Green Baggins

It is a reasonable question, especially of those engaging in theological novelty and innovation:

“So, I ask the question again: what benefits do reprobates members of the visible church receive, and what do they lose when they apostatize, and how are these benefits the same and different from those received by the elect?”

The FV proposes that the reprobate Church member (RCM) possess a real experience of Christ and his salvific benefits. To be fair, they propose:

• An experience of Christ and his benefits that is real, originating in the work of the Spirit, and
• An experience of Christ and his benefits that parallels those benefits experienced by elect Church members (ECM), but
• An experience of Christ and his benefits that is not the same as that experienced by ECM, in that,
• The experience of the RCM is temporary, whereas the experience of the ECM is permanent.

Admittedly there are additional differences noted by different FV advocates (the spectrum seems to run from Wilson on the moderate end, to Wilkins in the middle, to Jordon on the extreme end). Yet this summary is the minimal that can be summarized with a reasonable expectation that no cries of “foul” will be heard from the FV.

This summary is not sufficient to relieve those of us opposed to the FV of our case of the willies. It could be that we “anti’s” are misunderstanding, overreacting, maybe even deliberately misrepresenting the positions of FV advocates. Or it could be that FV advocates are less than clear. My efforts at listening to the FV lead me to conclude that the problem is a matter of equivocation. FV advocates continually use the same words to mean different things - without distinguishing or (apparently) even recognizing the problem.

Regardless of who is right and who is wrong, we can move past this dilemma by putting effort into answering the question asked at the beginning of this post. A place to start is with reference to the differences between Justifying Faith (JF) and Temporary Faith (TF).

Turretin offers a substantial explanation of the differences between JF and TF (15th Topic, 15th Question, pgs. 587-593, Vol. 2, Elentics, P&R, 1994). In this post I want to summarize Turretin’s key conclusion. The following two posts will offer a summary of Turretin’s arguments.

Turretin was writing in opposition to the Remonstrants. The Remonstrants affirmed a TF that was the same as JF except in one quality only, that of duration. According to the Remonstrants, the key difference between JF and TF is that JF includes the grace of perseverance and TF does not. I am not trying to be provocative when I observe that this is the same description offered by the FV.

If you’re familiar with Turretin’s format, you know that he introduces each subject by asking a question and then giving an answer that summarizes his conclusion. Here is Turretin’s introduction to this subject: “Does temporary faith differ only in degree and duration, or also in kind from justifying faith? The former we deny; the latter we affirm against the Remonstrants.”

To be clear, Turretin says that the Bible teaches that the JF and TF are not the same at all.  The differences between TF and JF are not like the differences between dogs and cats. These differences are more like the differences between a counterfeit $100 bill and a real one. They have some things in common (both are printed on paper, and are used to purchase things). Yet, to use Turretin’s terminology, these are not two different types of the same kind; they are two different kinds altogether. The differences between JF and TF are as dramatic as well.

Posted by Reed DePace

Turretin offers seven different ways in which Justifying Faith (JF) and Temporary Faith (TF) differ in not just duration and degree, but even more importantly in kind as well. As noted in the previous post, JF and TF are two totally different things. Here is the summary of Turretin’s points:1. As to their origin:

• JF originates in sovereign election (Tit. 1:1;Acts 13:48) and effectual calling (Rom. 8:28); whereas,
• TF issues from common grace, external and temporal (2 Tim. 2:19).

2. As to their recipient,

Of whom:

• JF is received by the elect (Tit. 1:1); whereas,
• TF is received by the reprobate (Mt. 24:11). 

In what:

• JF is received in a good heart (Lk. 8:15) and good ground (Mt. 13:23), that is a heart (ground) from the Spirit’s regenerative work (Ezk. 36:26); whereas,
• TF is received in rocky ground (Mt. 13:20), the original stony heart of death not removed by the Spirit (Ezk 36:26).

3. As to their internal principle and rooting

Internal principle:

• For JF the principle is the Spirit of regeneration (Jn. 3:5) and adoption (Rom. 8:15); whereas,
• For TF the principle is the Spirit of illumination (Heb. 6:4).

Manner of rooting:

• JF is rooted deeply, intimately, vitally, friendly, efficaciously, implanted and tempered by faith in the heart (soul; Jam. 1:21, Heb. 4:2), rooted in love (Eph. 3:17) rooted in Christ, established in faith (Col. 2:7); whereas,
• TF has no root (Mt 13:21), sticks only in the uppermost surface of the soul (the intellect), it does not penetrate the heart (soul), no true trust in Christ because it has no real uniting to, no real sap from Christ (Heb. 3:14; Rom. 11:17, 20).

4. As to their effects:

• JF in good ground (living heart, soul), united to Christ, bears fruit constantly, indeed abundantly (Mt. 13:23); whereas,
• TF, in rocky ground (dead heart, soul) having no root, remains unfruitful and barren (Lk. 8:6).

5. As to acts of faith:

Knowledge:

• In JF knowledge is deep, cleaving to the inmost heart, not merely hearing but experientially confirmed (1Pet. 2:3; Phil. 1:9), living and practical, both heat and light (1Jn. 2:4); whereas,
• In TF knowledge is superficial, theoretical, giving wisdom but not regeneration.

Assent:

• In JF assent is certain and solid, offering fullness of assurance (Col. 2:21), perceiving and agreeing to the invisible things of God as if visible (Heb. 11:1); whereas,
• In TF assent is weak, slippery, perpetually hesitating and wavering, readily yielding to temptations (Mt 7:26, 27).

Trust:

• In JF trust is true and real, arising from the deepest knowledge and sense of God’s grace (1Tim. 1:5; 2Tim. 1:5), continually cleaving to Christ (1cor. 6:17), prepared to do and suffer anything to remain in Christ (Lk. 9:23; 14:26, 27; Mt. 16:24, 25; Acts 15:26); whereas,
• In TF trust is blind and weak, mere verbal profession, not touching the heart (soul), a trust that is an empty presumption, rashly glorying in grace not possessed (Mt. 19:16-22), received only in intellect not will through love (Tit. 1:16),half-hearted (Acts 5:3), deserting Christ rather than renouncing the world (Lk 18:23).

6. As to their adjuncts and properties,

Joy:

• JF results in solid (unspeakable) joy and abiding hope for future glory (Jn. 16:23); whereas,
• TF results in some joy (Mt. 13:20), but joy that is fleeting, arising from: intellectual pleasure in the newness of the doctrine (Jn. 5:35), or from its pleasantness or promise of advantages in this life, so that when persecution arises the joy dies (Mt 13:21). .

Sanctification:

• JF is necessarily followed by sanctification, as it purifies the heart (Acts 15:9) and is efficacious through love (Gal. 5:6), enervating a reciprocal love willing to live and die or Christ (2Cor. 5:14, 15; Gal. 2:20) and a willingness to endure all things (2Cor. 4:16, 17) ; whereas,
• TF is followed by temporary external changes in behavior, escaping to some degree the pollutions of the world (2Pet. 2:20), yet never leads to heart renewal (purity in real holiness) as that when world enticements or persecutions appear, TF wearies of the changed behavior and reverts to its original pollution.

7. As to the object:

• JF perceives the gospel simply under the idea of truth, thus when facing temptations or trials it adheres to the gospel even more fully; whereas,
• TF perceives the gospel merely as a useful or pleasant good, thus when facing temptations or trials self-love asserts itself and abandons the gospel.

Rather than offer any extended analysis, let me just observe that Turretin is very clear on one thing, JF and TF have nothing essential in common. Yes, both initiate in the work of the Spirit. Yet in TF the Spirit enables the natural fallen faculties of a man to intellectually perceive the glories of the gospel. All that follows in such a man are the results of the operation of his own fallen faculties - there is no work of the Spirit producing the results seen in TF.

This is exactly opposite JF. The Spirit does not illuminate so that a fallen man can see a little better; He transforms, makes a man new so that he perceives and adheres to the gospel with a faith the never fails.

Where, in this description, is there room for the FV’s proposal that the key difference between TF and JF is the presence of perseverance in the latter?

Posted by Reed DePace

The Remonstrants offered additional arguments to prove that Justifying Faith (JF) and Temporary Faith (TF) were the same, except in terms of duration. In the last section of his denial of this, Turretin offers five additional explanations as to why JF and TF are completely different altogether.

1. Why those with TF are called “disciples of Christ,” “sons of God,” “faithful,” and “believers”: they are called either according to opinion (they seem to be such to others) or judgment of charity as they profess faith and receive the sacraments. They are not called such because they truly are such. Augustine affirms that these are called so because while they’ve received TF, they are not in God’s sight true sons of God (et.al.).
2. Perseverance is not the vital distinction between JF and TF: faith is not JF (true) because it perseveres, but it perseveres because it is JF (true). Perseverance thus is an effect, not a cause of JF. Duration (perseverance) is only a mark (index) of JF; not its source. (Therefore TF is not true; it is not of the same kind as JF).
3. No express evidence that JF and TF are the same (excepting duration): Scripture offers no statements (express or necessarily inferential) that demonstrate that JF and TF are the same (differing only in duration). The “immediate joy” response is merely the response of fallen human intellectual and the “springing up” is in a dead heart (Mt. 13:20). Any “good works” done by those with TF are like those of the ancient Jews who were condemned for their unbelief (Isa. 58:2), the Jews who exulted in John the Baptist’s message without receiving it in their hearts (Jn. 5:35), or like Herod’s protection for a time of John the Baptist ( Mk. 6:20). Such a perishable good works. The good works of JF are those that last for eternity.
4. Heb. 6:4-6 is no proof that TF is the same kind as JF: the Spirit works in the reprobate (those with TF) so that they “partake” in illumination and conviction, an awareness that only leads the reprobate to self-reformation. The “tasting” is an external (material) experience only of the material blessings found in the Visible Church. Such experiences can include even such gifts that reflect “powers of the age to come” as in miraculous works and ministerial effectiveness (Mt. 7:21-23) and yet not involve a spiritual relationship with Christ. Those with TF “taste the heavenly gift” with lips that are still spiritually dead.
5. TF is the same as JF in appearances only: TF is a real faith, in that it receives the seed (gospel) with real joy and responded to with real belief (Jn. 2:23; Lk. 8:13). Yet these are merely the real responses possible to fallen men. TF is a hypocritical faith (1Tim. 1:5; 2Tim. 1:5) that merely emulates JF, and has an external resemblance only to JF, so strong even the elect are deceived by TF.

In the FV, TF is followed (ostensibly) by an experience of a covenantal (temporary) ordo salutis. If Turretin is right about the Bible’s teaching, then the work of the Spirit in giving the Reprobate church member (RCM) Temporary Faith is limited to an illumination and conviction that only operates on the normal fallen faculties of the RCM. There is no experience of covenantal (temporary) union, justification, etc. All that exists is the RCM’s profession to possess these blessings, not a real possession.

Posted by Reed DePace

Posted by Bob Mattes

In comments late in this discussion, Federal Visionists are seen to confuse the doctrines of assurance and perseverance. Specifically, in discussing the doctrine of the perseverance (or preferably, preservation) of the saints, they introduced 2 Peter 1:10 as evidence that human works play a part in our preservation.

At issue is the difference between these two constructs eloquently delineated by Anne Ivy:

IOW, it’s not “those who persevere to the end will be saved”, but rather “those who are saved will persevere to the end.”

Big, big difference.

How right she is. The first phrase “those who persevere to the end will be saved” implies that we somehow contribute to our perseverance. Yet a Federal Visionist replied:

You are claiming that your calling and election are already sure, so there is a real conflict of doctrine here between you and Dort, not to mention the Lord. This is one of the things the FV is drawing your attention to - that you have to make your calling and election sure, not presume that that is the case already.

2Pet. 1:10: Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble

I assume that there’s some level of “covenantal faithfulness”, a continuing Federal Vision theme, embedded in that comment. Let’s put this verse in context. 2 Peter 2:8-11 says:

8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (ESV)

What are these verses about? Two things primarily: sanctification and assurance. Verses 8 and 9 clearly sum up the reasons for our display of the fruit of the Spirit listed in the preceding verses–that they are evidence of our sanctification. So Calvin says in his comments on verse 9:

This he also confirms by adding this reason, because such have forgotten that through the benefit of Christ they had been cleansed from sin, and yet this is the beginning of our Christianity. It then follows, that those who do not strive for a pure and holy life, do not understand even the first rudiments of faith.

But Peter takes this for granted, that they who were still rolling in the filth of the flesh had forgotten their own purgation. For the blood of Christ has not become a washing bath to us, that it may be fouled by our filth. He, therefore, calls them old sins, by which he means, that our life ought to be otherwise formed, because we have been cleansed from our sins; not that any one can be pure from every sin while he lives in this world, or that the cleansing we obtain through Christ consists of pardon only, but that we ought to differ from the unbelieving, as God has separated us for himself. Though, then, we daily sin, and God daily forgives us, and the blood of Christ cleanses us from our sins, yet sin ought not to rule in us, but the sanctification of the Spirit ought to prevail in us; for so Paul teaches us in1 Corinthians 6:11, “And such were some of you; but ye are washed,” etc. [my bold]

Thus Calvin confirms that the fruit of the Spirit are simply the evidence of our faith and ongoing sanctification in cooperation with the Spirit. It is in that light in which verse 10 appears. The Westminster Annotations comment on verse 10 says:

brethren] By regeneration and adoption, and union with Christ by faith, we are made the children of God, and brethren spiritually, Phil 4:1….Here it is used in the fourth sense for fellow Christians.

Thus the Divines and other Reformers saw 2 Peter as being written to those elected from before the foundation of the world, members of the invisible church, as Peter clearly says at the beginning of the letter:

To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

That is an important distinction to keep in mind relative for this letter as we move on to the annotators further comments on 2 Peter 1:10:

to make your calling and election sure] To get good grounds to assure you that ye were elected before the world, and are called out of the world. For it is sure enough in itself, by God’s decree and immutability, 2 Tim 2.19. Mal. 3.6. John 6.40. and 13.1. Rom. 11.29.
for if you do these things] Continuance then is well doing, is the way to get and keep assurance of salvation.
ye shall never fall] Jude verse 4. Our life is likened to a race, 1 Cor.9.24. we must take heed lest we fall, and come short of the prize set before us. The children of God may fall into some sins by weakness; but never so as to lose the goal. verse 11. [my bold]

Clearly the Reformers saw these verses as models both for sanctification and assurance. None of the Federal Vision’s “morbid introspection” is necessary for assurance. Also embedded in the annotators last sentence is the glorious truth that assurance unto perseverance is solely by the grace of God. Our good works performed in cooperation with the Holy Spirit are evidence, not the cause, of our assurance of election and unto perseverance.

Driving yet another nail into the Federal Vision coffin, Calvin says about verse 10:

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence. He draws this conclusion, that it is one proof that we have been really elected, and not in vain called by the Lord, if a good conscience and integrity of life correspond with our profession of faith. And he infers, that there ought to be more labor and diligence, because he had said before, that faith ought not to be barren.

Some copies have, “by good works;” but these words make no change in the sense, for they are to be understood though not expressed.

He mentions calling first, though the last in order. The reason is, because election is of greater weight or importance; and it is a right arrangement of a sentence to subjoin what preponderates. The meaning then is, labor that you may have it really proved that you have not been called nor elected in vain. At the same time he speaks here of calling as the effect and evidence of election. If any one prefers to regard the two words as meaning the same thing, I do not object; for the Scripture sometimes merges the difference which exists between two terms. I have, however, stated what seems to me more probable. [my bold]

And what about Federal Vision’s “covenantal faithfulness”?

Now a question arises, Whether the stability of our calling and election depends on good works, for if it be so, it follows that it depends on us. But the whole Scripture teaches us, first, that God’s election is founded on his eternal purpose; and secondly, that calling begins and is completed through his gratuitous goodness. The Sophists, in order to transfer what is peculiar to God’s grace to ourselves, usually pervert this evidence. But their evasions may be easily refuted. For if any one thinks that calling is rendered sure by men, there is nothing absurd in that; we may however, go still farther, that every one confirms his calling by leading a holy and pious life. But it is very foolish to infer from this what the Sophists contend for; for this is a proof not taken from the cause, but on the contrary from the sign or the effect. Moreover, this does not prevent election from being gratuitous, nor does it shew that it is in our own hand or power to confirm election. For the matter stands thus, — God effectually calls whom he has preordained to life in his secret counsel before the foundation of the world; and he also carries on the perpetual course of calling through grace alone. But as he has chosen us, and calls us for this end, that we may be pure and spotless in his presence; purity of life is not improperly called the evidence and proof of election, by which the faithful may not only testify to others that they are the children of God, but also confirm themselves in this confidence, in such a manner, however, that they fix their solid foundation on something else.

Calvin could hardly be clearer that the perseverance of the saints relies on God’s grace alone. Again, our good works merely serve as evidence of our lively faith and hence provide us with confidence in and assurance of our election unto eternal life.

What about 2 Peter 1:11? According to the Westminster Annotations:

an entrance] A large passage into the Kingdom of glory in the life to come.
abundantly] John 10.10. If ye be full of good works, ye shall have abundant reward, 1 Cor. 9.9. and 15.58. 2 John verse 8.

Consistent with the rest of Scripture, we see here that our good works decide our reward, not our “final justification”, the latter being another Federal Vision theme.

Note, also, that the reprobate in the visible church are no where in view in this passage. The reprobate in the visible church have no assurance of salvation whatsoever, at any time or in any way. We’ve argued elsewhere on this site that baptism can only contribute to the assurance for the elect, the reprobate have no assurance from their baptism. Quite the contrary, it will be an instrument in their condemnation for trampling on the blood of Christ (Hebrews 6:4; 10:29).

I think that to offer the reprobate pew sitters any assurance, as Federal Visionists do with their mythical “objective covenant”, represents a massive pastoral failure on their part. As Scripture and the Westminster Standards clearly state, assurance of election can only ever belong to those elected to eternal life from before the foundation of the world. All others should be on their knees trembling, not feeling comfortable in pews and at pot lucks.

So, 2 Peter 1:10 clearly supports the orthodox Reformed statement that “those who are saved will persevere to the end” and not the other way around; not “in some sense” but absolutely. Our good works provide us with assurance of our election, but are excluded as a player in either our justification on the one end or our perseverance on the other. And that because our perseverance depends solely on God’s infinite grace and faithfulness, not by our “covenantal faithfulness” or anything else that we do or do not do. Anything else is not Good News.

Posted by Bob Mattes

We don’t like to think about death. However, not only should we, but it is healthy that we should. It all depends on how we think about death. Do we shake our fist at God when dying? Or do we see death as the threshold to glory? Here are two utterly contrasting views of death before our eyes. An example of the first: Mark Twain, became morose and weary of life. Shortly before his death, he wrote, “A myriad of men are born; they labor and sweat and struggle;…they squabble and scold and fight; they scramble for little mean advantages over each other; age creeps upon them; infirmities follow; …those they love are taken from them, and the joy of life is turned to aching grief. It (the release) comes at last–the only unpoisoned gift earth ever had for them–and they vanish from a world where they were of no consequence,…a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever.”

An example of the second: the dying words of Edward Payson: “The celestial city is full in my view. Its glories beam upon me, its breezes fan me, its odours are wafted to me, its sounds strike upon my ears, and its spirit is breathed into my heart. Nothing separates me from it but the river of death, which now appears but as an insignificant rill, that may be crossed at a single step, whenever God shall give permission. The Sun of Righteousness has been gradually drawing nearer and nearer, appearing larger and brighter as he approached, and now he fills the whole hemisphere; pouring forth a flood of glory, in which I seem to float like an insect in the beams of the sun; exulting, yet almost trembling, while I gaze on this excessive brightness, and wondering, with unutterable wonder, why god should deign thus to shine upon a sinful worm.”

Genesis 47

Donald Grey Barnhouse once related this story about culture: Some years ago, musicians noted that errand boys in a certain part of London all whistled out of tune as they went about their work. It was talked about and someone suggested that it was because the bells of Westminster were slightly out of tune. Something had gone wrong with the chimes and they were discordant. The boys did not know there was anything wrong with the peals, and quite unconsciously they had copied their pitch. So we tend to copy the people with whom we associate; we borrow thoughts from the books we read and the programs to which we listen, almost without knowing it. God has given us His Word which is the absolute pitch of life and living. If we learn to sing by it, we shall easily detect the false in all of the music of the world. The world’s musical smiles are more dangerous than its attacking frowns. Its bells are more dangerous than its bullies. What we are going to see today is that we are to be in Egypt, but not of Egypt, in the world, but not of the world. We need to recognize that the world’s influence over us is oftentimes unconscious, like the boys influenced by the chimes.

Joseph’s brothers and his father are now all in Goshen. They are all in the land of Egypt. Goshen, however, is as close to the land of Canaan as it is possible to get in the land of Egypt. Joseph had a very good reason for wanting his people to settle so far out of the mainstream of Egyptian life. He wanted them to be in Egypt, but not of Egypt. Notice something very interesting about Jacob’s presentation to Pharaoh: Joseph does not push his family to have high positions in court. He simply does not do it. He could have. He could have said a word to Pharaoh, and each of his brothers would have had a posh job at the top of Pharaoh’s court. But that is not what Joseph does. Instead, he works hard to get them their own land in Egypt, separated from the influence of Egypt. What this shows is Joseph’s faith. He believes in the promises of God to his people, that Canaan is their real home. Yes, they are here for awhile. However, this is not their permanent rest. This is not their promised land. They are in Egypt, but not of Egypt, in the world, but not of the world.

It is evident from verse 4 that the brothers also understood this. They said that they are there to live there awhile. Another way to say it is that they are there to sojourn for awhile. They are pilgrims. They know that this world is not their home. They are just passing through. Their plea to Pharaoh is heard and approved.

After this, we see something unusual in the text. We see Jacob and Pharaoh meeting. Obviously, Moses is thinking of his own meetings with Pharaoh as he is writing this. He is comparing and contrasting the very different meetings that Jacob had with Pharaoh versus his own meetings with Pharaoh. The Scriptures say that the better person is the one who blesses the inferior person. That was true of Melchizedek and Abraham. Here it is true of Jacob and Pharaoh. Jacob blesses Pharaoh. This is in fulfillment of the promise of God to Abraham all the way back in chapter 12, verse 3, where God promises that Abraham will be a blessing to the nations. Here is Jacob being a blessing to the nation of Egypt.

The next section of our text shows us Joseph being a blessing to Egypt. Now, many people think that Joseph is acting like a tyrant here, enslaving the people, and taking everything away from them such that Pharaoh owns everything. That, however, is not true. First of all, Joseph only taxed the people’s grain %20 during the plentiful years. The people themselves would have had plenty of opportunity to build up for themselves grain in abundance. Secondly, the people themselves ask for Joseph to take the livestock. But Joseph always gives them something in return. He gives them fair market value for that livestock in the form of grain. Then, the next year, Joseph gives them again the fair market value of the grain in exchange for their servant-hood. What do the people think about it? Verse 25 has the people saying, “You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants of Pharaoh.” So the people wanted this to happen, since the famine was so severe. Desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures. Thirdly, the language for how Joseph treated the people is more like the language of shepherding rather than tyrannizing. In verse 21, the Hebrew says that he placed the people in the cities, probably for easier grain distribution. This was grace on Joseph’s part. In fact, Joseph was a complete blessing to the nation surrounding him, just as God had promised to Abraham that in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. In doing so, he did not compromise his faith. He was in Egypt, but not of Egypt, in the world, but not of the world. He never viewed Egypt as his final rest, or the final answer to life’s problems.

Ultimately, Joseph points us here to Jesus Christ, the Ultimate Blessing to all nations on earth. The nations of the world were about to perish in the spiritual hunger that sin brings with it. We were sold body and soul to the law. But Jesus bought us and redeemed us, not with grain, but with His precious blood. Then He gives us the seed to sow among all nations. Remember that you were bought with a price, and that we are all farmers of God’s seed, the Word. Our problems are never solved in an Egyptian way, in a worldly way, even if we have power in the government. Our solution always lies in the Promised Land, for us: heaven, where Jesus is.

The third section of our chapter shows us in the last days of Jacob. Jacob requires that Joseph bury him in Canaan, and not in Egypt. The reason for this is that Egypt is not their final resting place. It is Jacob’s concern, just as much as it was Joseph’s concern earlier in the chapter. In fact, the time period in Egypt was an incubation period for the people of God. It was not an interruption of the covenant promises. They needed to become large, even under persecution, just as we see the church today in China, for instance. This passage here sets the stage for the Exodus. Right now, they are the prosperous ones. But we know that as soon as a Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph, the situation would completely change, and Israel would become persecuted. That is God’s way of bringing them to their promised rest. As God did with them, so also does He do with His church. He sets the church in a place where it will be tested and persecuted. In Egypt, in fact, in the world, but not of the world.

How is it sometimes that we are in the world and of the world? So often is this the case, that it is often very difficult to tell the difference between the Christians and the non-Christians. Divorce is only 1% lower among Christians than among non-Christians, and that rate is about 50%. Christians lie, kill, steal, commit adultery, and every other sin just about as much as non-Christians these days. Why is that? It is because we have lost sight of our Promised Land, lost sight of our pilgrimage status, lost sight of the fact that this world is not our home. We have lost sight of Christ. We should not ever lose sight of Christ. Instead, we should be in the world, but not of the world, in Egypt, but not of Egypt.

What is our hope ultimately? We find it in verses 29-30. Jacob tells Joseph to bury him in Canaan, and not in Egypt. Why is that? Well, to continue our theme, it certainly is because he saw the Promised Land as the real stopping place, the real place of rest. However, there is more. Jacob did not need to worry about his soul. Instead, he believed that having his body in that place meant something. Well, it would only mean something if he believed in resurrection from the dead. Ultimately, that is where Jacob’s hope is. It is in the resurrection. Is our hope in the resurrection of our body, just as Christ’s body was raised from the dead? If that is not our hope, then we are still in our sins. We should not be fixed in false hopes. Our hope must be in the resurrection of Christ, being the first-fruits of the resurrection harvest when Christ comes back. Then, we will truly be of the new heavens and the new earth. Then we will be in the world, and of the world, the changed world.

Matthew 5:8

US News and World Report did a study about television. That study showed that children on average will spend more than 20,000 hours before the television set, which is far more time than he will ever spend in a classroom. What do they see? Violence, perversion, lying, cheating, stealing, blackmail, embezzlement and other delights of our age. Violence, for instance, is so common on TV that it occurs five to nine times in on hour of prime-time television, and as often as thirty times in one hour during Saturday morning cartoons and after-school cartoons. Researchers have found clear evidence that “heavy TV watchers” are no longer shocked or horrified by violence. The report concludes in this way, “It will be difficult for the children who are raised in this era when they reach adult life to be decision-makers about right and wrong, because they have been without guidelines. They will have no idea what moral concepts are all about.” The date of this study? 1975. Has the situation gotten better or worse since then? Has it gotten better or worse in our community? What is purity of heart?

Often we think that purity is unattainable. We think that purity of heart is for those “super-Christians” out there who have got their act together. But Jesus says that only the pure in heart will see God. That means that we all need purity of heart.

Purity in heart comes in two sizes. The first one is purity of conversion. That means that when we come to union with Jesus Christ, we are clothed with righteousness. That is, while we are still sinners, Christ takes out our heart of stone, gives us a heart of flesh in regeneration. We are then clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. When God looks at us He sees Jesus’ righteousness.

By the way, if you do not know Jesus, now is the time to recognize that you are not pure in heart. None of us are really pure in heart. We need someone else’s purity to clothe us.

The second kind of purity is the process of purity. That happens throughout our lives and that is what Christ is mainly talking about here. Purity means unmixed holiness. When we say “pure gold” we mean that there is only gold there, nothing else. So when Jesus tells us that we need a pure heart, it means that our hearts need to be righteous without anything else in there. Thomas Watson says this, “A Christian’s great care should be to keep the heart pure, as one would especially preserve the spring from being poisoned. In a duel, a man will chiefly guard and fence his heart, so a wise Christian should above all things keep his heart pure. Take heed that the love of sin does not get in there, lest it prove mortal.”

When Jesus spoke the woes in chapter 23 that are the negative version of the blessings given here, one of the woes was spoken to the Pharisees. Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.” Jesus is talking about purity here. There needs to be purity not only on the outside, but also on the inside. It is not enough to say that we have not sinned outwardly. We also need to be sin-free on the inside, that part that no one can see.

But why? What reason is there to be pure in heart? First and foremost, because God will not tolerate impurity in His presence. What would God do with an unholy servant? Christ also says, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Another reason for purity is that God dwells in us. You would not want to go live in a house that was incredibly unclean, with roaches, ants, termites, wasps, and filth all over the place, would you? Then why do we expect God to dwell in us, when we have such filth in our lives? Why would God want to come live inside a dirty, filthy, rotten hole like our hearts? If our body is to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, our heart is to be the Most Holy Place, where God Himself has set up His throne. Those are the reasons why we must be holy.

What purity of heart is not can be readily seen. We must not be content with outward purity. As Christ said, a person can be spick and span outside, but be full of murder, adultery, covetousness, and all manner of other sins on the inside. Christ said that out of the heart comes all these sins anyway. Let me just say a word here about behavior. Often we think that if a person changes their behavior, then they must be okay on the inside, too. That is a lot like a parable one of my professors told one day in class. His wife was upset that their apple tree was looking very ugly. It has brown ugly fruit on it, and wouldn’t the husband please do something about it. So the next Saturday, the wife looks out her window to see the husband with a ladder, a bushel of apples, and a staple-gun. About an hour later, she looks out again and sees a beautiful tree full of beautiful apples. How long will it last? As long as those apples last. Those apples, though, are not connected to the root. If they were connected to the root of that tree, then they wouldn’t be such beautiful apples. Those apples are just like our outward behavior, and the root of the tree is just like our heart. If the root of the tree is sound and healthy, then the apples that will be produced will be sound and healthy apples. However, if he root is rotten, then no amount of fresh apples will change that root. The problem will only be temporarily fixed. Eventually, those apples will shrivel up and drop off the tree. In this community especially, I see a focus on behavior. There is nothing wrong with that. We want to see behavior change and come into conformity with God’s Word. But without a pure heart, it will not ultimately change the behavior. Eventually, the “new behavior” will look just like the old behavior. We cannot be satisfied with outward change. We need to be concerned with issues of the heart.

Any issue of the heart that introduces impurity will always have an idolatry associated with it. You can think of any sin in the world, and I will tell you what idolatry is going along with it. For instance, covetousness, theft, and envy have a heart idolatry of wealth. Wealth is desired more than God, and so God is set aside in the heart. You cannot add anything to just God in the heart without an idolatry. Another example: adultery and lust have as their heart idolatry man itself, and finding pleasure and ultimate satisfaction in something other than God. There is no sin that is not idolatry. Idolatry is the very definition of impurity. Instead of being filled only with worship of God, we introduce a substitute, something impure. What Christ is really saying here is “Blessed are those who worship God alone, for they will see God.”

What are some things that contribute to heart idolatry? Ignorance is one. Sometimes we pride ourselves on saying something like this, “I may not know much, but my heart is pure.” That is a lot like saying, “I may be blind, but my eyes are doing well.” Ignorance of God and the Bible is opposite to love. You cannot love someone you do not know. Hollywood says something different, I know. They think it is possible to love at first sight. Hey still believe that after all these years. But the fact is that you cannot love someone you do not know. That means that the less we know of God, the less it is possible for us to love Him. Ignorant minds are impure minds. You cannot go to heaven in the dark.

Another thing that contributes to impurity is a sense of self-sufficiency. Those who say that they do not need purity are those very people who need it the most. If you have cancer, and you keep on saying that you do not have cancer, that denial is worse than the disease. Do not deny that you need purity. Do not deny that you are not there yet. Do not say that you have arrived, and those poor other people out there are much less holy than you are. That is proof of an impure heart.

Another impediment to purity of heart lies in sin itself. Sometimes we think that we can be pure while holding on to just one sin that we cannot let go. But Satan can hold on to a person by just one sin. Another way we do this is to plan sin in our lives. Sinners cater to their own desires. For instance, if you know that you have trouble wasting time on the TV, why do you not throw the TV away? Or if you know that a bad program is coming on the TV, why do you make sure that everything else is out of the way so that you can watch that bad program? If you eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. That is, if your TV causes you to sin, take out the plug of the TV and throw it away. There are far better things in life to do than to watch TV.

Instead of doing these things, desire purity. That is the first step. A good sign of a pure heart is that it desires purity. How much do we desire purity? Oftentimes we will avoid sin merely because we want to avoid sin’s consequences. In our community, how often do we avoid sin merely because our neighbor would catch us at it, and we would lose our standing in the community? Should we not rather desire purity for itself, and because God wants us to have it? Purity of heart means desiring purity of heart.

Purity of heart also means avoiding the appearance of evil. The reason we should be afraid to sin in front of other people is not because we will lose OUR standing, but because we might cause someone else to sin. Purity of heart then means selflessness, not selfishness. Peer pressure can be intense. “Everyone else is doing it” is a common plea to justify our sin. A pure heart looks at God’s Word, which is pure, and says, “This alone is my guide for right and wrong.”

With whom do you spend your time? Do you spend it with sinners or saints? Now I know, the first objection that will come out of your mouth to this is that because Jesus spent time with sinners wanting to make them pure, therefore we should do the same. However, we are not Jesus. It is true that we must evangelize. But in what setting? How much evangelization has ever happened in a bar, for instance? If you want to spend time with an unbeliever for the purposes of evangelization, then invite him into your home. Let him see what a difference Christ has made in your life. Rather, we should spend far more time with other believers than we do now. Those are the people who can encourage us. They can sharpen us. If we want to be pure, then we must walk with those who are pure.

What is the promise for those who are pure in heart? They shall see God. Do we even know what a privilege that is? That is what Moses wanted more than anything else. He said to the Lord, “Show me your glory.” The Lord said that no one could see God and live. But he showed Moses just the backside of His glory as he passed by. Just that one glimpse was enough to set Moses’ face glowing so much that the people down at the foot of the mountain were afraid. If we were to really examine our hearts, we would find that the thing we really want the most is to see God. For one thing, seeing God transforms us. It is pure joy to be a pure child of God seeing the pure God of the universe. When the thief was on the cross, Jesus said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. Paradise is seeing God. This will not be like some earthly pleasure that grows old. God will make us desire Him ever more fully, and yet He will fill us to the very last drop. He will increase our desire for Him, and keep that desire completely filled. Maybe at some point in your life, you have “seen God” with the eyes of faith. You have had one of those “mountain-top” experiences. It might have come at a very odd moment in your life. Maybe it was while you were combining on a crisp gorgeous fall day, like yesterday. Maybe you went on a vacation and saw beauty that pierced your heart. Maybe you had a dream that was so beautiful that you always wanted to get back to that dream and enjoy it again. Those desires that awakened in you are really desires for heaven and to see God. That is what you will receive immediately upon quitting this life, if you are pure in heart. Jesus says also, “Cursed are the impure in heart, for they will never see God, except as judge.” Do not put off the pursuit of holiness, and of purity. Get rid of your heart idols. Have fellowship with others who also desire purity of heart. Look to God, for then you will see Him.

television purity conversion imputed righteousness righteousness hypocrisy behavioral change idolatry sin friends

Faith is a gift of God. Many people think that faith comes from within yourself. “Believe in yourself,” people say. Well, I happen to think that I am a very poor object in which to have faith. If it depends on me to be saved, then woe to me.

However, true faith is faith in someone else, namely, Jesus Christ. Faith is an accepting, receiving, and resting on Him alone for our salvation. Faith is an empty hand that simply receives. Furthermore, we cannot even stretch out that hand without God’s help.

Faith is an instrument. In justification, for instance, it is not faith itself that is imputed for righteousness, but rather the object of faith that is imputed, namely, the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Those who say otherwise are not understanding the nature of faith. Faith does not have a substance of its own, or a righteousness of its own. Rather, faith lays hold of something outside itself, making the believer united to Jesus Christ.

There are degrees of saving faith. That is, all saving faith has some inviolable characteristics. However, the degree of faith varies in different Christians. Some Christians, such as George Muller, had (or have) extraordinarily powerful and strong faith. Other Christians have weak faith. Let not the strong look down on the weak, but rather let them seek to help the weak grow.

Faith reacts appropriately to the Word of God. If there is one thing that is mostly lacking in churches these days, it is a desire to lead biblical lives. Most church-goers will say that they have faith, some more, some less. But how many actually make their day-to-day decisions based on Scripture? It is not too difficult to make large decisions based on Scripture, because we see the need of it more. But in the little decisions, all too often we are stricken with a lack of faith, and think that God doesn’t have anything to say to us about such matters. But the faithful person will look at God’s Word, and react according to how each passage should affect them. Faithful people react with wariness when warned, with joy when encouraged, belief when promised, etc. And faithful people love the study of God’s Word. How many Christians are there who absolutely love to dig into God’s Word? Precious few. Most of them think it is above them, and is only to be for the professionals. Or, they just don’t care. Faith believes that every word of God is precious, and is to be mulled over, and digested, and gnawed; in short, seen from every legitimate angle possible, so as to produce a harvest of righteousness. Glory be to God!

Genesis 19:23-29
The story is told of the man who, while walking on the beach, found washed up on the sand a used magic lamp. When the genie answered his rub, he told him that the lamp contained only one remaining wish. The man pondered for a moment, and then requested a copy of the stock page from the local newspaper, dated exactly one year later. In a puff of smoke, the genie was gone, and in his place was the financial news. Gleefully, the man sat down to peruse his trophy; he could invest with certainty, knowing the winners one year in advance. As the paper fell to his lap, it turned over to the obituary column found on the reverse of the page, and the name on the top of the listing caught his attention-it was his! That probably caught the man just a little off guard. You see, he wasn’t prepared to meet his Maker. He wanted to have his heaven here on earth. He wanted to look into the future, but he wasn’t prepared for what he would find there. The residents of Sodom and Gomorrah should have had one of those. They would have found out that their time was up. God had been gracious long enough. Now it was time for judgment.

In verse 23, we see that the sun had arisen. That means that the day of judgment had come. We also learn from this verse that Lot reached the little town just as the sun was rising. At that exact moment, the Lord started His judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was quite a sound and light show. Sulfur and fire rained out of heaven onto those two cities. Some scholars say that the Lord accomplished this by an earthquake. They find support for their view by looking at the word “overturn,” where it says that the Lord overturned Sodom and Gomorrah. It is quite possible that an earthquake was involved. And earthquake might have let loose some gases that had been stored beneath the surface. Then those gases would have ignited with all the ash in the air. But we cannot explain the entirety of the destruction as due to an earthquake. It says plainly that the Lord rained down fire and brimstone from heaven. That means that the Lord accomplished this by more than merely earthly means. There was judgment coming from above as well as possibly below.

Verse 25 describes a virtual anti-creation. We see the reversal of creation, as it were. Instead of man and animal, we see chaos. Instead of fruitful plain, we see all the vegetation burned up.

And then we see something recorded for our benefit. Lot’s wife looked back and was judged for it. Now, some people think that she actually went back into the city, such that she was caught up in the general destruction. Others think that she was following right behind Lot, but then looked back, and was instantly turned into salt. Probably the truth is somewhere in-between: she looked back and lingered long enough for the destruction to overtake her. She disobeyed the explicit command of the angels, who said, “Do not look back.” Jesus tells this story in Luke 17:28ff: Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot-they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all-so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”

Jesus retells this story in order to tell us something about the coming of the Lord. It is not something for which you will get any advanced warning. There is no warning at all. The Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. We must be ready.

Are you ready? Being ready is not merely having made a profession of faith. Being ready obviously also includes not looking back to that old lifestyle that we led before we became a Christian. There is no turning back. When Cortez reached the New World on his great expedition, he burned all his ships. As a result, his men were well-motivated. Have we burned our sinful ships of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life?
Notice something else here in the text: The name of “Lord” or “God” is mentioned or is referred to seven times in this passage. The point is that God does not just hand out judgment at random. This is not some homicidal maniac in the heavens raining down fire and brimstone with a touch of glee as he sees the judgment unfold before His eyes. It did not happen that way. The Lord gave the Sodomites plenty of time to repent of their wickedness. However, that was not to be. They did not repent. And so, the Lord brings justice on Sodom and Gomorrah. We have to realize here that Sodom and Gomorrah got nothing more than they deserved. It was the just fruit of their labors in sin. The Lord says to us that desire, when it matures, gives birth to sin. And sin, when it matures, brings forth death. That is what we see happening here.

In verse 27-28, we see an interested spectator in the person of Abraham. Abraham might well have been curious as to whether there were ten righteous people in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. No such luck. The only righteous people in the whole city were Lot and his daughters. Abraham, however, does not meet them coming out of the city. As far as Abraham knows, Lot is dead. However, we know from the story that all is not lost. It is said that God remembers Abraham, and therefore rescues Lot.

A good analogy to this situation can be found in any disaster movie. Take the Titanic, for instance. You know right from the beginning that the Titanic is doomed, simply from the way in which the story is told. The big question of the movie, though, is this: will anyone survive? That is a good analogy to the story of humankind. We have seen the disaster film of the creation and the Fall. That is our story. There is no other way to describe Genesis than as a disaster story. The bright spots in the story occur when we see a glimpse of the end of the story in Jesus Christ. There is hope, since God is in the business of saving His people. We saw that early on in chapter 3, where we see the Gospel in seed form. So, when we look at the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, we should see that story as a miniature of the story of humankind. Is there anyone who can be saved?

This is a far different question than the world would ask. The world would deny that anyone needs saving in the first place. “Why would anyone want religion?” the world asks. It is only like a drug, making a person stupid and lazy. What should really happen, says the world, is that God should reward our basically good behavior by letting into heaven without talk of all this judgment. There are many churches who preach this kind of heresy. But what is the truth of the matter? God is not some homicidal maniac, but a Just Judge, as well as a loving Father. The question we should be asking ourselves is not, “Why would God send anyone to hell?” It should be perfectly obvious to us by now in our study of Genesis that no one deserves heaven, and that we all deserve hell. The question in our minds should rather be, “Why in the world would God send anyone to heaven?” These two questions hinge on whether mankind is seen as morally good, or morally evil. If mankind is morally good, then God would certainly be a homicidal maniac to send anyone to hell. On the other hand, if mankind is basically evil, then God is seen as incredibly gracious in saving people, such that they can go to heaven.

Then what is the way to heaven? Well, it is to trust in that person who has dragged us out of the Sodom and Gomorrah of our past lives, and forcibly take into another place. It is to believe in that person who took on himself the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is to believe in Jesus.

But it is also more than that. It is pressing forward, and not looking backward. The one who looks back with longing at his sin is the one who put his hand to the plow and looked back. That person is not fit for the kingdom of God. You want to know something, though? We all do that, don’t we? If we do, then we should tremble. There are warnings in Scripture about doing that. Those warnings should not be taken lightly. When you feel tempted to look back, then you should at that very moment look to Christ. Christ is praying for us, that we should not fall, even though Satan is going to sift us like wheat.

If you truly trust the Lord, and believe in Jesus, then you will be like Abraham looking out toward Sodom and Gomorrah, safe and sound. There is nothing for you to worry about, if you trust in Jesus. The righteous will look on the destruction of the wicked. Abraham does not rejoice, and neither will we. God does not delight in the destruction of the wicked. He only delights in the salvation of His saints. And then God delights in the death of the His saints, since it is merely to bring them home. It is believing that that will make us ready to face our Maker. So don’t be like the man who wished for future financial knowledge from the genie. He was looking backward to this life, and wanting it all now. As a result, he was not in the least ready to face his maker. Instead, we should look forward to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross and its shame, despising the shame, because of the greatness of the reward. It is only in Christ that we can find that security that we are looking for. Trust in Jesus today.