Matthew 12:46-50

46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (ESV)

It is amazing that someone might be able to call Christ his brother. There are so many titles we can give to him: king, judge, savior, lord, anointed one, shepherd, friend, brother.

Brotherhood with Christ is not an automatic position. We can speak of the brotherhood of humanity which admits all people by virtue of their being human but there is no similar brotherhood with Christ. One does not become blood with Christ by any automatic virtue or characteristic. What Jesus tells us is that obedience makes brothers.

If you want to have Jesus for your brother he tells you how to do it: obey his Father. Don’t just listen to the will of God. Don’t just talk about how good God’s will is. Go out there and actively carry out the will of God – all of it. Live a righteous and holy life, repenting and turning from your sins. Help those who are in need – don’t just feel bad for the needy, find ways to help them! Show love and compassion to the people around you. Give a cup of water to a little child. Visit prisoners. Comfort widows in their distress.

There’s a hymn that says, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God…” but I wonder how many of us live more like black sheep of the family rather than obedient sons and daughters of God working with Jesus Christ to accomplish the will of his Father.

Lord forgive us our rebellion and Lord make us faithful!

Psalm 18 is one of my favorite texts in the Bible. In it we find the Lord working mightily for his people:

Psalm 18:6-19

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16 He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me. (ESV)

What an image of God rousing himself to rescue his people, with the whole of Heaven trembling from the force of his might! What enemy can stand before the Lord our God?

But the Psalmist, David, makes an unusual claim:

Psalm 18:20-24

20 The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. (ESV)

How does this line up with what we find elsewhere that no one is righteous, that no one is blameless before the Lord? How can David claim that God acts because David is righteous? Are we finding here evidence that people are capable of living righteously before God and that God will reward them for that righteousness?

It looks that way – until we keep reading.

Psalm 18:31-33

31 For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
32 the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights. (ESV)

God responding to the righteousness in David is God responding to the righteousness he put in David. David did not make his way blameless, God made his way blameless. Anything in David that is praiseworthy, anything that might draw the eye of God, is only there because God has given it. God made his way blameless and made his feet secure.

I believe I am almost justified in accusing the folks at Crossway Books of sin. Hebrews 10:24 tells us to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” but all the ESV folks seem to be doing is driving me to impatience.

The object of my impatience is the upcoming ESV Study Bible. It looks like an amazing resource that will be very helpful for those wanting a good all-in-one tool for Bible study. I am already building a mental list of people I plan to buy this for. My budget will be taking a hit in October.

Many people have already written about the ESV Study Bible. I encourage you to visit its homepage and browse around if you want to know more.

Justin Taylor has just posted an excerpt from the study Bible section on Psalms. This is along with previous excerpts from Revelation and Luke. It is not out yet and I am already finding the Study Bible to be useful and helpful. Check it out! And please pray that the Lord might grant me patience as I wait for the October release date.

In the past I have stated that one of the two most compelling arguments for Calvinism comes from John 6 (the other is from Romans 9). In John 6 we find the following two passages:

John 6:35-40

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (ESV)

John 6:43-44

43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (ESV)

The passages seem clear enough, but to restate: no one can pursue Christ unless God the Father draws that individual to Christ. I have argued before that God draws all people to Christ so that all are free to pursue him. The problem with this argument is that these passages appear to say that all who are drawn to Christ are not simply enabled to accept or reject him but will certainly be brought to him. In the first passage, all that the Father gives to Christ will be received and will never be cast out. In the second, no one can go to Christ unless the Father draws him, and all of those drawn by the Father will be raised up on the last day.

What recently came to mind is what Jesus says in John 12:32:

John 12:32

32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (ESV)

In John 6 no one can go to the Son unless the Father draws him. But here Christ on the cross will draw all people to himself.

In his commentary on John D. A. Carson argues that what is in view here is not individuals for salvation but the kinds of people who are saved. In John 6 we find reference to individuals who are saved. Here we find the affirmation that salvation is not just for the Jews. This makes some sense. Jesus’ words in this section were triggered by the arrival of Greeks in John 12:20. The disciples were faced with a dilemma. The Greeks came to the disciples and asked to see Jesus. The disciples seemed a little uncertain as to what they should do. They finally go tell Jesus and John 12:23-32 contains his response. John 12:23, then, could be Jesus saying, “I will draw all people, not just Jews. The Gentiles can come to me because of what I will do on the cross.”

This reading of the passage answers a few questions. The drawing in John 6 seems to be final and complete. It is not an invitation, it is a bringing. Those who are drawn are saved. The same cannot be the case in John 12 which refers to all people being drawn since elsewhere Scripture is clear that not all people will be saved. In fact, just a few verses later we find people who see Christ but do not believe.

This reading also helps us see the difference in the Father’s drawing and the Son’s drawing. It is because of the Son’s work that salvation is made available to all people. This is what Paul calls the mystery of the gospel, the glorious truth that in Christ salvation is not something just for the Jews. Because of the Father individuals are drawn to Christ and are saved. Because of the Son those individuals include people of every ethnicity, not just the Jews. Because of Christ those Greeks trying to see Jesus would be welcome.

I still have one hesitation. Elsewhere in the Bible when we find passages talking about the inclusion of all people in God’s plan of salvation the discussion is usually more direct. For example, is there really any doubt what Paul means in Galatians 3:23-29? (Granted some doubt is introduced by egalitarians who want to make this passage say more than it says, but that is a different discussion.)

Still, I am leaning in Carson’s direction. Any thoughts, anyone?

Additional note:

Sometimes Calvinists will try to use similar reasoning in passages like John 3:16 or 2 Peter 3:9 – namely claiming that “all” in these verses does not refer to everyone but to something else. In John 3:16 “the world” is claimed to be used in a way similar to what we said about John 12:20. Some say “the world” does not mean each individual but refers to all kinds of people, every tribe and tongue and nationality. For 2 Peter 3:9 some have argued that “all” refers to the elect rather than each individual, that God wants all of his chosen ones to reach repentance.

I disagree with both of these views. I believe that God loves all people, saved and unsaved alike. I recognize that there can be some question left with passages like Romans 9:13 (Malachi 1:2-3) but I believe hate in those verses refers to the fact that they were rejected in the plan of God. If one were to argue that hate has to mean something like how we normally understand hate I would simply point him to Luke 14:26 and ask how we can honor our father and mother while also hating them in the way we normally think of hate.

I think one could say there is a difference in how God feels toward the unrepentant that live as opposed to those who die. Does God love the sinner in Hell? I believe one could say that he does not. God loves all his creation on the earth but his steadfast love is only for those who are saved. Once a sinner dies without Christ and goes on to judgment he no longer experiences anything of the love of God, in part because God no longer has any love for him.

On 2 Peter 3:9 I believe that God does desire for all people to be saved. But this is not the only desire God has. Something in the mind of God is more desirable than the salvation of all people, otherwise all people would be saved. I have talked several times before about the notion of two wills in God so I will not rehash it here.

Okay I am clearly ripping off John Piper with the title of this post. Piper has written things such as Don’t Waste Your Life and Don’t Waste Your Cancer. The reminder is a good one and very fitting for the passage I have in view:

Psalm 9:13-14

13 Be gracious to me, O Lord!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation. (ESV)

Throughout the Psalms we find the Psalmist calling God to action for the sake of his glory or for his name’s sake. The same thing is in view here only the Psalmist is saying he will be the one to glorify God for his salvation.

In the Psalms one thing we learn is that the proper response to God’s work is always praise. Here David has very public praise in mind: “that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation.” This would be the gates of Jerusalem. He will stand in the gates of Jerusalem and tell the people coming and going about the good thing the Lord has done.

When God does something for us (and everything we have is a good gift from the Lord) our proper response should be praise. The greater the work, the greater the praise. For believers the greatest gift is the gift of everlasting salvation through the eternal Son. An everlasting gift merits everlasting praise. This doesn’t start when we get to Heaven, praising God for salvation begins here on earth.

But salvation is not the only work of God that merits praise. Praise him for your home, the food you eat, the family you have, your friends, your church, your workplace, all of these things. If something is lacking, go so far as to praise God for the trial, thanking him for the victory he has over the world so that you do not have to fear defeat and failure. Christ has overcome the world. Praise the Lord!

Don’t waste your salvation. Don’t keep it to yourself. God has blessed you so that you will bless him, so that you will tell of his name among the nations. That means friends, family, neighbors, and people all over the world. Tell them of the good thing the Lord has done for you.

Have you ever noticed that when you learn a new word you will suddenly start to hear that word used a lot more often than before you knew the word? Most likely the word was always used but when you did not know it you ignored it.

A similar sort of thing can happen with Bible reading. You can read Scripture over and over and yet many details will simply be overlooked or not given their full significance.

As I continue to wrestle with Calvinism and other related notions part of what I have come to see more and more is just how much God orchestrates the events of the world. When it comes to the Old Testament prophets, God spoke to them of many future events. But he did not just look ahead, see what would happen, then told the prophets about the future; he told the prophets what he was going to do with the future. See how this is revealed in Matthew 2:13-23:

Matthew 2:13-23

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.” (ESV)

Note all of the events that are orchestrated by God to bring about the end he desired:

• Vv 13-15: Herod sought to kill Jesus but Joseph was warned in a dream and fled to Egypt. The end of verse 15 says this is a fulfillment of Hosea 11:1. Note the wording: “This was to fulfill…” The reason it happened was because God said it would happen.
• Vv 16-18: Herod’s method of eliminating Jesus was to kill all male children in Bethlehem. The wording in v17 is a little different than what we find in v15, the writer is just putting it a little different. It already seems clear from 13-15 that God orchestrated Herod’s attempt to kill Jesus. The question is whether or not God orchestrated this specific way for Herod to attempt what God had planned.
• Vv 19-23: Even after Herod’s death Jesus and his earthly family could not safely return to Bethlehem. They left Egypt but went to Nazareth. In v23 we again find a purpose statement: “…that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled…” The brutal reign of Archelaus, which required Joseph to avoid Bethlehem, and Joseph’s choice of Nazareth were events orchestrated by God.

This is an unusual way of approaching Scripture and I am still wrestling with this a bit. To present the question from this passage bluntly: did God plan for Herod to massacre baby boys? Did God place a brutal tyrant in authority because the man was a brutal tyrant?

But let me turn the question another way. The people that suffered under these horrible circumstances, would it have comforted them to know that their suffering was being used by God to bring about the hope of salvation for the world? Would they have endured better if they realized that the events of their suffering were part of God’s redemptive plan for humanity?

And to make the question a little more personal. Am I willing for God do to with me whatever he wishes if it means accomplishing his will? Am I willing to suffer for the glory of God?

Matthew 1:1-17

1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. (ESV)

I will not likely keep this up every day, but from time to time I will post something on my gospel reading for the day. Today’s reading starts me off in the gospels and comes from Matthew 1:1-17. This is the first of two genealogies of Jesus found in the New Testament. The second is in Luke 3:23-37. These genealogies differ from each other. Some think Matthew presents Jesus’ ancestry through Joseph while Luke presents it through Mary. (Don’t miss Luke’s comment in Luke 3:23 that Jesus was the son “as was supposed” of Joseph, Luke saying that someone other than Joseph was the father of Jesus.)

In verse 1 Matthew gives three titles for Jesus. First, he is the Christ. Second, the son of David. Third, the son of Abraham. The last establishes him as a member of the Jewish race. He does not come to the Jews as an outsider. The second establishes him in the royal line of David. By itself that might not mean much – David had many descendants – but it becomes more significant with the first title. He is called the Christ, the anointed one. From the start Matthew is making clear that he believes Jesus is the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies. God promised through the prophets that a king would come from the line of David who would establish an eternal throne and would rule over the world. He would establish justice and righteousness and would forgive the sins of his people. The genealogy reinforces the ancestry claims, showing just how Jesus has descended from Abraham and David.

The genealogy is representative rather than comprehensive. Several generations are skipped, but in such genealogies the phrase “father of” could mean “ancestor of” so the reader would know, for example, that Josiah was the grandfather of Jechoniah, not his actual father.

The genealogies can be a bit difficult for modern readers to work through. I admit that I have skimmed through more than a few of them when I come across them. And yet if nothing else these records remind us of the faithfulness of God to his people and his power to accomplish his will. If you scan the names of a genealogy your eyes will take you through hundreds or thousands of years of Israelite history, through good times and bad. The record in Matthew begins with faithful Abraham and includes people like Boaz, the kinsman redeemer of Ruth; Rahab, the prostitute who protected the spies sent by Joshua; David, the king who inaugurated the golden age of Israelite history; Manasseh, one of the most wicked kings Israel had ever seen (2 Chron 33:9) who God nevertheless finally turned to himself (2 Chron 33:11-13, 2 Chron 33:23); Jechoniah, who ruled Judah for three months and was on the throne when Nebuchadnezzar captured and pillaged Jerusalem (the final destruction of Jerusalem would happen under King Zedakiah); and Joseph, a humble carpenter who is faithful to the Lord.

Through all of those events God was faithful to his people. Through the most famous of them to the most obscure God was working out his promises. Only a small handful of those people would have had even the slightest notion of what God was going to do through one of their descendants. A number of those names belong to tyrants who were not interested in serving God to begin with – God used them anyway. God is faithful and God will accomplish his plan, whether we cooperate or not.

I have just finished my six-month trek through the Bible and am about to set off through it again. Last time around my reading plan was somewhat haphazard. This time I have organized it a little better. I have not yet decided how long I will take to read through the Bible this time, but here is the order I will go. Each day I will have readings from: The Old Testament, the Psalms, the Gospels, and the New Testament. This last time around I also read through Romans each month, following the advice of Martin Luther. At this time I don’t plan to do that with this plan, though I may change my mind and add either it or Hebrews later.

In the New Testament I am following the canonical order, but I am changing things up a little for the Old Testament. Below is the order I will follow:

Ecclesiastes
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy 31-34
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
Job
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
Song of Solomon
1 Kings
2 Kings
Deuteronomy 1-30
Jonah
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Proverbs
Ezekiel
Daniel
Esther
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

This is roughly chronological, with some exceptions. I begin with Ecclesiastes, it seems good to start my trip through the Bible with a reminder to fear God and keep his commandments. The other poetic and wisdom books (except Psalms which I will read each day) – Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and Job, are interspersed throughout the plan. I have split up Deuteronomy. The last acts of Moses are kept at the end of the Pentateuch reading but I have moved the bulk of Deuteronomy to just before the period when the prophets start to foretell judgment on Israel. In Deuteronomy Moses recalls for the people all that the Lord has done for them and warns them that judgment will come if they stray. That judgment is fulfilled during the time of the prophets so Deuteronomy will be a good lead-in. I could have shuffled around 1 and 2 Chron but the books were written for the people of Judah that were returning from exile. It reminded them of God’s promise to his people and how the people had violated the requirements of God, resulting in exile. On the whole the focus is on the faithfulness of God. The people may have been crushed during exile, but God will keep his promises to them, primarily the Messianic prophecies through the descendants of David.

Once again I will use the Bible reading module of Logos Bible Software to keep track of my daily reading. I occasionally read the text straight from Logos but I usually prefer to read it in my print copy where I can underline and jot little notes. I always do my reading from the ESV simply as a matter of preference. On the whole it is a great translation that communicates the meaning of the Bible without doing too much fiddling with the text. Some fiddling is necessary at times to bring ancient notions into modern language and culture but too much fiddling runs the risk of distorting the original meaning of the text. The ESV translators have struck a good balance that keeps the translation “essentially literal”.