jesus’ words void of a work by the Holy Spirit to regenerate their dead hearts (John 3:1-8). This, ironically, was Jesus’ point to both Nicodemas and the woman in describing conversion as receiving a new birth or living water.

Today’s text also reveals the incapacity of even religious leaders, who are unconverted, to understand biblical truth. When Jesus said, ““I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come,” the Sadducees and the Pharisees were stymied. They began thinking, much like Nicodemas and the Woman at the Well, in literal and physical terms.

They reasoned to each other, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?” Again, much like Nicodemas and the Woman of Samaria, they had questions but no answers. In fact, they may even have been mocking Jesus regarding His spoken words. The sincerity of Nicodemas and the woman is contrasted with the sarcasm of the self-righteous religious leaders.

Dr. John MacArthur makes an insightful observation when he says, “The phrase “teach the Greeks” probably had reference to Jewish proselytes, i.e., Gentiles. John may have been citing this phrase with ironic force since the gospel eventually went to the Gentiles because of Jewish blindness and rejection of their Messiah. See notes on Rom. 11:7–11.

Always remember that our understanding of the Gospel was not because of our superior intellects. Rather, it was solely because of the grace of God in regenerating our dead souls (Ephesians 2:1-3) and making us alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-9) and declaring us righteous (Romans 3:21-26; Philippians 3:1-9) that you and I stand today as believers and disciples of Jesus and children of God.

Soli deo Gloria!

The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.” (John 7:32)

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” This saying is an ancient proverb which suggests that two opposing parties can or should work together against a common enemy. The earliest known expression of this concept is found in a Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, the Arthashastra, dating around the 4th century BC, while the first recorded use of the current English version came in 1884.

If you recall when we began studying John 3, there were four primary religious, political and/or social groups distinguishing themselves in ancient Israel. These four included the Essenes, the Zealots, the Sadducees and the Pharisees.

The Essenes dwelt in the ancient caves of Qumran. This group withdrew from society and chose to remain separated unto themselves. The New Bible Dictionary describes them as “A Jewish religious group of the Second Temple Period that emerged and flourished in Palestine from the second century BC to the first century AD. The Essenes are often connected with the Jewish sectarian community known from the Dead Sea Scrolls.”

The Zealots were a political group who hated Rome and its occupation of Israel during the first century. Easton’s Bible Dictionary explains that the Zealots were “a sect of Jews which originated with Judas the Gaulonite (Acts 5:37). They refused to pay tribute to the Romans, on the ground that this was a violation of the principle that God was the only king of Israel. They rebelled against the Romans, but were soon scattered, and became a lawless band of mere brigands. They were afterwards called Sicarii, from their use of the sica, i.e., the Roman dagger.” One of Jesus’ disciples was known as Simon the Zealot (Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13).

The Sadducees were one of two religious groups in Israel during Jesus’ lifetime. We do not know exactly when this group originated but it occurred during the inter-testimental period. They are first mentioned in Scripture in Matthew 3:7 (Mark 1:7-9; Luke 3:7-9) where John the Baptist says to them, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matthew 3:7.) The next time they are spoken of they are represented as coming to our Lord tempting him. He calls them “hypocrites” and “a wicked and adulterous generation” (Matt. 16:1–4; 22:23). The only reference to them in the Gospels of Mark (12:18–27) and Luke (20:27–38) is their attempting to ridicule the doctrine of the resurrection, which they denied. They also denied the existence of angels. They are never specifically mentioned as a group in John’s Gospel though the apostle many times refers to them, as in today’s text, as the chief priests. Most of the chief priests were Sadducees. They centered themselves within the temple.

The second religious group were the Pharisees. The Tyndale Bible Dictionary describes the Pharisees as a “religious sect active in Palestine during the NT period. The Pharisees are consistently depicted in the Gospels as Jesus’ antagonists. It is commonly held that the Pharisees represented mainstream Judaism early in the first century and that they were characterized by a variety of morally objectionable features.” The Pharisees were centered within the Jewish Synagogues and among the common people. Jesus pronounced His most scathing rebuke of the Pharisees in Matthew 23.

The Sadducees and the Pharisees did not get along with each other. See Acts 22:30-3:10. Yet, they had a common enemy in Jesus Christ. It was because of this common hatred, that they became so-called friends.

Dr. John MacArthur explains, “The Pharisees and chief priests historically did not have harmonious relationships with each other. Most of the chief priests were Sadducees, who were political and religious opponents to the Pharisees. John repeatedly links these two groups in his Gospel (see also 7:45; 11:47, 57; 18:3) in order to emphasize that their cooperation stemmed from their mutual hatred of Jesus. Both were alarmed at the faith of those indicated in 7:31 and, in order to avoid any veneration of Jesus as Messiah, attempted unsuccessfully to arrest him (v. 30).”

The officers the two groups sent to arrest Jesus were the Temple guards who maintained order in the Temple and surrounding area. The reasoning for arresting Jesus was because the crowds were believing that Jesus was the Messiah. This the Sadducees and the Pharisees would not tolerate.

Jesus’ enemies today come from all walks of the political, social and religious strata. While they may not agree on many other issues, they do agree on their mutual hatred for Christ, the Gospel and Christians. They oppose Christian businesses and anyone who has a different opinion or point of view than they. This opposition is also increasingly expressed on talk shows, comedy monologues, political speeches, editorials and awards programs. The passion of their verbal vitriol seemingly knows no bounds and is increasing in its depths of vulgarity.

2 Timothy 3:12-15 says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

This philosophy of joining with other groups to fight a common enemy is not exclusive to non-Christians. Christians and the church are not immune. Many times various religious groups join forces against such issues as abortion or pornography. This may be a noble attempt to change the culture but it is also dangerous because it has the possibility of confusing the message of the Gospel and people’s understanding of what it biblically means to be justified. While social problems remain an important issue, they will not truly be solved unless there is a conversion of people unto faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Only when the heart and soul of the sinner is changed will the expressions of man’s sinful heart and soul be likewise changed and eliminated.    

The battle for truth, the Bible and the Gospel will continue until Jesus comes. Be faithful, beloved!

Soli deo Gloria!

  

“So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?” (John 7:30-31).

I am a thorough fan of the Great American Songbook. I was raised on this music. My father listened to and collected multiple recordings as one way of relaxation following a hard week of work. On Sunday afternoons he would sit in his chair and listen to his favorite singers singing songs from the so-called Songbook. While my friends were listening to The Rolling Stones or The Beatles, I preferred artists such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby and especially the music and lyrics of brothers George and Ira Gershwin.

As one reference encyclopedia explains, “The Great American Songbook, also known as “American Standards”, is the canon of the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th century. Although several collections of music have been published under the title, it does not refer to any actual book or specific list of songs, but to a loosely defined set including the most popular and enduring songs from the 1920s to the 1950s that were created for Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musical film. They have been recorded and performed by a large number and wide range of singers, instrumental bands, and jazz musicians.”

The Great American Songbook comprises standards by George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and also Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Richard Rodgers, among others.

Included in this collection are composers and lyricists called “The Great Craftsmen.” They include  Hoagy Carmichael, Walter Donaldson, Harry Warren, Isham Jones, Jimmy McHugh, Duke Ellington, Fred Ahlert, Richard A. Whiting, Ray Noble, John Green, Rube Bloom, Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Jimmy Van Heusen.

The subject of these songs were primarily about romantic love. Despite this relatively narrow range of topics and moods dealt with in many of the songs, the best Great American Songbook lyricists specialized in witty, urbane lyrics with teasingly unexpected rhymes.

What, you may be asking yourself, does this have to do with today’s verses from John 7:30-31? Only that John uses a phrase regarding our Lord’s ultimate crucifixion and resurrection which has captured my attention. The phrase is “His hour had not yet come.” This phrase has already occurred in John 2:4 along with John 7:6-8. The apostle will record it once more in John 8:20.

What does the phrase “My hour has not yet come” actually mean? The phrase deals with the timetable for Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice while on the cross, His burial and subsequent bodily resurrection. It addresses the divine time frame for all which would occur and which would fulfill Old Testament prophecy. It refers to God the Father’s sovereign plan of redemption alone with Jesus Christ’s complete submission to such a plan.

Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Dr. John Walvoord explains, “The fullness of the time—namely, “the time appointed by the Father” (Galatians 4:2). God does nothing prematurely, but, foreseeing the end from the beginning, waits till all is ripe for the execution of His purpose. Had Christ come directly after the fall, the enormity and deadly fruits of sin would not have been realized fully by man, so as to feel his desperate state and need of a Savior. Sin was fully developed. Man’s inability to save himself by obedience to the law, whether that of Moses, or that of conscience, was completely manifested; all the prophecies of various ages found their common center in this particular time: and Providence, by various arrangements in the social and political, as well as the moral world, had fully prepared the way for the coming Redeemer.”

In John 12:27-28 says, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The word “troubled” refers to a strong anxiety and horror. In His perfection, Jesus still experienced a revulsion or a loathing of taking upon Himself the wrath of God in the place of sinners (2 Corinthians 5:21). However, He also understood that this was His purpose in coming to earth as a man.

It is interesting to also note, as we will later in detail, that John records in John 13:1, “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” Jesus knew in the Upper Room that the time for Him to be betrayed, denied, tried, convicted, scourged, crucified and buried had arrived.

Everything Jesus did was focused upon His submission to the Father’s divine plan and timetable. Additionally, when the time came for Jesus to lay down His life for His sheep (John 10:11-18) He did so willingly.

To my knowledge, there is no hymn entitled “My Hour Has Not Yet Come.” While it would not be included in the Great American Songbook, it would have the potential of being a thought provoking hymn of worship and praise to God.

Thank you Lord Jesus for not fleeing from the wrath of God the Father which I should have received.

Soli deo Gloria!

When we began our study of the Gospel of John, I indicated the key themes contained in this fourth gospel. There are quite a few. More than you might initially think. One of the most important themes in John’s Gospel concerned the identity of Jesus Christ.

Today, I share with you from the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF). As you may recall from our study of The Puritans, the WCF was/is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the “subordinate standard” of doctrine in the Church of Scotland and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide. The phrase “subordinate standard” indicates that the WCF is ultimately subordinate to the Scriptures.

Chapter Eight of the Confession contains a valuable summary of the person and work of Jesus Christ. If you want to know who Jesus is, familiarize yourself with what the Puritans compiled in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

I will reproduce the content from the Confession, followed by its biblical foundation. There are eight sections concerning Jesus Christ. We will share a section each day for eight days. Enjoy!

Section VIII is as follows. It will be identified as (1) Confessional Statement followed by its (2) Biblical Foundation.

Confessional Statement:

To all those for whom Christ has purchased redemption, He does certainly and effectually apply and communicate the same;[39] making intercession for them,[40] and revealing unto them, in and by the word, the mysteries of salvation;[41] effectually persuading them by His Spirit to believe and obey, and governing their hearts by His word and Spirit;[42] overcoming all their enemies by His almighty power and wisdom, in such manner, and ways, as are most consonant to His wonderful and unsearchable dispensation.[43]

Biblical Foundation:

[39] JOHN 6:37 & 39 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. JOHN 10:15-16 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

[40] 1 JOHN 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. ROMANS 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

[41] JOHN 15:13 & 15 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. EPHESIANS 1:7-9 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself. JOHN 17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

[42] JOHN 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. HEBREWS 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 2CORINTHIANS 4:13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak. ROMANS 8:9 & 14 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. ROMANS 15:18-19 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, 19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. JOHN 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

[43] PSALM 110:1 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 1CORINTHIANS 15:25-18 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. MALACHI 4:2-3 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. 3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. COLOSSIANS 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

This is who Jesus is.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

When we began our study of the Gospel of John, I indicated the key themes contained in this fourth gospel. There are quite a few. More than you might initially think. One of the most important themes in John’s Gospel concerned the identity of Jesus Christ.

Today, I share with you from the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF). As you may recall from our study of The Puritans, the WCF was/is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the “subordinate standard” of doctrine in the Church of Scotland and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide. The phrase “subordinate standard” indicates that the WCF is ultimately subordinate to the Scriptures.

Chapter Eight of the Confession contains a valuable summary of the person and work of Jesus Christ. If you want to know who Jesus is, familiarize yourself with what the Puritans compiled in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

I will reproduce the content from the Confession, followed by its biblical foundation. There are eight sections concerning Jesus Christ. We will share a section each day for eight days. Enjoy!

Section VII is as follows. It will be identified as (1) Confessional Statement followed by its (2) Biblical Foundation.

Confessional Statement:

Christ, in the work of mediation, acts according to both natures, by each nature doing that which is proper to itself; [37] yet, by reason of the unity of the person that which is proper to one nature is sometimes in Scripture attributed to the person denominated by the other nature.[38]

Biblical Foundation:

[37] HEBREWS 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 1PETER 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.

[38] ACTS 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. JOHN 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 1 JOHN 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

This is who Jesus is.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

When we began our study of the Gospel of John, I indicated the key themes contained in this fourth gospel. There are quite a few. More than you might initially think. One of the most important themes in John’s Gospel concerned the identity of Jesus Christ. I re-shared yesterday one of the first blogs from this series regarding that subject of who Jesus is.

Today, I share with you from the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF). As you may recall from our study of The Puritans, the WCF was/is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the “subordinate standard” of doctrine in the Church of Scotland and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide. The phrase “subordinate standard” indicates that the WCF is ultimately subordinate to the Scriptures.

Chapter Eight of the Confession contains a valuable summary of the person and work of Jesus Christ. If you want to know who Jesus is, familiarize yourself with what the Puritans compiled in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

I will reproduce the content from the Confession, followed by its biblical foundation. There are eight sections concerning Jesus Christ. We will share a section each day for eight days. Enjoy!

Section VI is as follows. It will be identified as (1) Confessional Statement followed by its (2) Biblical Foundation.

Confessional Statement:

Although the work of redemption was not actually wrought by Christ till after His incarnation, yet the virtue, efficacy, and benefits thereof were communicated unto the elect, in all ages successively from the beginning of the world, in and by those promises, types, and sacrifices, wherein He was revealed, and signified to be the seed of the woman which should bruise the serpent’s head; and the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world; being yesterday and today the same, and forever.[36]

Biblical Foundation:

[36] GALATIANS 4:4-5 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. GENESIS 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. REVELATION 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. HEBREWS 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

This is who Jesus is.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

When we began our study of the Gospel of John, I indicated the key themes contained in this fourth gospel. There are quite a few. More than you might initially think. One of the most important themes in John’s Gospel concerned the identity of Jesus Christ. I re-shared yesterday one of the first blogs from this series regarding that subject of who Jesus is.

Today, I share with you from the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF). As you may recall from our study of The Puritans, the WCF was/is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the “subordinate standard” of doctrine in the Church of Scotland and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide. The phrase “subordinate standard” indicates that the WCF is ultimately subordinate to the Scriptures.

Chapter Eight of the Confession contains a valuable summary of the person and work of Jesus Christ. If you want to know who Jesus is, familiarize yourself with what the Puritans compiled in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

I will reproduce the content from the Confession, followed by its biblical foundation. There are eight sections concerning Jesus Christ. We will share a section each day for eight days. Enjoy!

Section V is as follows. It will be identified as (1) Confessional Statement followed by its (2) Biblical Foundation.

Confessional Statement:

The Lord Jesus, by His perfect obedience, and sacrifice of Himself, which He through the eternal Spirit, once offered up unto God, has fully satisfied the justice of His Father;[34] and purchased, not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for those whom the Father has given unto Him.[35]

Biblical Foundation:

[34] ROMANS 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. HEBREWS 9:14 & 16  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. HEBREWS 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. EPHESIANS 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. ROMANS 3:25-26 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

[35] DANIEL 9:24-26 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. COLOSSIANS 1:19-20 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. EPHESIANS 1:11 & 14 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. JOHN 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. HEBREWS 9:12 & 15 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

 

This is who Jesus is. Soli deo Gloria!

 

Chapter Eight of the Westminster Confession of Faith contains a valuable summary of the person and work of Jesus Christ. If you want to know who Jesus is, familiarize yourself with what the Puritans compiled in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

I will reproduce the content from the Confession, followed by its biblical foundation. There are eight sections concerning Jesus Christ. We will share a section each day for eight days. Enjoy!

Section IV is as follows. It will be identified as (1) Confessional Statement followed by its (2) Biblical Foundation.

Confessional Statement:

This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake;[22] by which that He might discharge, He was made under the law,[23] and did perfectly fulfil it;[24]endured most grievous torments immediately in His soul,[25] and most painful sufferings in His body;[26] was crucified, and died,[27] was buried, and remained under the power of death, yet saw no corruption.[28] On the third day He arose from the dead,[29] with the same body in which He suffered,[30] with which also he ascended into heaven, and there sits at the right hand of His Father,[31] making intercession,[32] and shall return, to judge men and angels, at the end of the world.[33]

Biblical Foundation:

[22] PSALM 40:7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. HEBREWS 10:5-10 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. JOHN 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. PHILIPPIANS 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

[23] GALATIANS 4:4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.

[24] MATTHEW 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. MATTHEW 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

[25] MATTHEW 26:37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. LUKE 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. MATTHEW 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

[26] SEE MATTHEW 26-27

[27] PHIIPPIANS 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

[28] ACTS 2:23-27 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should beholden of it. 27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. ACTS 13:37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. ROMANS 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

[29] 1 CORINTHIANS 15:3-5 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve.

[30] JOHN 20:25-27 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

[31] MARK 16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

[32] ROMANS 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. HEBREWS 9:24-25 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. 25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

[33] ROMANS 14:9-10 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. 10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. ACTS 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. ACTS 10:42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. MATTHEW 13:40-42 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. JUDE 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 2 PETER 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.

This is who Jesus is.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

Chapter Eight of the Westminster Confession of Faith contains a valuable summary of the person and work of Jesus Christ. If you want to know who Jesus is, familiarize yourself with what the Puritans compiled in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

I will reproduce the content from the Confession, followed by its biblical foundation. There are eight sections concerning Jesus Christ. We will share a section each day for eight days. Enjoy!

Section III is as follows. It will be identified as (1) Confessional Statement followed by its (2) Biblical Foundation.

Confessional Statement:

The Lord Jesus, in His human nature thus united to the divine, was sanctified, and anointed with the Holy Spirit, above measure,[15] having in Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge;[16] in whom it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell;[17] to the end that, being holy, harmless, undefiled, and full of grace and truth,[18] He might be thoroughly furnished to execute the office of a Mediator and Surety.[19] Which office He took not unto Himself, but was thereunto called by His Father, [20] who put all power and judgment into His hand, and gave Him commandment to execute the same.[21]

Biblical Foundation.

[15] PSALM 45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. JOHN 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

[16] COLOSSIANS 2:3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

[17] COLOSSIANS 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell.

[18] HEBREWS 7:26 For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. JOHN 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

[19] ACTS 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. HEB 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. HEBREWS 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

[20] HEBREWS 5:4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. 5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made a high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee.

[21] JOHN 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. 27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. MATTHEW 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. ACTS 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

This is who Jesus is. Soli deo Gloria!