It Had to Happen

Luke 24:44 Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."


44 Εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι μου οὓς ἐλάλησα πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἔτι ὢν σὺν ὑμῖν, ὅτι δεῖ πληρωθῆναι πάντα τὰ γεγραμμένα ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Μωϋσέως καὶ τοῖς προφήταις καὶ ψαλμοῖς περὶ ἐμοῦ.

This is one of the last things that Jesus tells His disciples. They were still thinking that He would establish an earthly kingdom. They did not quite understand how the Scriptures (our Old Testament) predicted Jesus' life, death, burial, and resurrection. So He had to give them one last lesson. He had to explain ὅτι δεῖ πληρωθῆναι. The word δεῖ gives a sense of necessity. That's where you get the "must be." The word πληρωθῆναι is an aorist passive infinitive. The fact that is in the aorist gives a sense that something happened at an undefined time in the past. It is not necessarily puncticular as some of the older scholars say, but it is generally something in the past.

The point is that He is trying to explain to them that what was predicted by what we call the Old Testament had been fulfilled. He is telling them here that He tried to get them to understand that while He was with them. Now that He has been resurrected those words were indeed fulfilled.

What does this mean for us? Personally, it makes me lean even more toward amillenialism. I am not looking for an earthly reign of Christ on earth in the sense of a millenium because of Old Testament prophecies. The Old Testament found its fulfillment in Him. However, I write this with very broad strokes and am prepared to rethink this as necessary.

From an application perspective, I think it also means that we are to examine where we are being thick. Jesus is all over the Old Testament. Not in the sense of floating axe heads or in every piece of wood symbolizing the cross, but everything in the Old Testament points us to Christ. Since we are Christians we can read the Old Testament as Christians instead of as Jews. We can see how the Old Testament points us to Christ. This is confirmed here by the words of our Lord and in numerous other places in the New Testament, both explicitly and implicitly.

Let's rejoice that we worship a God who keeps His promises. He promised a Messiah and gave us one. Won't you worship the Messiah with me?

What is Life?

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

21 Ἐμοὶ γὰρ τὸ ζῆν Χριστὸς καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος.

This passage is part of a discourse Paul has about his life and ministry.  Paul's desire is to depart and be with Christ, but he concedes that God is keeping him around for the benefit of the Philippians.  Here he says that τὸ ζῆν Χριστὸς.  This is an infinitive, so the translation is very literal.  τὸ ἀποθανεῖν is as well. The process of living is Christ, but dying is actually gain.

This is one of those real gut-check verses.  When I read verses like this I wonder how well this applies to me.  Do I believe that living is Christ?  What does that even mean?  If we look at the surrounding verses we learn about the fruitfulness of Paul's ministry.  He is advancing the kingdom of Christ with his life.  That seems to be what he means.  Am I doing that?  Maybe a little, but as I wrote yesterday I am often convicted about how much more I could be doing.

And what about this dying business?  I'm 36, so death seems very far away.  However, I am aware enough of the news to know that I am one blown tire away from my death.  Or maybe I'm one reckless truck driver at a red light away from death.  Traffic accidents are the common example, but all kinds of things could happen to me.  I run a lot, but I could easily have a heart attack while climbing a hill.  These things happen.  Am I ready for that?

When I contemplate death I think of how I would leave my family behind and that is what bothers me.  However, the idea of meeting the Lord face-to-face excites me.  I do not look forward to dying and want to live as long as I can, but I have no fear of death either.  Why should I?  To die is gain!

Can you say that?  If not, I urge you to come to know Jesus.  There is hope for eternal life in Him.  Otherwise you are rightly afraid to die.

The New Self

Ephesians 4:22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

22 ἀποθέσθαι ὑμᾶς κατὰ τὴν προτέραν ἀναστροφὴν τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν φθειρόμενον κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης, 23  ἀνανεοῦσθαι δὲ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ νοὸς ὑμῶν 24  καὶ ἐνδύσασθαι τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν κατὰ θεὸν κτισθέντα ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ὁσιότητι τῆς ἀληθείας.

Paul is cranking up the exhortations in this book.  He spent the first three chapters covering the gospel and now he starts getting into commands.  It is vital that we do not read any of these commands in a vacuum.  The assumption for all of these is that we will have appropriated the first half of the book before we try to apply the second half.  This is vital or else we are straying into legalism, which Galatians tells us does not save us.

I love this passage because of its implications for personal transformation.  I've been through some pretty serious sins in my life and I still find them tempting.  However, I do not subscribe to the AA model of "once a always a " where you fill in your personal sin (i.e. drunkenness, gluttony, lust, etc.)  Instead, I take the command of this passage to heart.

Paul is saying that we have an old self.  Remember from the early part of chapter 2 that we were dead in our trespasses and sins.  We were like the prodigal in the parable of the two sons.  We were lost.  But God transformed us from the inside-out.  He made us alive together in Christ.  That is what Paul refers to here as well.  We are to put off the old self, be renewed in the spirit of our minds, and then put on the new self.

I think that the middle is key.  How are we renewed?  We spend time in God's Word.  We spend time with God's people.  We sing songs that tell us more about God.  We avoid things that pollute our minds.  I am not a hardcore separatist, but I don't watch any TV either.  There is just too much on TV to pollute my mind.  I have to be careful when I am online (more careful than I am sometimes) so as not to feed the lust of the eyes.  It is an ongoing battle to be sure.  The word ἀνανεοῦσθαι is a present passive infinitive.  As an infinitive it is difficult to pin down exactly how to take this, but the fact that it is in the passive tells me that this is something that happens to my mind.

What are you doing to renew the spirit of your mind?  It forces me to ask myself the same question.  Sure, I have my daily quiet times and read good books, but I also know that there are more positive things I can do and I can avoid some negative things as well.  How about you?

Driven Out

Exodus 11:1 Now the LORD said to Moses, "One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה עֹוד נֶגַע אֶחָד אָבִיא עַל־פַּרְעֹה וְעַל־מִצְרַיִם אַחֲרֵי־כֵן יְשַׁלַּח אֶתְכֶם מִזֶּה כְּשַׁלְּחֹו כָּלָה גָּרֵשׁ יְגָרֵשׁ אֶתְכֶם מִזֶּה׃


There is something that I think we tend to miss when we consider the Exodus account.  It is certainly difficult to pick up from the movie with Charlton Heston.  But here we really see it brought out with the construct גָּרֵשׁ יְגָרֵשׁ .  The use of the infinitive emphasizes a point here.  Pharaoh was ready to drive the Israelites away.

It is easy to think of Pharoah begrudgingly letting them go.  However, the language throughout the account is of sending the people away, not merely releasing them.  Here we actually have something translated "drive them away."  In other words, by this time Pharaoah was ready to drive them away so that the plagues would stop.

Why do I mention this?  It really underscores the power and majesty of the Lord.  He is not just tinkering with a big Rube Goldberg machine.  He is directing the world.  He really does have it all in His hands.  This is the God that I worship and serve.  What a privilege to know this awesome God!

Speaking with Power

Acts 6:10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

10 καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυον ἀντιστῆναι τῇ σοφίᾳ καὶ τῷ πνεύματι ᾧ ἐλάλει.

This is at the end of a description of Stephen's preaching ministry.  He was upsetting a lot of folks because of his evangelism.  After all, no one likes to be told that their way of doing things is wrong.  Imagine how this is magnified if you are sure that your practices go all the way back to Moses.

This verse really convicts me.  Stephen simply spoke the truth.  He wasn't worried about being seeker-sensitive. He wasn't worried about damaging anyone's sensitivities.  He simply spoke the truth.  Since it is The Truth, it was impossible to withstand it.  The word ἀντιστῆναι is an aorist active infinitive.  It is a compound word from ἀντι which means "against" and  ιστημι which means "to stand."  So very woodenly this would be "But they were unable to stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

I wonder if I really believe that in my interactions with people.  I don't act like it sometimes.  I used to be quite bold in sharing my faith.  In fact, perhaps I was too bold.  I could be a real jerk for Jesus sometimes.  More and more I realize that I need to be bold, but not mean.  However, I also understand that the gospel is bad news before it is good news.  If it doesn't offend then I am not sharing it.

How are you?  Are you offended by us crazy Christians?  Are you a meek Christian who wishes that he could speak more boldly?  Or are you already bold for the faith and seeing fruit from this boldness?

No Other Name

Acts 4:11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

11 οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ λίθος, ὁ ἐξουθενηθεὶς ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν τῶν οἰκοδόμων, ὁ γενόμενος εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας. 12  καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ἡ σωτηρία, οὐδὲ γὰρ ὄνομά ἐστιν ἕτερον ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν τὸ δεδομένον ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἐν ᾧ δεῖ σωθῆναι ἡμᾶς.

This has got to be one of the most controversial passages in Scripture these days.  As our society descends deeper and deeper into postmodernity and pluralism statements like this can get you into big trouble.  The furor over Britt Hume's comments regarding Tiger Woods are good evidence of this.  He wasn't even making this bold of a claim.  He simply stated the fact that Buddhism does not offer the kind of redemption that Christ does.  Peter makes an extremely bold claim.

On the surface, this seems very unfair as we look at the world through our man-centered eyes.  We think of all the nice people who know who are not believers and we wonder how God can be so petty.  For example, one of my coworkers is named Pandian Kulasekapandian.  I don't know if he is a Christian, but I suspect not.  Nevertheless, he is easily one of the most Christ-like people I know.  However, if he doesn't know Jesus he faces eternal condemnation.  I can't get past this verse.  Jesus is the name ἐν ᾧ δεῖ σωθῆναι ἡμᾶς.  Very woodenly this would be "in which it is necessary to be saved."

So what do we do with this?  We tell people about Jesus.  We tell about what He has done for us.  More importantly, we tell people about who He is.  Stories are great, but ultimately people to know Jesus for who He is -- God.  They don't need to know about His actions so much as the truth of who He is.  Are we telling people about Him?

And if you don't know Him, what is keeping you from knowing Him?  What stops you?  Do you just not believe this verse?  If not, why?  I'd love to have a discussion.

Proper Fear

Luke 12:4-5
(4)  "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.
(5)  But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

(4)  Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν τοῖς φίλοις μου, μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεινόντων τὸ σῶμα καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μὴ ἐχόντων περισσότερόν τι ποιῆσαι. 

(5)  ὑποδείξω δὲ ὑμῖν τίνα φοβηθῆτε· φοβήθητε τὸν μετὰ τὸ ἀποκτεῖναι ἔχοντα ἐξουσίαν ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς τὴν γέενναν· ναί, λέγω ὑμῖν, τοῦτον φοβήθητε.

We have had some debate on this blog as to what it means to be "cast into hell."  What is γέενναν?  We can go to history and archaeology for clues, but if the text makes it clear why do we need to bother?  Here Jesus is making a pretty bold claim.  At least it would appear bold to our ecumenical universalist friends who think that Jesus came so that no one would have to endure the wrath of God.  He is telling people to fear the one who "has authority to cast into hell."  

This tells me that γέενναν must refer to something.  We cannot tell from this passage if it refers to a place of real eternal torment or if it refers to separation from God.  What we can tell is that it refers to something that happens τὸν μετὰ τὸ ἀποκτεῖναι.  In this sentence τὸ ἀποκτεῖναι is an aorist active infinitive and serves as a subject of this clause.  The word μετὰ in this case means "after."  The articles τὸν and τὸ show us that the ESV has this phrase right.  It refers to someone who can do something "after he has killed."

This tells me that there is definitely life after death.  Many will suffer hell.  Some will escape to paradise.  My prayer is that if you are reading this you would be one who would accept Jesus as your Lord and enjoy eternity with Him forever.