Two Types of Justice

We often hear the statement, “God is a God of love but He is also a God of justice.” What is wrong with this statement is the obvious error that it equates God's justice with all that is negative. It makes God's justice appear as the inverse of His love. God's justice, on the contrary, is a product or an attribute of His love. It is not and will never be in any way divorced from His benevolence.

It must be remembered that the primary function of law is to secure the happiness and well-being of any given society. Laws are never intended as ends in themselves, but as means

An effectual substitute for the normal execution of the penalty for lawbreaking is what King Darius labored earnestly but failed to find. God, on the other hand, was able to provide an adequate substitute and satisfy the demands of public justice. An exception would be made and a pardon granted. The biblical word for this substitution is atonement. God's solution to His "lion's den" problem was the governmental substitution of the sufferings of Christ for the punishment of sinners.

It is crucial to our discussion of reconciliation that we do not confuse these two types of justice.. If this does occur it will thoroughly confound our understanding of the nature of forgiveness.

The Nature of Forgiveness

The assertion that Jesus paid for our sins has caused confusion within the body of Christ. It is casually accepted that our salvation hinges on a legal transfer of some sort between two members of the Trinity-Jesus and His Father. This has become the nearly unanimous answer to the question, “Who did Christ pay?” If Christ indeed paid the Father for sin then it was retributive justice that was served and not public justice. We should remember that under retributive justice no forgiveness is possible. Forgiveness, correctly defined, is the relaxation of a legitimate claim. According to this definition God could not have, as one hymn puts it, “paid the debt and forgave Me all my sin.”

Let me illustrate: If I borrow one hundred dollars on the condition that it be repaid at a later date, the lender has a legitimate claim. But when I return the money, the claim against me is not relaxed but fulfilled. No forgiveness takes place whatsoever. Taking the illustration one step further, let’s assume that after borrowing the hundred dollars, I find for some reason that I am unable to repay my debt. A good friend of mine, however, is good enough to offer one hundred dollars in my stead. Again we have the same result. The claim against me has not been relaxed but fulfilled, and similarly no forgiveness whatsoever takes place. The Bible teaching on the nature of forgiveness is seen in one of Jesus’ parables:

For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. And when he had begun to settle them, there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents. But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. The slave therefore falling down, prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.’ And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. —Matthew 18:23-27 (NASB)

The sole reason for the slave’s release was his lord’s compassion. Forgiveness in this parable is certainly the relaxation of a legitimate claim. No third party intervened, no bargain was made, the debtor was simply released from his debt. It is possible to receive payment on a claim, and it is permissible to forgive a claim, but you cannot do both! The Bible portrays a God who is completely desirous and willing to forgive sin without receiving any payment to satisfy a vindictive urge.

Elaborating on the subject, Dr. Nathan Beman states,

“The existence of the attribute of mercy was, like God Himself, eternal; and no new and super added motive was necessary in order to elicit this attribute in action. The atonement was operated not as a bribe, or reward, or original cause, influencing the divine feelings; nor as a moral persuasive to the exercise of compassions hitherto unfelt; but it opened a channel in which existing affections might freely flow; and, at the same time, it rendered the pardon and salvation of the sinner consistent with every principle of the divine government and every attribute of the divine nature. In one word, the atonement was not the procuring cause of mercy, but it was the mode in which mercy was to find for itself an illustrious expression in the system of the Gospel.”[7]

One school of thought states that the atonement totally satisfied retributive justice (the so called satisfaction doctrine). If this is true, then we face the prospect of a divided Trinity, the second Person of the Trinity being more loving that the first! Biblical scholar Gustaf Aulen shares Augustine's early concern over this concept.

…He seems to intend a pointed rejection of any such idea. He denies that God the Father can be in any way ‘placated’ by the Son's death; for in that case there would be a difference of some kind, even a conflict, between the Father and the Son: but that is unthinkable, for between the Father and the Son there is always the most perfect harmony.[8]

The strongest implication of this doctrine, however, ought to make us shudder. If God demands repayment for what sin was done to Him—if He requires full, vindictive satisfaction before releasing His claim—we find ourselves facing the conclusion that there is no loving moral Being in the universe! Fortunately this is not the case. The Bible explains God's purposes in the death of Christ.

Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. —Romans 3:24-26 (NASB)

Jesus’ death was a public demonstration. This type of public demonstration was the substitute God needed in order to satisfy public justice, since public justice did allow for pardon. This public demonstration of the sufferings of Christ solved God’s governmental problem by revealing the Lawgiver as just and wise in dispensing with the penalty. At the same time, it allowed Him to do what His heart really wanted to do—forgive the offender He loved.

Virtuous Love

Virtuous, unselfish love is totally foreign to our way of thinking. Robert Ringer gives his advice on how to be a truly “giving” person.

Simple reasoning tells you that you must regard the interests of others in order to obtain your objectives. Fellow human beings represent potential values to you in business or personal relationships, and the rational individual understands that to harvest those values he must be willing to fill certain needs of others. In this way, the most rationally selfish individual is also the most giving person.[9]

Lest this should be construed by some convoluted thought process to be Christian love, Ringer scrapes off all semantic frosting and blurts out,

Don’t do something for the reason that it’s the right thing to do if there’s no benefit to be derived from it.[10]

This dearth of understanding as to the nature of virtuous love is nowhere manifest as openly as in the contemporary evangelistic altar call. The modern-day evangelist may lack theological polish, but the really important ingredient for success comes in another package. He, must be able to sell. We are living in the era of the pragmatic sermon. Don't analyze its moral content, the question is: Does it work? The rookie evangelist may hone his techniques by studiously observing automobile salesmen at their best on late-night television. The next evening salvation is offered as “the deal of a lifetime.” “Ladies and gentlemen, just look at these extras! He comes to you, eagerly waiting to save you from hell and give you? heaven in return. And if that's not enough, consider the fact He brings you, peace and joy for your present enjoyment. Also for your comfort, He will heal your body, your finances, your grades—anything you need is available and at the disposal of those who will but believe.” The final pitch sounds something like this, “You can enjoy all of this at absolutely no extra cost—that's right, no extra cost. And Jesus Christ is the only One who can make your life the envy of your friends, so hurry down the aisle today while the offer lasts!”

From the very beginning, people learn that there is no cost involved in salvation. Jesus is presented to us as our servant, rather than our Lord. All that appeals to our self interests is highlighted so that our reaction to salvation becomes a purely selfish exercise. This is nothing less than a humanistic invasion into Christianity.

When all of our thoughts of salvation center on the question “How do I come out?”, is it surprising that we view God’s role in reconciliation in the same light? Contrary to warped speculation, God was never worried about receiving some personal satisfaction for the hurt that peoples sin had caused Him. God’s love is purely virtuous. It is unselfish, agape love. Out of this mysterious love flows God’s only concern, “How will they come out?”

The Problem of Man's Pride -The Hypocritical Problem

God's ultimate objective in the atonement was not rescuing souls from hell, but the restoration of a ruptured relationship. Jesus came to this earth to “seek and to save that which was lost.” What was lost? The intimate God-man relationship. From what were we lost? We were lost from the truth of God.

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way… —Isaiah 53:6 (NASB)

Humanity has left God and in the process has “become vain in (his) imaginations.” Apart from God, men lose all sense of proportion about their own importance. Their subjective and superficial opinions about themselves are grossly inflated. But this is no astonishing revelation; one need only look at the faces of the men and women who surround us exuding arrogance in every conceivable setting. The global megalomania of earthlings must stand out in conspicuous absurdity as the vast host of heavenly beings survey God's handiwork.

How can God relate to man in intimate fellowship when man thinks he's something more than he is? Can reconciliation occur while man is preoccupied with the false opinions he has created? The answer is, of course, no.

If God and man are going to get together, something must humble man so that he is willing to dispense with hypocritical facades. Before reconciliation can occur, we must come to the place where we see ourselves for what we really are.

I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment… —Romans 12:3 (NASB)

As blessings tend to increase our concept of our own importance (i.e., salvation, gifts, ministries), God, in order that He not add to our moral delinquency, must humble us in order to bless us. He must reveal us to ourselves.

A Change That Lasts -The Motivational Problem

The Bible tells us that people estranged from God are totally and completely corrupt. It is not a matter of cleaning up this sin or that one. Our whole personality is enslaved. We have involved ourselves in a life of total bondage.

Because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God it does not subject itself to the Law of God, for it is not even able to do so. —Romans 8:7 (NASB)

How do you deal with a lifetime of learned selfishness and its myriad manifestations? How can you maintain a relationship against the magnetism of former, inflamed appetites and habits? The key is the mind. A total change of mind is the necessary objective to be achieved in the process of reconciliation. A transformation simply must take place in our thinking. Summing it up, C. S. Lewis stated, “God became man to turn creatures into sons... for mere improvement is no redemption...”[11]

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. —Romans 12:2 (NASB)

Qualifying to Conquer

On several occasions in the New Testament, God declared His pleasure over the manner of life His Son was leading. As a result of His obedience the “second Adam” was able to bring to God’s heart what the “first Adam” never did.

This beautiful portrait of Christ’s obedience has been marred by the theological concept of impeccability. This concept teaches that Christ could not have succumbed to temptation. It is, of course, extremely difficult to explain the nature of a temptation that is impossible to succumb to. That temptation is no really honest temptation. The work of God refutes this concept.

For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. —Hebrews 4:15

Jesus’ life was intended to serve as an example of how we are to overcome. If it was impossible for Christ to have acceded to temptation, then He was surely not tempted in all ways like we are! He could not have served as an example to us since there was nothing for Him to overcome! If Christ could not have succumbed to temptation then he could not have loved us, either, for love is a proper choice between at least two alternatives.

There are those who believe that the essence of the atonement existed in Christ’s obedience to the moral law on behalf of sinners. This also is questionable on several counts:

1. The moral law required the obedience of Christ himself. Had he not obeyed, He would have disqualified Himself as an effective substitute.
2. If He had obeyed the law as our substitute, then why should we be required to obey it?
3. Had Christ obeyed for us, then why would God require Him to die also, as if there had been no obedience, and then require us to repent and obey as well?

The chorus Amazing Grace would certainly take on new meaning were this the case. For it is truly “amazing” grace that requires a debt to be paid repeatedly before an obligation is discharged!

More Problems With Payment

Various biblical words and phrases convey the idea that a payment was involved in the atonement; “ransom,” “redeem,” “you are brought with a price,” to name just a few. It is imperative to interpret these words in light of the overall teaching of the Word on salvation.

The payment theory, which is sometimes referred to as the satisfaction theory,* originated by and large with Anselm of Canterbury. “He clearly taught an ‘objective’ atonement, according to which God is the object of Christ’s atoning work, and is reconciled through the satisfaction made to His justice.”[2] This theory results from his confusion of the difference between an allegory and a metaphor.

An allegory is a story created to portray a spiritual truth. It can be taken literally with the details pressed for meaning. A religious metaphor on the other hand, while also meant to convey a spiritual truth, is not to be taken in a literal, physical way. “You are bought with a price” is a good example of a metaphor which is very often interpreted as an allegory. Furthermore, in this particular passage the word price can be translated honor.

Wherever… analogies from legal procedure are employed, they are usually assumed to prove the presence of the ‘objective’ or ‘judicial’ view of the atonement… there is need, therefore, of the greatest caution in the exegesis of the language used of the atonement.[3]

Christ has not redeemed us by giving His life as a ransom for our sins in order that He might release us for God never kept man captive in sin. On the contrary, it was He who wanted to make man free.

…the Scriptures frequently describe the atonement in language of a figurative character; and the literal construction (interpretation) which has been put upon this language has, no doubt, sometimes… misled the honest inquirer. We are informed by the pen of inspiration, that Christ ‘hath purchased’ the Church ‘with his own blood.’ Christians are said to be ‘bought with a price.’ …These and many other passages of similar import, are often pressed into a literal exposition, while their figurative character is entirely overlooked. When the Scriptures tell us, that Christ ‘hath purchased’ the Church, or that believers ‘are bought with a price,’ they do not intend to teach us that salvation of sinners through atonement is a pecuniary transaction, regulated according to the principles of debt and credit; but that their salvation was effected, in the moral government of God, by nothing less than the consideration —the stipulated consideration of the death of his beloved Son.

To these figurative expressions are super added others of human origin—such as: “Christ has paid our debt—has answered the demands of the law, and satisfied the justice of God in our behalf.” If we say that Christ has paid our debt, it is true only in a figurative sense; and can mean no more nor less than this, that the sufferings of Christ accomplished the same purpose, in the divine administration, which would have been accomplished by our rejection and punishment.

‘Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.’ We need no other proof than that suggested in this passage, that Christ did not pay the debt, or literally suffer the penalty of the law for his people. He prepared the way for our debt to be remitted; or in plain language, dispensing with all metaphor, he made it consistent and proper and honorable for sin to be forgiven according to the prescribed terms of the gospel.[4]

The truth is, Christ paid no man’s debt. It is true, indeed, that our deliverance is, in Scripture, sometimes called a redemption; and this word refers to the deliverance of a prisoner from captivity, which is often effected by the payment of a sum of money. Christ is also called a ransom, and we are said to be ‘bought with a price.’ But it must be remembered that these are figurative expressions. They are designed to communicate this idea, that as payment of money as the price of liberty is the ground on which prisoners are released from captivity, so the atonement of Christ is the ground on which sinners are pardoned,or set free from a sentence of condemnation. These passages, thus understood, appear intelligible and consistent; whereas, understood literally, they would contradict other plain declarations of the Word of God. It is evident, therefore, that these are metaphorical expressions, and were never designed to be taken in a strictly literal sense.[5]

There is a very real sense, however, in which salvation did cost something. There was a very high price for the Father to pay. The cost was His Son’s life. C.S. Lewis comments:

It costs God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills cost Him crucifixion.[6]

There is another aspect to this cost factor. It is discovered in the spiritual equation that intimacy is proportional to grief. The more you love someone the deeper you can be wounded. Simply because God deeply loves us and wants us back, and has expressed His willingness to take us back with open arms, does not mean His forgiveness is without cost.

In the first place, it isn’t always that simple to forgive other people. If someone hurts you in a small way and apologizes, it is easy to accept the apology. But the greater the wrong or the injury, the harder it is to forgive. If a husband is unfaithful to his wife but comes back and asks forgiveness, she may be willing to forgive; but the forgiveness will not be an easy or casual thing. it will cost a great deal. It will hurt. For the essence of forgiveness is that you accept the wrong or the injury that has been done to you; you bear the consequences of it without retaliation and without being bitter or resentful.[7]

The danger lies in the redefining of God’s personal effort and sacrifice (in the atonement) to indicate some type of commercial transaction. If we accept the premise that Jesus literally purchased our salvation with His blood, this approach not only portrays God as vindictive and bloodthirsty and totally incompatible with biblical forgiveness, it also presents another grave difficulty. If Jesus literally paid for our sins with his blood (a paid debt is no longer a debt), and He died for the sins of the entire world, then we can come to only one conclusion, universalism, which means the whole world will be saved. If salvation is basically a legal transaction, then I have no debt or obligation remaining and my ignorance of this situation would not alter the fact.

An alternative offered by proponents of the Commercial Transaction Theory is that of a limited atonement. This view holds the same premise as the universalists that the atonement was an exact, literal payment for sin, but concedes that not all are being saved. Therefore, the atonement was not made for all but was limited to the “elect.” Since the concept of a limited atonement is conspicuously absent from the scriptures, we can only view this theory as the product of man’s presumption. This doctrine of election is clearly refuted in the following scriptural revelations:

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. —John 3:16 (NASB)

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. —1 John 2:2 (NASB)

Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any one hears My voice and opens the door. I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me. —Revelation 3:20 (NASB)

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. —1 Timothy 2:3-4 (NASB)

We also have the problem of knowing whether or not we happen to be one of those fortunate enough “elected” to salvation. How dreadful to be commanded to repent under the penalty of death with only the possibility that an atonement was made for you.

Suffering vs. Punishment

Adherents to the Commercial Transaction Theory rightly believe that guilty sinners deserve to be punished. The theory falters, however, when it represents Christ paying the Father an equal amount of suffering in His own person that sinners would have otherwise been liable to pay. But if Christ was punished to purchase our salvation:

1. This would require satisfaction of retributive rather than public justice. (Remember no amount of punishment will render a sinner less guilty. Guilt can only be forgiven, not punished away.)
2. Punishment implies guilt. (It would be unjust for God to punish an innocent person.)

The difference between suffering and punishment is simply this: One is involuntary while the other is voluntary. The Bible clearly teaches that Christ willingly suffered and died for our sins.

Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. —John 10:17-18

Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. —John 19:10-11

Sacrifices and Blood

As we consider Old Testament procedures relating to offerings and sacrifices, we learn a great deal about God’s method of forgiveness. These offerings and sacrifices can be divided into two categories:

Notice immediately that these sacrifices did not represent a substitutionary suffering for the sinner. We draw this conclusion for the following reasons:

1. When an animal was offered as a blood sacrifice it was not tortured slowly but was put to death very quickly.
2. No sacrifices could be offered for crimes that deserved capital punishment. Anyone guilty of a capital crime was executed.
3. In the case of poor families, a bushel of fine flour was accepted for a sin offering in place of a blood sacrifice. It is obviously impossible for flour to suffer.

Neither was the death of the animal a vicarious payment for sin for several reasons:

1. Again, no sacrifice could be substituted for the life of one guilty of a sin deserving capital punishment.
2. On the Day of Atonement, confession of sin was made while placing the hands on a goat. This goat was later released, while another was slain.
3. The atonement is related to the blood of the sacrifice not to the death that produced it, but to the life that is in it.

The Old Testament system of sacrificial offerings accomplished two important functions. First, the blood sacrifices were especially designed to allow God (according to public justice) to pass over the people’s sins and set aside the penalty. In order for pardon to be granted under public justice, the normal execution of the penalty which upholds the law, or gives it “teeth,” must be replaced with something equally as effective in upholding the law. The sinner needs to see how awful his sin is in God’s eyes and he must have a realization of his own guilt. All this could be accomplished on a limited and temporary scale through the Old Testament sacrificial system.

When a sinner was ready to offer up a sacrifice for his sins it was necessary, in the case of an animal, that it be without spot or blemish. The killing of anything less than perfect would diminish the impact on the beholder. The sacrificial lamb, for example, was to be a picture of health and innocence prior to slaughter. This was undoubtedly due to the fact, as we mentioned earlier, that our inclination to see sin as a cruel and reprehensible phenomenon is in proportion to the goodness and innocence of the victim. Malcolm Muggeridge recalls his experience at a sheep-shearing in Australia:

As the lambs looked up with their gentle frightened eyes, it quite often happened that the mechanical shears drew blood. The sight agitated me abnormally, the blood so red against wool so soft and white. Why did I feel as though I had seen it before, long ago? Why was the sight somehow familiar to me? That was it— the sacrificial Lamb, Agnus Dei.[8]

The Bible does not associate blood with death but with life.

The life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul… For it is the life of all the flesh; the blood of it is for the life therefore. —Leviticus 17:11,14

It is common in the Bible for blood to represent life. For example, when Jonathan declared to his father that David was innocent, he said "Wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?" (1 Sam 19:5).[9] In the New Testament the words life and blood are often interchangeable.

The Son of man came… to give his life a ransom for many. —Mark 10:45

We have redemption through his blood… —Ephesians 1:7

The one means the same as the other. God intended to put a premium on the concept of life through the blood. This was one of the reasons the Israelites were forbidden to eat blood.

Life is a prize of ultimate value, and when taken, the sinner is brought to a sobering realization of the significance God places on sin. The combination of the sacrificial lamb’s perfection, innocence and death made a profound impression upon both the individual and the nation.

To illustrate the effects of the sacrifice upon the sinner, we will return by way of imagination to ancient Israel. It was typical of many families in those days to keep animals, particularly lambs, as pets. As in our society, the young children grew very attached to their animals.

One evening as you and your brothers and sisters are running around outside your house, your father arrives to put a halt to the horseplay. After hustling you in for dinner, he snatches up your favorite lamb and ties it inside the door. On most days Dad’s arrival is a highlight, but today something must have gone wrong. He’s too serious tonight, not like usual when he throws you up on his shoulders and carries you through the door. Tomorrow, you discover, the family is going to the Temple, but what’s really great is that lamb gets to go, too!

Early the next morning your mother wakes you up, tells you to clean up and put on your best clothes. The fact breakfast was skipped this morning for the Lord wasn’t new, but Dad has never looked so serious… so sober. Anyway,’your guess is that he’s tying the lamb’s feet together so he won’t get loose in the Temple.

The family is finally on the way; Dad’s in front, with the lamb on his shoulders with Mom and all the siblings in tow. Nearing the Temple you notice some of your friends arriving, but Dad won’t let you talk to anybody. Once inside the Temple, all you can see are the backs and legs of a forest of grownups. Nobody’s talking; they’re all just kind of crying and moaning real loud. Every so often a family or group of people press their way through the crowd heading for the door of the Temple.

It’s hard to figure out what’s happening. You had never really noticed the people’s faces the other times. This was the first time, too, that Dad had ever let the lamb come, though many other people had brought theirs before.

After a very long two hours you have crept near the front. Occasionally you can see the priests’ legs and bare feet around the altar through a crack in the crowd. The wailing and moaning near the front is almost deafening.

Finally, your family is standing in front of the altar. There is blood all over the ground and splattered on the priests’ clothes. While your attention is fixed on all the blood, Dad has handed the lamb over to a priest. After saying something to Dad he lifts his head and speaks—again—probably praying. His hands are both resting on the lamb when you notice for the first time the long menacing knife at the side of the altar.

The lamb anticipates its future with a meek struggle but the leather cords hold firm. After the priest finishes praying he picks up the knife and puts his hand under the lamb’s jaw pulling its head back. Horror-struck, you watch the priest plunge the knife into its throat; the blood spills out onto the breast of the lamb, the priest and the altar. After one last spasmodic convulsion the life of your lamb is over.

As the priest spreads the blood around, the reality of the whole gruesome spectacle begins to melt your frozen stupor. Leaving the temple tears flow uncontrollably as you press through other Jewish families awaiting their turn to approach the altar. Nothing was said on the way home.

That evening, Father lifted your little frame off your tear stained pillow and gently explained as he had to your older brothers and sisters in prior years how a lamb could die instead of you.

One suspects that the child in our story began to grasp how revolting sin is to God after he saw the event in the Temple. There may not have been a thorough theological understanding, but it can doubtless be said that, at least for a while, sin would not be taken lightly by this child.

Blood signifies a cleansing agent, not a peace offering to an angry God. The blood, when sprinkled on the altar and mercy seat, was a sign to God that men had seen a life taken and that they, like-this youngster, had realized the awfulness of sin and were not inclined to hurry out and commit more.

The atonement was in the bloody realization of God’s view of sin and His law, and in its ability to humble the sinner who recognizes his guilt and responsibility. When man is in this condition, God can pardon him and reconciliation takes place. The atonement becomes the at-one-ment.

And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. —Hebrews 9:22 (NASB)

The word “almost” in this verse is a reminder that on rare occasions poor people could bring fine flour as an atoning sin offering. This reinforces the fact that God is primarily looking for a heart realization. Though best brought about through blood, it could also be produced through a cost recognition of another sort—such as food-stuff which was life sustenance to poor families. There are many interesting scriptures in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament minor prophets, which indicate that if there is no heart realization, no contrition, no impact on the one who offers a sacrifice, that blood or no blood, it is not pleasing to God.

For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. —Hosea 6:6 (NASB)

Since Ephraim has multiplied altars for sin, they have become altars of sinning for him. Though I wrote for him ten thousand precepts of My law, they are regarded as a strange thing. As for My sacrificial gifts, they sacrifice the flesh and eat it, but the Lord has taken no delight in them. Now He will remember their iniquity, and punish them for their sins; they will return to Egypt. —Hosea 8:11-13 (NASB)

’I hate, I reject your festivals, nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer up to me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; and I will not even look at the peace offering of your fatlings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves. Therefore, I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus’ says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts. —Amos 5:21-27 (NASB)

With what shall I come to the Lord and bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves? Does the Lord take delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my first born for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? —Micah 6:6-8 (NASB)

Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired, but a body Thou hast prepared for Me; in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast taken no pleasure.’ —Hebrews 10:5-6 (NASB)

For many the sacrifices had become nothing more than a tiresome ritual. People grew hard and callous and eventually began to engage in deceit and profiteering in the Temple. As long as there was an absence of heart contrition there was no efficacy in the sacrifices. Twice Jesus had to drive out merchandisers from the Temple who were making enormous profits from animals sold as sacrifices. It was against this perversion that Jesus burned with indignation. This practice, however, was nothing new, as we note in the book of Malachi:

‘Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘nor will I accept an offering from you. For from the rising sun, even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘But you are profaning it, in that you say, “The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.” You also say, “My, how tiresome it is!” And you disdainfully sniff at it,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and you bring what was taken by robbery, and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?’ says the Lord. ‘But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock, and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King says the Lord of hosts, ‘and My name is feared among the nations.’ —Malachi 1:10-14 (NASB)

The difficulty of the sacrificial system was that it was only a temporary solution. The lingering effect of the sacrifice of the little child’s lamb lasted for weeks or perhaps months. But eventually the impression wore off and had to be continuously repeated to remind the people of the true nature of sin.

But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. —Hebrews 10:3

A person needed a system whereby one could be totally and permanently changed from, within, a system whereby one’s sin wouldn’t be merely covered but removed!

Now let us examine the second function of the old covenant sacrificial system. Because man had strayed so far from God and had lost his concept of God, it accordingly became necessary to slowly and progressively bring him back to the place of complete fellowship. In other words, the old covenant was a foreshadowing of an awesome event. The sacrificial system was to build anticipation, looking forward to the full solution of the problems of reconciliation in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. —Hebrews 10:9

For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. —Hebrews 7:19

The blood of Christ opened, as the song says, “a new and living way.“ No longer would we relate to God on the basis of an external set of laws. Something happened to us when we saw Christ die under the weight of our sin. We were won by the love of Christ back into relationship. He put His laws in our hearts and minds. We keep them without even thinking about them because we’re back in a love relationship!

I think this issue was well captured in a story I’ve often heard repeated. A young woman in starry-eyed haste married a man who turned out to be a cruel tyrant. He often stayed out late drinking. One thing he faithfully saw to was a daily list of chores and duties which he expected his wife to complete. At the end of the day, if the duties were not accomplished or executed to his satisfaction, he would beat and abuse his wife. In time, this husband died a broken and bitter man. Shortly thereafter, the woman remarried. This time she married a man whose character was diametrically opposed to that of her first husband. He was a gentle, sensitive and loving man who spent many hours holding his wife’s wounded personality in his embrace. In time, remarkable emotional healing became manifest. One afternoon, as she went through the house singing and cleaning, she found a scrap of paper wedged in the crack of the sofa. Switching off the vacuum cleaner, she sat down to read it. Slowly tears began to well up in her eyes and trickle down her cheeks. It was one of her previous husband’s old lists. As her eyes descended the list, she realized that she was doing everything on it, without being told. No external list was given her each morning. It was written on her heart.

Paul sums up the effect of the new love, relationship.

For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness… ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and upon their mind I will write them.’ —Hebrews 10:14-16 (NASB)

The blood of Jesus is no admission fee which God has accepted to let sinners into Heaven; it is the means He Himself has given to sinners to cleanse them from sin… Jesus’ blood was not shed for the purpose of inducing God to let the unclean stand for the clean; but to make the unclean clean.[10]

It is important when we are discussing the new covenant that we maintain our theological equilibrium. In recent days many castigate the law as if it were the brainchild of Lucifer. Have we so quickly forgotten David’s words, “Thy law is my delight?” (Psalm 119:77). “More desirable than gold” he tells us, “Sweeter also than honey.” Let us recall Moses’ words, “So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always and for our survival…” (Deut. 6:24).

When the Bible talks about an imperfect law and replacement of the old system, it refers to Ceremonial Law, not the Moral Law. Those who fail to make a distinction here will develop serious difficulties in their lives as well as their theology.

What Killed Jesus?

This is a most important question if we are ever to fully understand the inner workings of Jesus' atoning death. If it were anyone else's death the question might seem academic. In this case, however, the implications are far too demanding. What other death, for instance, has been remembered with such passion for so long? Martyr's deaths, though perhaps remembered for a time, are prone to fade into the din and expediency of contemporary living. But Jesus was no mere martyr; for while a martyr dies to support a cause, the death of Christ began a movement that has swept the earth. And while it goes without saying that the blood of martyrs incites and inspires, and is even the seed of the church, who will be so brash as to claim it can forgive men's sins?

What killed Jesus? If the Bible is taken as a reliable source, it was clearly something other than crucifixion. While this declaration is sure to trigger scoffing among casual inquirers, those who take the time to explore will discover the evidence is solid. If, for example, crucifixion is accepted as the cause of death, it follows that Jesus was murdered; and murder is simply not consistent with scriptural revelation. Murder is the taking of a life, and Jesus' life was never taken from him. It was, quite to the contrary, willingly given or, in biblical terminology, "laid down." Jesus made this point abundantly clear so that there would be no misunderstanding.

For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me but I lay it down on My own initiative... —John 10:17-18 (NASB)

The two questions concerning the death of Christ upon which most theologians are fairly well agreed encompass where he died, and when he died. Few will dispute the fact that Jesus' final physical demise took place while he was suspended from a Roman cross. There is likewise little controversy over the matter of his unusually rapid death. Although Pilate was initially startled by the news of Jesus' early death, he settled the situation by summoning eye-witness verification.

And Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. —Mark 15:44 (NASB)

The real issue in question is how Jesus died. Here both medical and theological authorities offer varied explanations. While some appear plausible enough, others are weighted with speculation. Disagreement, present not only within the respective disciplines, but between them as well, has at times been difficult to sort. However, in keeping with modern scientific trend, medical "experts" seem to have usurped the last word with increasing consistency by virtue of the sanctity of their empirically verifiable evidence. All theological theories must these days run the scientific gauntlet in order to earn their credibility.

It was unquestionably a fortuitous moment for Christendom when that spear was so precisely thrust into Christ's defenseless side. Although it is doubtful that any of Calvary's speculators, sympathetic or otherwise, paused to interpret the subsequent flow, today in retrospect when the
account is read from John's gospel one gets the distinct impression from his almost impassioned emphasis that it is a clue which will in time bear some noteworthy significance.

But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water. And he who has seen has borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. —John 19:34-35 (NASB)

With one fateful blow the anonymous legionnaire opened a channel for physician and theologian alike to gaze into the Saviour's heart. For Christians, it merely substantiates what they have intuitively known all along. As for medical men, they shall have their mini-autopsy.

The Sin Bearer

As the initial phase of God's marvelous plan to reveal Himself to man drew to a close, He raised up a special man. He was called a forerunner to further stimulate man's anticipation of a stunning climax. This remarkable event took place, of course, when:

the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…. John bore witness of Him, and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me."' —John 1:14-15 (NASB)

This was also the Man of whom the prophet Isaiah wrote:

He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face. He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried… —Isaiah 53:2-4 (NASB)

He was the humble Servant who came to earth to identify with our situation; the one John recognized from the beginning as The Sin Bearer.

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" —John 1:29 (NASB)

As the drama unfolds, we begin to understand the significance of Isaiah's words: “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows…” What an ignominious scenario!

In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

He came to his own (Greek-his own things, possessions, domain), and those who were His own did not receive Him. —John 1:1,10-11 (NASB)

As Jesus moved about the people He knew so well it hurt that they didn't know Him. Christ treasured God's original design for man in His heart and mind, for, though in human flesh, He was as Paul reminds us "the exact representation of His (God's) nature." From the multiple marriages of the woman of Samaria, to the deceit in Jerusalem's marketplace, to the rotting flesh of Lazarus, the unnatural perversions of sin must have begun to weigh on the soul of The Sin Bearer.

And when evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill; in order that… (it) might be fulfilled, "He Himself took our infirmities, and carried away our diseases." —Matthew 8:16-17 (NASB)

And they brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty… and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, "Ephphatha!" that is, "Be opened!" —Mark 7:32,34 (NASB)

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her, also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled, and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, Lord, come and see." Jesus wept. —John 11:33-35 (NASB)

And he sighed deeply in his spirit and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. —Mark 8:12

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! —Matthew 23:37

And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it. —Luke 19:41

Although it has been many years since grief was openly recognized as a cause of death, a growing number of physicians are once again giving attention to the relationship between various sociopsychological factors and heart disease. Dr. James J. Lynch in his highly acclaimed book, The Broken Heart, states, "Stress, pain, anxiety, fear, and rage sometimes appear in indexes of textbooks on the heart, but never love." And yet, "In a surprising number of cases of premature coronary heart disease and premature death, interpersonal unhappiness, the lack of love, and human loneliness seem to appear as root causes of the physical problems … We have learned that human beings have varied, and at times profound, effects on the cardiac systems of other human beings." Lynch goes on to say, "Loneliness and grief often overwhelm bereaved individuals and the toll taken on the heart can be clearly seen. As the mortality statistics indicate, this is no myth or romantic fairy tale—all available evidence suggests that people do indeed die of broken hearts."[11] Grief researcher Colin Parkes notes in his book, Bereavement, that in seventy-five percent of the cases studied, the cause of death in bereaved individuals was coronary thrombosis or arteriosclerosis.[12]

Dr. Arthur Brown of the University of Texas has been involved in extensive research on nervous and ionic factors in sudden cardiac death. His findings, acknowledged in more than sixty publications, also strongly suggest a significant relationship between emotional stress and heart disease. Another endorsement of the sociopsychological link to heart disease comes from Dr. C. David Jenkins, who, after reviewing some of the psychological and social precursors of coronary heart disease, stated in the New England Journal of Medicine, "A broad array of recent studies … point with ever increasing certainty to the position that certain psychological, social and behavior conditions do put persons at a higher risk of clinically manifest coronary disease."[13]

It has been said that grief is proportional to intimacy. The greater degree of knowledgeable love one has toward another, the greater one's potential for being hurt. This is no profound revelation; it is something a great many of us have personally experienced. Hurt or grief, while rare in casual relationships, is often manifest in intimate encounters. Dr. George Engel of the Rochester University Medical School, in a carefully controlled six-year study in which he reconstructed the backgrounds of 170 sudden deaths, was able to document that in a great majority of the cases some type of interpersonal loss preceded the deaths.[14] The high coincidence of grief and loss that surrounded many of the deaths noted by Dr. Engel is striking. Further laboratory experiments involving various cardiac responses in animals to loss and affection, as well as clinical studies in psychiatric wards and hospital shock-trauma and coronary care units, all suggest the human heart is profoundly and sometimes mortally affected by human emotions.

Jesus took it all in—identifying with the sin and sorrow of humankind. Finally the load He was carrying accumulated to the point that He took the disciples aside and said:

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. —Luke 18:31 (NASB)

And lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come. John 17:1

His time was at hand. How did He know? I believe His knowledge came from deep within, perhaps regulated by the pressure upon His heart. And it was this inner knowledge which told Him His heart was at the straining point. He would soon undergo, as the French physician Pierre Barbet describes,

An appalling mental agony, produced by the foreknowledge of His physical Passion, and the knowledge of all the sins of men, the burden of which He was Himself assuming for their redemption. He Himself had said to the Apostles: 'My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death.' Such deep distress can bring on a phenomenon which is known to medical men. This phenomenon, which is also extremely rare, is provoked by some great mental disturbance, following on deep emotion or great fear.[15]

This phenomenon to which the doctor refers is, of course, the sweating of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus recognized within Himself that He was soon to face that moment for which He had come into the world. This was the moment of truth, the moment of destiny. The climax to which all of God's prophets, covenants and forerunners had led was now ready to unfold its awesome drama on Calvary.

As Jesus took the sins of the whole world deep into his heart and mind, the anguish of His soul reached unbearable proportions when, for the first time in eternity, there was a breach in the fellowship of the Trinity. We hear the lonely wail of One who recognized the full terror of sin.

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me? Mark 15:34

Finally the increasing weight of our sin could be borne no longer and Jesus, who had identified so long with us, died of grief with a broken, heavy heart!

And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness… —1 Peter 2:24

As a result of the anguish of His Soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death… —Isaiah 53:11-12

Much of the excruciating agony connected with crucifixion centered on the victim's incessant quest for air. Initially when the nails were pounded into the extremities, the victim was laid out, arms extended, at a 90 degree angle parallel to the crossbeam. But as the cross and its pendent flesh were hoisted into an upright position, the arms with the weight of the entire body dragging on them sagged to approximately 65 degrees. Shortly thereafter the muscles started to contract violently. The cramps began in the forearm and spread to the upper arm and shoulders before moving rapidly into the lower limbs and trunk. Soon the spasms which caused the fingers and toes to curl inward were generalized in a state of tetany. The stomach muscles tightened to form a hollow beneath the grotesquely distended ribcage. The lungs filled with air, but due to the contraction of the expiratory muscles, were unable to expel it. Asphyxiation then began.

The only way to remedy the situation and stave off death was to relieve the drag on the hands and arms which, in Jesus' case, has been estimated to have been nearly 240 pounds per hand. Using the nail through his feet as a fulcrum, the victim was, with considerable effort, able to raise himself to an upright position. This maneuver relaxed the effects of the tetanization in the muscles (at least some of them),unloaded the air trapped in the lungs and avoided asphyxiation. The relief, however, was only temporary and within moments, the victim sunk inevitably into a state of tetanization. This macabre struggle continued until exhaustion prevented the victim from escaping asphyxiation and finally ushered him to death's door.

The Jews had a great dread about the overnight presence of corpses, and this was a particular worry on the eve of the passover. Since few, if any, at the time recognized Jesus as the Paschal Lamb, his presence, along with that of his two fellow victims, was construed in the Holy City as an unclean, not to mention unsightly, nuisance. Accordingly, Jerusalem's rule-keeping power-brokers approached Pilate with the request, as John records, "That their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away" (John 19:31). The breaking of the legs effectively hastened death in that it prevented the victim from pushing up for air. Once this occurred, asphyxiation quickly claimed the unfortunate souls. It was an unpleasant end to an agonizing process.

Ill intent notwithstanding, the snapping of Jesus' bones simply wasn't to be. When the soldiers arrived to end it all, they discovered, probably much to their chagrin, that Jesus had already expired. One legionnaire, frustrated that the fun had ended prematurely, and in order to leave an official insignia of death, thrust his lance into Jesus' side as a parting coup de grace. Out of the wound, as John's gospel records, flowed "blood and water."

As has already been mentioned, crucifixion was a slow, lingering death that could, in some cases, take a strongman several days to die. Thus, when after only a matter of hours the body of Jesus was requested from Pilate, the Roman governor marveled that Jesus had died so quickly.

He did not die of crucifixion, but rather from the internal agony of His soul. Crucifixion merely facilitated his death. No man took the life of Jesus. He died as a result of a voluntary identification, the sin of the world crushing out His life.*

During a time in Israel's history when the hills surrounding Jerusalem had become a virtual forest of crosses, even the hardened and calloused Roman executioner recognized that he had never seen a man die like this before.

And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last… and when the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!" —Mark 15:37,39 (NASB)

And, as the holy Day of Atonement, the sacrifice had a profound impact on the beholders.

And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned. —Luke 23:48

It is Finished

As Jesus uttered these memorable words, the veil to the Holy of Holies was rent from top to bottom, signifying an answer had been found to history's most complex set of problems. Let us look at how the life suffering and death of Jesus fully solved the problems of restoring the broken God-man relationship.

One does not solve an unlovely problem with a lovely solution. That's, like sentencing a convicted murderer to a week's work in a florist shop. It doesn't help him and it certainly devastates society. If all we desire to do is protect society, then full punishment is sufficient. But God wanted more than this. He wanted the protection of society and the reformation of a sinner.

As Jesus with all His rights to dignity and greatness died in such a gruesome manner, the entire spectacle took on overwhelming impact. This was no mere bleating animal, but the man who had claimed deity, substantiating His claim with remarkable miracles and impeccability. The moral force generated by the life and passion of this Lamb proved to be of far greater intensity than the threat of eternal punishment had ever been.

The account of the Greek king, Zaleucus, is a prime analogy of God's remarkable solution on Calvary. His kingdom plagued with chronic adultery, Zaleucus issued an edict that anyone caught in the act would lose their eyesight. The result was a dramatic and immediate halt to the epidemic of infidelity. Then with a tragic twist of irony, the King's son was indicted as the initial violator of the new edict.

After wrestling with the situation, in much the same way as his historical predecessor Darius, the king made his decision. Assembling the people together King Zaleucus, in the audience of his subjects, proceeded to put out one of his son's eyes and then-one of his own. In this act the king was able to uphold his law, reveal conclusively his hatred of evil, and free the son he loved. In that kingdom the sight of a one-eyed king was a far greater moral deterrent than a totally blind son.

In the atonement God revealed Himself to man in the clearest of terms. The Bible tells us that Jesus was an exact representation of God's nature. Jesus states, "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father… " (John 14:9). The heart of God Himself was lifted up on a cross for the world to behold as He suffered, agonized and finally burst under the weight of man's sins.

It was evidently a new and deeper revelation of the depth of God's love to the host of heavenly beings. This revelation would have been lost had there not been an opportunity for God to pour Himself out in such a manner.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son… —John 3:16

Subduing or Supressing?

What then does the crucifixion signify in an age like ours? I see it in the first place as a sublime mockery of all earthly authority and power. The crown of thorns, the purple robe, the ironical title, 'King of the Jews were intended to mock or parody Christ's pretentions to be the Messiah; in fact, they rather hold up to ridicule and contempt all crowns, all roses, all kings that ever were… look under the crown and you see the thorns beneath; pull aside the purple robe, and lo! Nakedness; look into the grandiloquent titles and they are seen to be no more substantial than Christ's ribald one of 'King of the Jews' scrawled above His cross… it was the sort of incident-a man dying in that slow public way—which must have generated its own immediate tension in the beholders, even though they were unaware of the nature and magnitude of the stupendous drama being enacted before them. In some vague way they expect something to happen, and so it does…[16]

The power of the cross does not lie in some abstract, ethereal, cosmic transaction but rather in a literal subduing of the rebellious human heart.[17] God's desire was never to suppress rebels, for certainly that would have been easy enough, but to subdue their pride to once again enjoy their fellowship.

The exertion of force, though it results in rapid submission, cannot subdue the heart. Consequently, true fellowship devolves to respect based on fear. God's ultimate goal has never been to save us from hell. He came rather to save us from ourselves—from our sin.

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. —Matthew 1:21

Although it is true that the atonement or substitutionary death of Christ markedly reduces the amount of suffering in the universe, the divine objective was to reveal the true human condition. While it would take a far greater effort to subdue man's heart rather than simply doling out His just deserts, this was the path God chose.

The cross of Jesus Christ thus understood provides an imposing barrier to the individual contemplating sin. To do so he must harden himself against the loving gaze of a suffering Savior as he moves toward each selfish gratification. He must stubbornly ignore the cross as a roadblock, and reject the sacrifice of Jesus.

Jesus was able through his suffering to do what the Old Testament sacrifices never could—provide a lasting, moral force to alter our entire outlook on sin. Perhaps in time the death of an innocent lamb might fade in our minds and be forgotten. But neither heaven nor earth will forget the day God came to earth to wash the feet of His enemies.

While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son… —Romans 5:10

What Sanctuary Do We Seek?

The word "sanctuary" carries two distinct meanings:

1. A holy place, a building set aside for worship of a god
2. A place of refuge or protection; asylum

Webster's New World Dictionary elaborates—

Fugitives from justice were immune from arrest in churches or other sacred places—immunity from punishment or the law…[1]

While many clergymen today are willing to talk about sin or sinners they are usually hesitant to speak at them. The underlying thought is probably that their presence in the congregation is as much as can be hoped for, a critique made by Malcolm Muggeridge:

One of the most effective defense systems against God's incursions has hitherto been organized religion. Various churches have provided a refuge for fugitives from God—His voice drowned in the chanting, His smell lost in the incense, His purpose obscured and confused in creeds, dogmas, dissertations… in vast cathedrals, as in little conventicles… one could get away from God.[2]

As long as the sinner frequents the bars and brothels he is easy to identify, but as soon as he begins to attend church services, no one dares call him a sinner! The church sanctuary has in fact become a marvelous hiding place for sinners. Knowing that the minister will not point a finger at his sins, the sinner finds protection. So long as we preach about sin rather than at sin, organized religion will not ultimately minister at the personal level. As C. S. Lewis has said, "…Corporate guilt perhaps cannot be, and certainly is not, felt with the same force as personal guilt.[3]

New Testament Sermons

Personal guilt was more difficult to hide during New Testament times, primarily as a result of the emphasis of early sermons. Although the particular design of these sermons varied, the overall fabric was identical. As we look at a sampling of excerpts from four of the New Testament's most prominent preachers, note the lack of modern camouflage in their message, and the recurring theme of repentance.

PETER

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. —Acts 2:37-38

But those things, which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. —Acts 3:18-19

JOHN THE BAPTIST

Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" …But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with your repentance." —Matthew 3:1-2,7-8 (NASB)

PAUL

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. —Acts 17:30-31

Whereupon, 0 king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But [I] showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. —Acts 26:19-20

JESUS

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. —Mark 1:14-15

I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall likewise perish. —Luke 13:5

Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee Chorazin! woe unto thee Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. —Matthew 11:20-21

The Prerequisite

Although a great deal of attention is given to the theme of repentance by the New Testament writers, it is never mentioned as an end in itself. Rather, repentance is a means to salvation. It is what Solzhenitsyn refers to as "a clearing"[4] of the ground. Repentance is the condition of, or the prerequisite to, salvation. Jesus makes this clear when, in Mark 1:15, He exhorts the people to repent and believe the gospel. Repentance alone will not save you; but unless you repent you cannot be saved.

One of the most astonishing things I have read in recent years was a Christian book on the plan of salvation which actually suggested that repentance was subordinate to faith. Here is the result of the Commercial Transaction Theory: salvation is totally God's responsibility—He's done everything—He's paid for your sin; therefore, just simply accept what's already been done. They come to Christ to get; to receive an unconditional gift. This was most certainly not the case in biblical times. This current type of teaching will never result in sinners realizing their sin and coming broken and contrite to the foot of the cross like the convicted publican.

The tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified… He who humbles himself shall be exalted. —Luke 18:13-14 (NASB)

Here a man encountered his own sin; he didn't refer to himself merely as a sinner but rather as the sinner. The man was ashamed to even lift up his eyes. As the realization came into sharper focus, he cried out to God for mercy! The men of Jerusalem responded in similar fashion to the anointed preaching of Peter.

Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." —Acts 2:37-38 (NASB)

What a rare sight! How often has modern preaching affected men to the point they were pierced to the heart and came asking how to be saved?

Our trite little formula of "just accept Jesus" has produced countless spiritual stillbirths and inoculated millions of others against the true gospel. The question, "Will you accept Jesus?" implies some doubt about His acceptability! We must remember that Christianity is, in essence, a relationship between a man and his God. We have broken the relationship. We have left God in the act of rebellion to pursue our own idea of happiness. Surely if we are going to be reconciled to God after all this, it must be on His conditions. There seems to have been an inversion of biblical injunctives. It is not whether we "accept" Christ, but whether Christ accepts us. That is the crucial issue. Will Christ indeed accept us the way we are as so many today imply? Will the King of Kings come to rule over a moral garbage dump? The notion that the sinner's condition is irrelevant at salvation shows how little we know of our responsibility in salvation, as well as God's character.

C. S. Lewis asks:

When we fall in love with a woman, do we cease to care whether she is clean or dirty, fair or foul? …Does any woman regard it as a sign of love in a man that he neither knows nor cares how she is looking?[5]

The Lord Jesus refers to man's solemn responsibility in salvation with His warning to would-be disciples:

For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' —Luke 14:28-30 (NASB)

One of the greatest deterrents to the conversion of sinners today are the "half-built-Christians so evident across our land. From the very beginning they were instructed by pastors, priests and laymen that they were acceptable to God the way they were. Thus the idols which remain in their hearts (presumably to be dealt with later) bring ridicule to God's name. Where does the Bible teach that a turning from or a forsaking of all known sin is not an absolute essential condition of salvation? The popular theory that the sinner is "clothed with Christ's righteousness" to cover up the actual presence of ongoing sin, makes God appear as the biggest dupe in the universe! If God cannot have fellowship with unrighteousness, and we are leading unrighteous lives (except for Christ's righteousness), then we can only conclude that God's relationship is actually with Himself! The notion that God enjoys fellowship with those who are sinners by glancing at Christ's righteousness beside him is unrealistic.*

Invitation or Commandment?

The question of whether repentance is, equal or subordinate to faith is open to interpretation. Is repentance issued as an invitation or a commandment? If repentance is an invitation, then our response is relative; if it is a commandment, then our response must be absolute. If repentance is a commandment of God, then it is ludicrous to think we can give it a subordinate status. No commandment of God is less important than another. We must keep them all. The following reasons show that repentance is a commandment and not an invitation.

1. God specifically refers to repentance as a commandment. "God …now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." —(Acts 17:30)
2. If repentance were an invitation, there would be no punishment for those who refused. Yet Jesus said, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" —(Luke 13:3).
3. There is no passage of scripture in the entire Bible that indicates repentance is optional.

If we really believed that repentance was a commandment rather than an optional invitation, this would drastically alter the complexion of today's Church. We would recognize that those who refused to repent were just not "growing in the Lord," but were actually guilty of disobedience.

Is The Battle Over?

Christian speaker Winkie Pratney often refers to the Japanese surrender in the Pacific at the close of World War II. The formal surrender took place aboard the battleship Missouri, between the Japanese admiral and General Douglas MacArthur, commander of the Allied Forces in the Pacific. As the highly decorated admiral, replete with all the regalia of war, offered his hand of surrender to the American general, MacArthur replied, "Your sword first please, sir."

We must also surrender our weapons of rebellion before we can hope to be reconciled to our former enemy. For as long as we cling to our selfishness, we indicate our intention of entertaining a prolonged conflict. When we acknowledge sin as willful defiance and lawless rebellion, we also acknowledge that a surrender rather than a cure is needed. "That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." (Romans 3:19)

If a love of sin remains in the heart, the sinner remains unrepentant.* The individual whose heart is full of pride is unwilling to be known openly for what he or she really is. As long as denial and deception are present, no repentance has taken place. Those who cling to their opinions, habits and possessions simply do not mean business with God. They self-righteously display a token commitment while tailoring doctrine to suit their conduct. Painstakingly they construct excuses to conceal their love for the world, apparently unaware or unconcerned about the warning of scripture:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. —Galatians 6:7 (NASB)

We must come to God with empty hands and broken hearts, for God will not play games with the religious trifler:

Repent, andturn yourselves from all your transgressions …Cast away from you all your transgression… —Ezekiel 18:30-31

No attempt must be made to conceal any selfishness, for God declares in His Word that "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper" (Prov. 28:13). In keeping one you might as well keep them all; for in desiring to hold on to your sin, you indicate your intention to continue battle.

See-Hate-Forsake

True repentance involves our entire personality in a confrontation with sin. We must first see our sin through God's eyes for the abhorrent thing it is; only then will we be able to hate our sin with a righteous passion. Given our tendency to hold on to sin we love, this thorough hatred of sin must precede a genuine forsaking it.

To begin this process, one must take a long and thoughtful look, first, at what sin has done to God and, second, at His loving and merciful response to us in spite of the abuse He has suffered. The Bible tells us that it is "the goodness of God (that) leadeth thee to repentance" (Rom. 2:4), not fear or force. The love of God displayed on Calvary was the greatest possible force to subdue the human heart, and for those who fail to receive the knowledge, the message of scripture is solemn.

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. —Hebrews 10:26-27 (NASB)

SEEING OUR SIN—"Repentance is always difficult; not only because we must cross the threshold of self-love, but also because our own sins are not easily visible to us."[6] However, when we release ourselves to the control of the Holy Spirit, He releases us from our subjective shells so that we are able, perhaps for the first time, to view sin from God's objective vantage point.

Once job had a vision of himself in relation to God's loving kindness when he declared:

I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees Thee; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes. —Job 42:5-6 (NASB)

From this elevated perspective we are able to see the true nature of sin and its fraudulent pleasures.

But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" —Luke 5:8 (NASB)

HATING OUR SIN—While it is virtually impossible to hate our sin before we see it exposed, once we do see and recognize its diabolical qualities and truly repent, we actually do detest that for which we once held a strange fascination.

"Yet even now," declares the Lord, "Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning." —Joel 2:12 (NASB)

During the course of his investigation into the causes of the religious superficiality in many of the churches of his day, American revivalist Charles Grandison Finney noted this characteristic of true repentance:

The individual who truly repents, not only sees sin to be detestable and vile, and worthy of abhorrence, but he really abhors it, and hates it in his heart… You do not now abstain from it through fear, and to avoid punishment, but because you hate it… in relation to God, he feels towards sin as it really is. And here is the source of those gushings of sorrow in which Christians sometimes break out when contemplating sin. The Christian views it as to its nature, and simply feels abhorrence. But when he views it in relation to God, then he weeps.[7]

This seems indeed the sorrow which produces a genuine repentance.

For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret… —2 Corinthians 7:10 (NASB)

FORSAKING OUR SIN—As mentioned earlier, the entire personality is involved in the act of repentance. Our minds, enlightened through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, are able to perceive sin stripped of all pretense. Emotionally we respond to this understanding with considerable revulsion, pain and sorrow. But the final and crucial stage involves our will in the actual severance and forsaking of sin. This stage will always follow if repentance is genuine. If we have not truly seen our sin, or if we have seen it and yet love it, there is little chance that it will be forsaken.

If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and do not let wickedness dwell in your tents. —Job 11:14 (NASB)

The scope of our repentance must be infinite. We cannot run away even from ancient sins; we may write off other people's sins as ancient history, but we have no right to do it for ourselves.[8]

Restitution in all applicable cases is an important corollary of repentance and is usually a fairly reliable indicator that a genuine repentance has occurred.[9]

Don't Be Fooled

As we close this chapter, noting the tendency of human nature to take the easy way, we will look briefly at what repentance is not.

1. Repentance is not a confession of sin.

Catholic confession booths and Protestant altars have been the, cathartic contact points of sinners for centuries. The problem all too often is that sin is confessed because the guilt of sin is making life uncomfortable and not because it is an offense to God. Many people attend church on Sunday morning not because they want to honor God's name, but because the lingering guilt of sin might spoil their afternoon.

Sin is often confessed complete with a fervent display of emotions, not because the sinner wants to turn from the sin which he detests, but to obtain relief from the emotional burden which accompanies it. Although God wants to hear our sincere confessions, their root cause is what He desires to eliminate. In other words, the Bible requires that we not only confess our sin but that we turn from it as well.

1. Repentance is not remorse or contrition over sin.

Although remorse, sorrow and contrition are involved in a repentant attitude, they do not in themselves comprise biblical repentance. Many have wept at church altars only to arise unchanged and eventually engage in the same sins over which they wept. Unfortunately, tears have such a powerful effect on most of us that our tendency is to conclude genuine repentance must have taken place. It has often been said that heaven is full of repentant sinners, while hell is full of remorseful ones.

Whenever we realize the truth about our sin and yet decide to remain unchanged, rejecting the ramifications of true repentance, great frustration results. We feel remorse and sorrow; we hate ourselves. Remaining unchanged and trapped between what we know is right and what we still wrongly love, we slowly experience the death of our personalities. This is the very opposite of the godly sorrow which "produces a repentance without regret" ultimately freeing us from our bondage.

Repentance, then, is an intelligent choice to renounce our selfish motives in life as we are humbled by an encounter with the cross and gently wooed and convicted by the Holy Spirit. Our entire personality is involved in a change of opinion, a change of feeling and, finally, a determined renunciation and forsaking of all known sin. This is the first and only proper step for all who have been involved in a persistent rebellion against God and His kingdom.

Intellectual Faith and Saving Faith

Faith is often used in the Bible, and almost invariably by the secular world as well, to indicate a firm, intellectual belief in something. Christians often assume it to mean an acceptance of the doctrines of Christianity. With this definition, we understand a series of facts or creeds, accompanied by adequate evidence to assure us they are true. It is this type of faith, designated by the Greek word pepoitha, which means "to be persuaded."

And when they had set a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God, and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. And some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. —Acts 28:23-24 (NASB)

Although this type of faith or persuasion leads us to the truth, it is utterly impossible that a mere intellectual state will save us. It is this type of believing, for example, which James indicates even demons possess.

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest
well: the devils also believe, and tremble. —James 2:19

Christian faith encompasses an intellectual faith, but is not exactly equivalent to it. In other words,one is not ultimately saved by believing, but one must believe in order to be saved. As Os Guiness points out, the will, not merely the intellect, is involved.

Becoming a Christian is an authentic choice of a whole man; it involves his reason, his emotions and his will; it is in this sense that faith is more than rational.[2]

1. That we are guilty* and morally corrupt
2. That God is holy and merciful
3. That Christ came into the human situation and sacrificed his life on our behalf

Let us explore more fully the avenues of faith.

Substance and Evidence

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. —Hebrews 11:1

Faith is that principle, that exercise of mind and soul, which has for its object things not seen but hoped for, and instead of sinking under them as too ponderous, whether from their difficulty or
from their uncertainty, stands firm under them—supports and sustains their pressure—in other words, is assured of, confides in and relies on them.[3]

A solid understanding of the biblical ingredients mentioned above in Hebrews will help us steer clear of the popular mystical nonsense taught today under the guise of faith.

SUBSTANCE—This declares that something is there, even though its form may be difficult to recognize. In the Greek language, the word for substance is hupostasis. This word actually consists of two words:

Substance is not the object hoped for; it is rather that which, as Dr. John W. Follette said, "stands under and supports that object in bringing it into material manifestation."[4]

…for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? —Romans 8:24

You cannot have both faith and materialism. God does not want us to say we have the material object when we don't. This applies to the gifts of the Spirit as well as salvation, and particularly needs to be mentioned today concerning the area of physical healing. God wants us to declare our faith and say we have hupostasis or assurance that the material object hoped for will become a reality. Faith is not a struggle. We do not need to go through mental and emotional gymnastics in order to secure it. Faith is a rest …a calm assurance and a support—it stands under!

(Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. —Romans 4:20

When we waver concerning the promise of God, it is because of fear and unbelief, when we have no solid foundation. As for real stability, we have only to consider God's character.

Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow. —James 1:17 (NASB)

"Faith… is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.[5] This statement from C.S. Lewis reminds us that Abraham and a host of others like him were able to stand like the rock of Gibraltar because of the hupostasis which supported them.

True faith is never found alone; it is always accompanied by expectation. The man who believes the promises of God expects to see them fulfilled. Where there is no expectation there is no faith.[6]

EVIDENCE—Is there sufficient evidence, open to verifiable observation which can offer strong arguments for believing that God is there and is who He says He is?

…there must be no divorce between premises and evidences. Premises without evidences are unsupported; evidences without premises are insufficient.[7]

Many feel that because faith has to do with unseen and immaterial things, there is either no such thing as evidence or, if there is, it is irrelevant to true faith. But faith is not believing without evidence. A man is under no obligation to believe. In fact, he cannot believe a thing without surveying evidence. There are those who will dispute such a statement, contending that it is possible to believe without necessarily seeing any evidence.[8] One needs to carefully consider this argument.

To begin what exactly do some believe without any evidence whatsoever to support that belief? No evidence is not limited evidence. Limited evidence is often spoken of as if it were the believer's final bastion. Declarations such as, "We can only trust His character," or, "I believe it because God's Word says so," are good examples of this. Certainly God's character and His word are evidences where we can solidly plant our faith. We know God's character, not because some Christian book describes it, but because He has chosen to reveal it. If God had never revealed His character to us, it would not be an evidence. The fact He has demonstrated it in nature and in lives throughout history is a cause for rejoicing. Furthermore, who really believes the Bible "just because it says so?" This is philosophical circularity. There are many other religious books today also claiming to be repositories of truth. There are, however, several prominent distinctives which the Bible alone possesses and which set it apart from all other literature, religious or otherwise and this is why we revere it. We believe the Bible is God's Word because we have evidence that it is.

Were there no existent evidence disclosing God's character and expectations, one could not possibly know Him, let alone believe Him. In this case, belief would be stupidity, not faith, for faith requires some evidence. The leap of faith popularized by the existentialists, notably Soren Kierkegaard, is the desperate attempt to find meaning… or in the religious sense, God, by a chance plunge into the unknown. What then is the difference between Christian faith and existentialism? Evidence. The existentialist hopes to find reality in a mindless "leap of faith," while the Christian knows what awaits him before he steps onto the road where he "walks by faith and not by sight." Dr. Francis Schaeffer illustrates this concept very well:

The scene is a guided, alpine expedition caught high on the bare rock by a sudden, dense fog. The guide turns to the party and tells them ice is forming and before morning they will all freeze to death on the mountain. About an hour or so later, as the situation progressively worsens, a member of the party says to the guide: "Suppose I were to drop and hit a ledge ten feet down in the fog. What would happen then?" The guide replies that he might survive until morning and thus live. The individual then, without any warning, hangs and drops into the fog. This is the existential leap of faith.

Supposing, on the other hand, we hear a voice calling out to us as we cling to our precarious positions. The voice says, "You can't see me, but I know exactly where you are from your voices. I am on another ridge. I've lived in these mountains for over sixty years and I know every foot of them. I assure you there is a ledge ten feet below you and if you'll drop to it, you can make it through the night and I'll get you in the morning.[9]

After asking a series of pertinent questions and receiving convincing answers, you would no doubt drop. Here is faith in the true sense—faith with evidence.

Substance and evidence are further revealed in the account of Peter's abortive attempt to walk on the Sea of Galilee.

And immediately He made the disciples get into the boat, and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And after He had sent the multitudes away, He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. But the boat was already many stadia away from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking upon the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were frightened, saying "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." And Peter answered Him and said, 'Lord, if it is You command me to come to You on the water." And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" —Matthew 14:22-31 (NASB)

Where did Peter find the faith to venture into a situation so totally beyond his own abilities? If the object of Peter's faith was not beyond himself then faith would have been totally unnecessary here.

The miracle begins as Peter receives evidence—Jesus bids him come. The powerful assurance and conviction within his heart subsequent to the divine "come" was the substance (hupostasis) that brought forth the miracle. Jesus' rebuke, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?," doesn't refer to Peter's honest skepticism prior to any evidence, but to his failure to persevere after he had received a word from the Lord. Many Christians venture out on a promise when it has no application to the situation at all. Great confusion and damage may occur—because of our presumption. We would be well warned to never venture out upon the water without a divine "come" under our feet!

Faith As Commitment

Having discussed the intellectual faith which leads us to salvation, we now turn our attention to saving faith. Intellectual faith is a matter of mental deduction, whereas saving faith concerns volitional action. This is why saving faith is represented as a virtue in the Bible. A man is not saved simply because he comes to a mental deduction of some sort. There is no indication whatsoever in the scriptures that a man can simply acknowledge or believe something and get to heaven. Saving faith, as we shall see, has more to it than that.

Interestingly enough, the word which is often rendered faith in the New Testament (pistis) is also rendered commit. Saving faith is represented in the scriptures as a full committal of will to the fact that a holy God sent His Son Jesus to earth where He willingly sacrificed His life so that we might receive forgiveness of all past sin and guilt. It is a full recognition that in all the boundless reaches of the universe there is no other solution to our desperate situation.

We have probably all seen the little buttons some Christians are currently wearing on their pockets with the glib inscription, "Try Jesus." The idea conveyed to the unsaved passerby is that if he will just poke his head into Christianity, he will be positively enchanted with Christ and ultimately want to believe in Him. This solicitation to "try before you buy," as if salvation were a commodity to be tossed experimentally in one's spiritual shopping cart, is absolutely inadequate. It's not so much the fact that people have put out an advertisement for God that is disturbing, although in the end this sort of nonsensical behavior will undoubtedly be revealed for the trite foolishness it is, but the idea that Jesus can be "tried" contains hellish deception. An individual isn't saved by "Trying Jesus", but by being "thoroughly persuaded" and then acting upon the data. The Bible teaches-that salvation is a matter of:

1. obedience,
2. commitment,
3. slavery.

It is impossible to give a piece of your heart to God on a trial basis.

Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slave's of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. —Romans 6:16-18 (NASB)

It is highly unlikely that one can come to Jesus without being enslaved to Him. "Christianity is preeminently the religion of slaves," Simone Weil once said. "Slaves cannot help belonging to it."[10] The death of Christ shatters the hold of sin on our lives and frees us to become love slaves. The whole process is, in effect, a "changing of masters."

And He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. —2 Corinthians 5:15 (NASB)

Those initiated to Christ on a trial basis become yo-yo Christians who fling themselves on God in apparent committal, but the reins of whose lives are carefully wrapped around their fingers so when the heat is on they can quickly recall their "commitment." This is the very antithesis of biblical commitment. The New Testament word pistis mentioned earlier means "to trust or confide in," while the Hebrew equivalent gagal means "to roll." How suggestive this word is! There is no room for yo-yo commitment in this definition, for everything leaves the hand. What has left your hands is no longer under your control—everything belongs to Him.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. —1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NASB)

Paul reminds us of the costly grace which was later to be so eloquently explained by German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner… Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of His Son: 'Ye were bought at a price,' and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon His Son too dear a price to pay for our life… costly grace is the incarnation of God."[11]

The man or woman who comes to Christ in saving faith must be absolutely convinced that the sufferings of Jesus were accomplished for them as the only remedy for their sin. The Holy Spirit will then lay open the cross of Jesus explicitly to our minds, until the revelation of our sin and God's love breaks down our will that it may be yielded completely. It is this giving of our will, this commitment of heart, which constitutes saving faith.

Faith is not embracing what one doesn't understand that is magic. Saving faith is a willful embrace of what is understood. It must be said, however, that saving faith is a joint effort between man and the Holy Spirit. When one is willing to believe, the Spirit of God will give the ability to believe.

The Faith vs. Works Controversy

In every discussion of theology, the potential exists for endless debate on the strengths and finer points of one particular view over another. Many who allow themselves to become enmeshed in these sorts of debates often lose their perspective. Often tradition is unwittingly placed on a par with truth. Words and ideas originally intended to inspire a spiritual revolution in men's hearts are converted into a system for rationalizing and defending a status quo. Theology which was once vibrant because it related everything to relationship with God has nearly vanished. Today theology doesn't necessarily apply to our relationship; it can be technical without being experiential. With a bottling up of life into religious bureaucracy, doctrine is converted into dogma—and eventually the function of doctrine becomes less that of guidance, as far as conduct within a relationship, and more a justification of things as they are, or as the contemporary Sanhedrin wishes to make them.

Before we proceed, let us define what is known as antinomianism. The Antinomian believes that faith alone, without obedience to moral law is all that is necessary for salvation. One might say, the Antinomian's favorite hymn is "Only Believe." The Antinomian is inclined to stress the fact that man plays no part whatsoever in salvation. Repentance and the lordship of Christ are considered subtle forms of works in which man might take pride.

In light of our discussion concerning the application of all theology to our individual relationship with Christ, antinomianism does not fit. There cannot be a relationship unless there is a minimum of two responsive parties. Although the Bible clearly teaches that it is God providing and initiating salvation, man must respond to these overtures. If he does not, no relationship exists.

To equate man's responses to God's gift of salvation with the works of the flesh mentioned by the apostle Paul is utterly without foundation. If it were true that God repented for us, He would of necessity be repenting to Himself. How much easier it is to see that man, the rebel, humbled by God's goodness, chooses to cast down his weapons of warfare and engage in a logical relationship meaningful to both parties. How one could possibly take pride in truly repenting is inconceivable. Obedience to Jesus Christ as the Lord of our lives is commanded throughout Scripture. This could not possibly be considered a subtle form of works; on the contrary, this is indeed salvation!

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, 'Whosoever, will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.' —Mark 8:34-35

Note that in this scripture Jesus does not state that a man should deny himself things; yet it is precisely this type of denial which we find so prevalent in the church today. We deny ourselves thirty minutes each night before bed for Bible reading and ten percent of each paycheck in the offering plate. We then think in so doing we have pleased God. Concentration on denying ourselves things is a form of works. The Pharisees practiced great self-denial in all areas except their hearts! This form of denial has never been acceptable to God. The words are dear enough, "let him deny himself."

In the book of James we find a passage which antinomian thinkers are forever attempting to explain away. James discusses the relationship of faith and works, applying it very logically and naturally to the God-man relationship:

What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled'; and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body; what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, 'You have faith, and I have works show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.' You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Issac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,' and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. —James 2:14-16 (NASB)

A thoughtful reading of this passage provides the following striking conclusions:

1. "Just believing" won't save anyone. James mentions the man Who says he has faith but displays no godly works and then asks the rhetorical question, "Can that faith save him?"
2. A mental deduction is not a committal of the will with conduct to prove it. James imagines a situation and wonders how "faith" without works would be demonstrated. He goes on to say that even demons possess this type of intellectual faith, and then implores us to forsake our foolishness and recognize that saving faith is a lifestyle, not a mystical believing.
3. God is reasonable and sensitive, not a calculating technician. James reminds us of the deeds in which Abraham and Rahab engaged demonstrating hearts committed to truth. When Abraham obeyed God, "he was called the friend of God."

Saving faith will produce works of faith (a godly lifestyle), whereas intellectual faith alone will produce works of the flesh (dead rituals).

By the way, I bought a fourteen-foot boat last week. I have named the two oars, one faith, the other works. I have found that if I row ever so hard with faith alone, I go round and round in a circle; and strange as it seems, works does the same thing—gets me nowhere. But when I bend my back and pull both faith and works, I can get to where I want to go. —Dr. George Winters

Saved by Faith or Grace?

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. —Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)

Paul brings to our attention an important point in this passage concerning the workings of salvation. Grace is mentioned as the reason why we are saved, while faith is mentioned as the means to salvation, or how we are saved. The emphasis here is on grace rather than faith, as well it should be. We are saved by God's grace. If it weren't for that costly grace, our faith or lack of it would be irrelevant. Grace actually means "getting something we don't deserve." When this is understood, pride will be no part of our willing response to God's free gift.

What is a Relationship?

The relationship between God and man must be first, good and, second, personal. It is possible to have a relationship that is not personal, such as that of a citizen to a governor or President, and it is certainly true that some relationships, though personal, are not good. But any good, personal relationship is made up of the following three distinct, but equally essential aspects.

INITIAL DISCOVERY—There must come a time when, through some type of revelation, we discover in a person that of which we were previously unaware; when we notice qualities in their lives that attract us to them and set them apart from others.

Lovers can often pinpoint the precise moment when they begin to notice their beloved. The realization may have come as a result of an act of unselfishness on the part of their beloved, or perhaps a banner performance under pressure. Often the realization will not come during or even immediately following the incident, but days, weeks or months afterward. In time the accumulated weight of repeated demonstrations of character slowly forces the fact out of the subconscious into conscious realization. This is the moment of initial discovery.

Although in an altogether different context, this initial discovery is also present in the love relationship between parent and child. At first, the relationship is little more than self-love on the part of the infant. The new life is a part of the parents. Their life has been transferred and extended through that of the child. In a very real sense they love the child as themselves because that child is part of them, Later on, however, when the child manifests his own character and personality, there is room for additional discovery.

Scripture indicates that God relates to us in virtually all potential relationships:

FRIEND

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves; for the slave does not know what his Master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. —John 15:13-15

LOVER

O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret place of the steep pathway, let me see your form, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your form is lovely… My beloved is mine, and I am his; He pastures his flock among the lilies. —Song of Solomon 2:14,16 (NASB)

Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. —Revelation 19:7-8 (NASB)

FAMILY

Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate, says the Lord. And do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, and and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord God Almighty. —2 Corinthians 6:17-18 (NASB)

MUTUAL COMMITMENT—Initial discovery can be a wonderful experience, but it will prove little more if it is not used as a stepping stone to commitment. Commitment must be on a reciprocal basis before a relationship exists. If initiative is important, response is vital. As long as one party is unwilling to commit to the other, no relationship can possibly exist.

In a proper love relationship, it is impossible for one party to be the subject while the other remains strictly the object. A relationship is an interchange; both parties are alternately both a subject and an object. Each party has a role to play whether it be initiative or response. But it must be one or the other.

DURATION—No true relationship is static; it is a dynamic phenomenon. It moves, it goes somewhere. A relationship will either grow or deteriorate depending on the freewill decisions of the partners. Original commitments are not necessarily lasting ones. They must be maintained. Commitment must move along with the relationship, for if it does not, the relationship, like a car without fuel, will come to a halt. But although a motionless car remains a car, a motionless relationship is no relationship. Without commitment a relationship halts, and when a relationship halts, it ceases to exist.

Once Saved, Always Saved?

This question is of course the primary question of the doctrine of eternal security. Adherents of this doctrine insist that an initial commitment to Christ is a binding, eternal matter. Continual commitment of faith in order to maintain a dynamic (moving) relationship is unnecessary.

It is taught in Ephesians 1:13-14 that, after a person has believed (a finished act), he is sealed with the Holy Spirit until the redemption of the purchased possession. This passage once and for all rules out the argument that one must continue to believe. There is no need for continuous faith on the part of the saved person…[1]

The emphasis on an initial, rather than a continuing commitment, is clear.

We have previously mentioned that a true relationship must be maintained through the mutual consent of those involved. Eternal security advocates are quick to point out that we are talking about salvation and not relationship. Again we find a technical theology apart from an involvement theology. It is a twisted conception of relationship that leads a man to say, "He lost his fellowship with his Lord, but not his salvation." Our salvation is that we are reconciled to God in a loving, happy fellowship!

It is our responsibility to discover God's conditions in the matter of salvation, and then fulfill them! Having examined faith and repentance, we now turn our attention to the third and final condition of salvation continuance.

The "IF" Condition

Gordon C. Olson, in his manual entitled Sharing Your Faith, gives one of the finest and most concise definitions of truth, as follows:

Truth is simply a true perspective, or a true picture in all proper proportions, of what exists.[2]

Despite many volumes written supporting a "once saved, always-saved" doctrine, when we honestly examine the words of Scripture' we must not take the position of unqualified eternal security without question. An examination of biblical texts pins this false assurance to the floor. Continual commitment as a condition of salvation is well established. Guy Duty, in If Ye Continue, states:

An impartial truth-seeker accepts facts as he finds them. He has no personal preference. A Bible doctrine cannot be established merely by someone making a dogmatic statement.[3]

Consider God's "If" condition in first the Old and then the New Testaments.

The Old Testament

But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You shall not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. —Deuteronomy 30:17-18 (NASB)

If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you. —Joshua 24:20 (NASB)

If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the Lord, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. And if you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the command of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you… —1 Samuel 12:14-15 (NASB)

As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you see Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. —1 Chronicles 28:9 (NASB)

Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'If you will walk in My ways, and if you perform My service, then you will also govern My house… and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here.' —Zechariah 3:7 (NASB)

The New Testament

Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If any one wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.' —Matthew 16:24 (NASB)

Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine." —John 8:31 (NASB)

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. —John 15:10 (NASB)

But I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified. —I Corinthians 9:27 (NASB)

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister. —Colossians 1:21-23 (NASB)

Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. —I Timothy 4:16 (NASB)

But Christ was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, and saw My Works for forty years. Therefore, I was angry with this generation, and said, "They always go astray with their heart; and they did not know My ways"; As I swore in My wrath, "They shall not enter My rest."' Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called 'Today,' lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end. —Hebrews 3:6-14 (NASB)

"For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned." —Hebrews 6:4-8 (NASB)

But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. —Hebrews 10:38-39 (NASB)

But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does. —James 1:25 (NASB)

Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble. —2 Peter 1:10 (NASB)

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness. —2 Peter 3:17 (NASB)

And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, 'I have come to know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him. —1 John 2:3-5 (NASB)

As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. —1 John 2:24 (NASB)

For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, how much more shall these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? —Romans 11:21-24 (NASB)

The specified if-condition lies deep in Paul's thinking. The Jews would be grafted in again 'if they abide not still in unbelief.' And the Gentiles would also be broken off 'if' they did not 'continue' in faith.[4] Jesus said:

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered… and they are burned. —John 15:6

Here in Romans 11, Paul gave the if-condition its full force… There is salvation in God's covenant tree for those who 'abide' in it. Paul had no doctrine such as 'once in the Tree, always in the Tree.[5]

God's gift of salvation can certainly never be earned nor merited. We are saved as a result of God's decision to offer us something we didn't deserve: grace. This fact however does not negate the biblical insistence that salvation is also conditional. No condition will save us. Fulfilling a condition merely prepares the way for God to exercise that loving grace without which we would have perished. The conditions of salvation, repentance, faith and continuance are important because God has emphasized them. Yet, as we observe God's desire to restore and then sustain a relationship with His creation, the logic behind His conditions is unmistakable.

The Source of Condemnation

Subjects such as continuance in faith, discipleship and the lordship of Jesus are shunned today by a great number of ministers as well as laypeople. But when Jesus came into our world He brought two equally significant messages:

1. His love carried no condemnation

For God sent not His son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. —John 3:17

2. His love did carry expectations

If you love Me, you will keep my commandments… He who has My commandments, and keeps them, he it is who loves Me… —John 14:15,21 (NASB)

The Bible tells us that Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it—to save it from those very things that were condemning it. He came to shed light in the darkness so that men, with His assistance, could view their dangerous activity. It is wonderful for the truth seeker because he will gravitate toward the light; it is dangerous because the lover of darkness will seek to put it out.

And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. —John 3:19-21 (NASB)

In Jesus' mission to redeem humankind, His ultimate aim was to win us back into relationship. He called all to follow Him, wanting us to emulate who it was we followed. He desired to be with the ones He loved, but this fellowship was to be a divine school as well.

If any one serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be… —John 12:26 (NASB)

Although Jesus' love was not condemning, it was nevertheless full of expectation. When the Lord stated, "If you love me… keep my commandments," the implication was clear that love required obedience. Jesus, knowing that we need Him, requires our total allegiance for our sakes. When we do not obey fully, conviction sets in as God lovingly prods us to keep us from damaging ourselves.

Today churches are filled with people harboring unconfessed sin in their lives. God's normal response to these who most often know better, is to send conviction. This conviction is often intensified as we are confronted through a sermon or the reproof of a friend. If we love our sin more than God, we will attack His servants and their message. Trying to pry the conviction out of our lives, we condemn it and blame "harsh teaching". Many who suffer from guilt feelings are suffering not from condemnation but because they are actually guilty! If we try to rid ourselves of that guilt which is the result of our sin through any means other than God's prescribed method of confession and repentance, we open ourselves to danger and deception. "Whoso covereth his sin shall not prosper" (Prov. 28:13).

The source, then, of condemnation is located in one of the following situations:

1. Human or demonic agents refusing to grant rest to a soul who has genuinely confessed and repented of his sin.
2. Confounding conviction and condemnation in order to soothe guilt feelings accompanying unconfessed sin.

The honest disciple of Christ need not experience guilt feelings if he has done in earnest all our Lord has commanded us to do.

Alter Relationships

An altar is a place of beginnings. In marriage it is the initiation of a lifelong relationship. In salvation it is the initiation of an eternal relationship.* Marriage vows are repeated in the aura of love. It is the love that gives the vows their power. Although we would like to say the vows should be a permanent, once-and-for-all exercise, for many they are not. In the United States today, we are faced with the tragic spectre of one out of every two marriages ending in divorce.

When you repeat your marriage vows, they are a public declaration of your intention to continue in the marriage. Without continuance, the altar and the vows are meaningless. When you prayed the "sinner's prayer", when you "confessed with your mouth", it was a public declaration of your intention to continue in faith. Here again, although we'd like to say faith is a finished act, the Bible teaches that it is possible for an individual to wander away from his first love. When the flame of love begins to flicker and we grow lukewarm, the relationship is over (Revelation 3:15-16).

Inevitably someone will propose that it is possible to be separated and out of relationship and still be legally married. We need to remember that God will not force anything on us (including His name) that we do not want. To discuss requirements apart from relationship is legalism. To be legally united without a relationship is legalism. A relationship must move; it cannot be left at the altar!

Discipleship: Legalism or Love?

Those who consider all the talk about discipleship and continuance to be a legalistic manifestation of works generally maintain that we ought to rest in faith alone. Whatever happens in our lives must be God's doing. It is His power working in us and through us. Although this assertion is true, it also stands incomplete. Again we must remember that when we enter into salvation, we enter a relationship. We cannot always be looking at what God will do for us. Certainly we ought to consider God's feelings in this relationship. Does He not deserve the moments of pleasure and gratification that our obedience and surrender can bring Him? Why are we always looking for theological loopholes to escape the responsibilities of a relationship?

Often the analogy is used of a child using his father's money to purchase a special gift for the father. Although the gift was purchased by means provided by the father, this does not, we are told, in any way diminish the impact of the expression. While this argument is accurate as far as it goes, it does not take into account our relationship to Christ as lover. He is spoken of as the Bridegroom, we as his bride. Don't we sing choruses to him as the "Lover of My Soul?" In this love relationship, pleasure can in no way be self-induced. It must come as a free will origination of another moral being. Only then will the soul rest in satisfaction. The rest of faith must not be considered as a cessation of activity, but rather an internal confidence in the character of our Beloved. As in marriage, from the altar and beyond, we relax in the surety that we have chosen the right one.

Discipleship is merely a "following out of love." It is to obey Christ's commandments because they are wise, loving, and for the good of our relationship. But when Jesus asks us to do something, we must learn to do it—rather than change the request to mean what suits us. Dietrich Bonhoeffer looks at this issue in light of Jesus' confrontation with the rich young man.

We are excusing ourselves from single-minded obedience to the word of Jesus on the pretext of legalism and a supposed preference for an obedience 'in faith.' The difference between ourselves and the rich young man is that he was not allowed to solace his regrets by saying: 'Never mind what Jesus says, I can still hold on to my riches… despite my inadequacy I can take comfort in the thought that God has forgiven me my sins and can have fellowship with Christ in faith. But no, he went away sorrowful. Because he would not obey, he could not believe.

If Jesus said to someone: 'Leave all else behind and follow me' …if Jesus challenged us with the command: 'Get out of it,' we should take Him to mean: 'Stay where you are, but cultivate that inward detachment.' When orders are issued in other spheres of life there is no doubt whatsoever of their meaning. Are we to treat the commandment of Jesus differently from other orders and exchange obedience for downright disobedience? Struggling against the 'legalism' of simple obedience… we land ourselves in the worst kind of legalism. The only way to overcome this legalism is by real obedience to Christ when He calls us… by eliminating simple obedience… we take it for granted as we open the Bible that we have a key to its interpretation. But then the key we use would not be the Living Christ… the key we use is a general doctrine of grace which we can apply as we will.[6]

Spiritual Assassins

No one who falls away from God does so on a moment's impulse. The implications are far too severe and the hold of God is strong. There must be a plot, a plan, a conspiracy if you will, to subvert the rightful rulership of Christ in our hearts. This conspiracy unfolds over a duration of time that may even take years. But when one thinks he has gotten away with little, he will often take much. After a gradual erosion of our conscience's influence, we become ultimately open for a more full-scale revolt.

Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. —Ecclesiastes 8:11 (NASB)

This conspiracy unfolds in the human heart. No kingdom is a bona fide kingdom unless it has a king. For every man and woman, that king will either be King Jesus or King Self. Since we are now discussing a process occurring within the Christian life, we will place the rightful ruler, King Jesus, on the throne. The conspiracy to remove Him from the heart escalates through four distinct stages.

INITIAL SIN—Usually an underground army trying to overthrow a government is comparatively small in terms of men and weapons. A hit-and-run-type warfare is often employed as an alternative to brute force. Often in situations such as the ones we have viewed recently in Zimbabwe-Rhodesia and El Salvador, warfare unfolds with a sniper's bullet downing a border guard at some remote station. Although it is highly probable that the majority of citizens in the capital city many miles away know nothing of the events, the security of the kingdom has suffered an undetected breakdown. If this situation is not immediately rectified by reinforcements, enemy troops will pour through the unguarded border point. It is just so in Christian life; unconfessed sin inevitably leads to the dangerous second stage of the campaign.

PERSISTENT SIN—Perhaps while still at the sniping stage, even the aggressors have no serious plans to actually assassinate the ruler. However, if the progress should continue relatively unchecked, the rebel activities will persist as intentional plotting begins. Killing is no longer indiscriminate as key members of the government are now targeted. Honesty is often one of the first things to go. In spite of success, we are still experiencing great pressure from our conscience, which is always pointing out our error and pleading with us to cease our activities. So we decide to move to stage three.

CONSCIENCE IS GAGGED—With the conscience bound and gagged, it makes it so much easier "to do what we have to do." The amazing thing is that nobody yet suspects our intentions, well-almost. We're still attending church and giving our ten percent. Everything has proceeded thus far with guarded caution. Yet because we are still feigning allegiance to Christ's authority, we must of necessity occasionally pass through the throne room. Oh, how His stare burns! Although we have fooled everyone else, somehow we know that He knows. So, we attempt to avoid Him. We do so much in the same way a man contemplating adultery avoids his wife. Whenever one avoids prayer, avoids talking to God, he is in perilous danger! But gagging the conscience will be our last, silent maneuver.

TOTAL DEFECT—Jesus Christ does not force His way into our lives. He is not glued to the throne of our hearts. He sits in authority only a as long as we desire to be subject to Him.

He hears us stealing up behind Him, and He understands the sound of a safety being clicked off, but He will not move. He will not summon the palace guard, nor will He struggle. He will only rule as long as you want Him. Finally, the loaded revolver is placed at the base of His skull and the trigger is pulled. You have become a spiritual assassin.

Do you think one can just walk away from God at the drop of a hat? Those who suddenly and brazenly begin to mock God's people and leave the Church, belittling Christianity, have had no sudden change of heart. Their hostility had been silently brewing in their hearts for a long time. How many are there right now involved in one of the latter stages of this evil plot? Can we muster enough courage and spiritual sensitivity to minister to a brother whose heart is growing cold?

Karl Menninger quotes one pastor sick over the spiritual frigidity of his parishioners:

Here they come,
my nonchalants,
my lazy daisies,
their dainty perfume
disturbing the room
the succulent smell
seductive as hell.

Here they are
my pampered flamboyants,
status spoiled, who bring
with exquisite zing
their souls spick and span
protected by Ban,

their hearts young and gay
decked in handsome cliche,
exchanging at my call
with no effort at all
worship for whispering
God for gossiping,
theology for television.

Baptized in the smell
of classic Chanel
I promote their nod
to a jaunty God
Who, they are sure,
is a sparkling gem
superbly right for them.

There they go
my in-crowd
my soft-skinned crowd,
my suntanned, so-so
elegant, swellegant,
natty, delectable,
suave, cool, adorable
DAMNED![7]

The Church needs a baptism with the Holy Ghost and fire, because until then our generation will throng the gates of hell, because no man cried for their Souls.[8]

What an epitaph!

Will the Struggle Ever End?

Very few Christians find themselves wrestling with a love for the devil. The likelihood of our being attracted to Satan's person is more remote than Elijah courting Jezebel. He chills us—leaves us cold. This is not only because of his cruel campaign to torment God, but because there is something inherently foul about him.

Have we not seen this Devil's destructiveness making a bonfire of past, present and future in one mighty conflagration? Smelt him, rancid-sweet? Touched him, slippery-soft? Measured with the eye his fearful shape? Heard his fearful rhetoric? Glimpsed him, sometimes in a mirror, with drooling, greedy mouth, misty ravening eyes and flushed flesh?[1]

We do not love him, but he doesn't require our direct worship. He's quite satisfied to remain behind the scenes, bleeding us through his stable of moral harlots. Greed, lust, envy, pride, and a host of others are in his employ. He operates, if you will, as a spiritual pimp. And when one of his "girls" becomes our lover, our attention is focused on the immediate, while his own role is of little concern to us.

The struggle, as we've said before, isn't with the devil. But neither is it with our desire for happiness and pleasure. It's not the "want to" that constitutes sin, but the "choice to." It is the choice to gratify a desire in an illegal manner. It's not the pimp, nor our desire for the girl that dooms us, it's our choice to lie with her. Sin involves turning our loyalties inside out and giving ourselves to harlotry. And as Christians, it involves even more—it is an issue of faithfulness. "As there can be physical adultery, so too there can be unfaithfulness to the divine bridegroom—spiritual adultery."[2] This is where we feel the tension.

Inside we are aware of God's burning love for us. We recognize the great cost in redemption and we have experienced His tender concern in our lives. Yet, as desperately as we want to show our gratitude, as deeply as we want to reciprocate by demonstrating our love for Him, we find, rather embarrassingly, that it is—well, a struggle. We know He is the one for us. No one could possibly love us as He does, and yet, it seems we spend so much time contending with the allurements of other loves. Appearing alternately as passionate desire or the easy way out, temptation entices us to "be filled".

As temptation beckons and seems to say, "You can't resist for long," our response is often deep frustration. "If I really loved Him why am I struggling?" Gordon Olson asks "Is there no let-up from these constant struggles? Is there no point that can be reached in Christian experience when intermittent waverings, in our consecration are eliminated, or at least reduced to momentary less passionate departures?[3] The answer happily is Yes.

Carnal Christianity?

As we further consider the matter of spiritual faithfulness, two very important and interrelated theological theories surface: Positional Sanctification and Carnal Christianity. Both are widely prescribed today in order to tranquilize spiritual adulterers struggling in the throes of guilt.

Unger’s Bible Dictionary gives us an insight into the nature and implications of positional sanctification in its summary statement of the New Testament teaching on the doctrine of sanctification.

The New Testament presents the doctrine of salvation in three aspects: positional, experiential and ultimate. Positional sanctification is the possession of everyone ‘in Christ.’ It depends only upon one’s union with and position ‘in Christ.’ First Corinthians presents proof that imperfect believers are nevertheless positionally sanctified and therefore ‘saints.’ The Corinthian Christians were carnal in life but they are twice said to have been sanctified.[4]

In other words, the Corinthian Christians were positionally sanctified without being experientially sanctified. Or, according to Scofield’s notes, they were walking “after the flesh” but were nevertheless “renewed” by the spirit.[5] To help us sort out all of these positions and experiences, consider the passage in question.

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? —1 Corinthians 3:1-3

In his book, What Should We Think of the Carnal Christian?, Ernest Reisinger relates the following story:

At a church service that I attended recently, the preacher, a sincere minister, was expounding I Corinthians, chapter 3, and he said to a large congregation, ‘Now after you become a Christian you have another choice—either to grow in grace, follow the Lord and become a spiritual Christian, or to remain a babe in Christ and live like natural men.’ He used 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 to state that there were three categories of men—the natural man, the spiritual man, and the carnal man. He described the carnal man as being like the natural man who was unconverted.[6]

This practice of categorizing men into various spiritual configurations has become extremely popular. Ministers unwilling to offend their congregations, and fearful of being called legalists, have created spiritual pigeonholes to accommodate any and all lifestyles. Reisinger continues,

One of the most common and popular presentations of this position is available in the form of a small tract which presents the teaching like this:

“After you have invited Christ into your life, it is possible for you to take control of the throne of your life again. The New Testament passage, I Corinthians 2:14-3:3, identifies three kinds of people:

There will be no dispute about the first circle which represents the non-Christian. Note the position of the Ego, indicating that self is on the throne. The natural man is a self-centered man; his interests are controlled by self. Now compare this with the second circle-the only difference is that a cross (representing Christ) appears, although not on the throne. And the same little dots are in circle two as in circle one, indicating that there has been no basic reorganization or change in the nature and character. That is to say, the bent of the life of the ‘carnal Christian’ is the same as that of the non-Christian. Circle two gives basically the same picture as circle one, the only difference being that the ‘carnal Christian’ has made a profession of receiving Jesus. But he is ‘not trusting God’.”[7]

What this teaching essentially propounds is this: If an individual has at some moment in time accepted Christ, he is, from that moment on, positionally sanctified “in Christ.” This position he now has in Christ has nothing to do with his day-to-day behavior or experiential sanctification. In other words, it is possible to be positionally sanctified while living carnally. We are not talking here about doing carnal things, or having difficulties in a particular area. We are talking about an individual who is walking after the flesh, whose ego or self is still on the throne of the heart.

What is the difference between a positionally sanctified, carnal Christian living for himself supremely and an unregenerate, natural man living for himself supremely? Here again we see strong evidence of theology detached from relationship. Unger’s Bible Dictionary expounds these confused categories:

The basis of experiential sanctification, or actual holiness of life, is positional sanctification or what one is ‘in Christ.’ One’s position is true whether or not he reckons or counts it as true. But it becomes experientially real only… as one reckons it to be true.[8]

In order to effectively understand any scripture, consideration must be given to the surrounding context in which it lies. When the context of the carnal Christian passage is examined, we discover that Paul is dealing with the specific problem of factionalism (unwholesome divisions).

Paul is not saying that they (the Corinthian believers) were characterized by carnality in every area of their lives. He is not expounding a general doctrine of carnality but reproving a specific outcropping of carnality in one certain respect.[9]

If this passage in 1 Corinthians does not establish a special category for loose-living Christians, then where in scripture do we find reference to the issue? Where does the Bible state that a Christian can live carnally? Where does it say that he can be positionally sanctified without being sanctified experientially? The fact of the matter is that positional sanctification is simply being used as another term for justification, the forgiveness of sins, while experiential sanctification is defined as a nonessential change of heart which takes place in some believers after salvation. This is serious error.

When the Bible talks about the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-27; Hebrews 10:15-17), it describes

…one covenant with two inseparable parts—the forgiveness of sins and a changed heart. When a sinner is reconciled to God something happens in the record of heaven, the blood of Christ covers his sins-but at the same time something happens on earth in the heart. The ‘carnal Christian’ teaching appeals to those who are supposed to be justified, as though a new heart and life are optional. Sanctification is spoken of as though it can be subsequent to the forgiveness of sins and so people are led to believe that they are justified even though they are not being sanctified! The truth is that we have no reason to believe that Christ’s blood covers our sins in the record of heaven if the Spirit has not changed our hearts on earth. These two great blessings are joined together in the one covenant.[10]

In other words, God can’t forgive a man without a transformation.

Spiritual Maturity - The "Abiding Principle"

How then are we transformed? How do we stabilize our lives against the turbulence created by appetites and passions accustomed to gratification? Can we in fact reach a place of spiritual maturity? The answers to these questions are worth their weight in gold to Christians in quest of guidelines for victorious Christian living. And happily these answers are available to us.

Spiritual victory is not realized by giving mental assent to an abstract positional theology. Spiritual victory must involve us. Yet clearly it

…is not something that we achieve by ourselves in a state of isolation, (nor is it) something that we have as a personal possession. Rather, it is an achieved state of relationship with God."[11]

Or as Charles Finney wrote,

Our a activity, though properly our own, is nevertheless stimulated and directed by His presence and agency within us, so that we can and must say with Paul, 'yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.'[12]

Jesus said:

He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye can do nothing. —John 15:5

Not only do these words remind us of what we cannot do, they present us with a blueprint for action; they reveal to us what we can do. The gospel of John (chapters 15 and 17) supplies us with a definition and instructions for application of the power of God in sanctification.

The word sanctified actually means set apart. It is worth noting, however, that the biblical concept of sanctification does not stress being entirely removed. It rather conveys the idea of being "different in the midst of" or "in but not of." Jesus prays for His disciples along this very line.

I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth. As thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. —John 17:15-19 (NASB)

In an earlier chapter Jesus gives us the practical "how to" of being in the world but not of it. We find the word abide appearing ten times in the first ten verses of John chapter 15. Jesus is not offering teaching on salvation here. He is not talking to people who are not sanctified. He is dispensing the secret of maintaining our spiritual walk. In John 15:3 Jesus says, "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you." But he immediately then states, "Abide in Me" if you want to produce any spiritual fruit.

If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. —John 15:6 (NASB)

A branch that is not abiding in the vine is symbolic of a life that is out of relationship with God. And a life out of relationship with God is cut off from the only life source in the universe. This is precisely why this life will dry up.

The Psalmist could say, 'All my springs are in Thee.' He is the fountain of life. Whatever of life is in us flows directly from Him, as the sap flows from the vine to the branch…[13]

Deliverance from sin as promised in the Gospel is impossible unless we are willing to live a life in communication with God, for it is the Godhead who must deliver us. If we do not want to take the trouble to maintain this happy, submissive life, then we are left to fight our own battles with gruesome defeat on every hand." [14]

So, in order to remain sanctified or "set apart" from sin and the world, we must abide in Christ. Not in some mystical, abstract manner, but in regular intimate communion with earnest desire.

The experience of abiding in Christ is like being in the eye of a hurricane. As long as our attention is focused on Him, we are kept in perfect peace though the winds of iniquity rage all about us. We are "in but not of." Outside of Christ's embrace, however, we have no more chance of resisting the maelstrom of sin than a leaf in a mid-winter gale. We must be reminded that:

…continual deliverance depends upon our having learned the secret of continual abiding in Christ, and that, therefore, it is not automatic. We must learn not only the 'how' but also the 'when.' Or, to put it more fully, we must not only learn how to look to the Lord in faith but must become sharpened in our spiritual perception and sensitivity to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so that we instantly recognize when we need to look to the Lord for deliverance.[15]

When will the Church understand that Christ is our sanctification; that we have no life, no holiness, no sanctification, except as we abide in Christ…[16]

Death is a Door

The question that seems to occur to many at this point concerns the actual initiation and outworking of this "abiding" relationship. Our emotional lives have been cultivated for so long that they have, as Charles Finney stated, become "tremblingly alive" to the things of the world. How is it possible to live in the spiritual realm while our emotional lives are geared to the natural? Jesus gives us the answer.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth along: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. —John 12:24

If it die—it bringeth forth fruit. Jesus, using the analogy of a seed falling to the ground, losing its form and eventually bringing forth fruit, sets forth the spiritual principle of life from death. Death, in this case to self, represents a doorway to the spiritual relationship that is referred to as being "in Christ." This relationship is complete when we love Jesus and keep His words. Of a man at this stage Jesus states, "My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." (John 14:23).

Except it die—it abideth alone. The individual who chooses to hold on and resist the world through abstinence rather than abiding is fighting a losing battle. We are simply too ill equipped to conquer sin while abiding alone. Relationship is crucial. As Watchman Nee declares,

Abstinence is merely worldly. Yet how many earnest Christians are forsaking all sorts of worldly pleasures in the hope thereby of being delivered out of the world! You can build yourself a hermit's hut in some remote spot and think to escape the world by retiring there, but the world will follow you… It will dog your footsteps and find you no matter where you hide. Our deliverance from the world begins, not with our giving up this or that but with our seeing, as with God's eyes, that it is a world under sentence of death.[17]

I recall a young man several years ago caught in the grip of an intense inner struggle. Brought up in a Christian home, well versed in doctrine and blessed with a fine intellect, he was nevertheless gripped by spiritual unrest. After spending many days analyzing his situation in hopes of isolating the root of his seeming paralysis, I was on the brink of discouragement when the Lord all at once provided the answer from a most unexpected source. A few days prior, I had been reading a novel about a deadly plague ravaging the Algerian port of Oran. Near the end of the story, the author described the ordeal of one particular man who contracted the plague after working tirelessly as a volunteer in the overloaded hospital. He was stricken at a time when it appeared the plague had passed. The account of his struggle to prevent the plague from claiming him as one of its final victims created a poignant drama.

I looked at my friend as the Lord brought the story to my mind and said, "Jerry, you're resisting the Divine Plague! You've been fighting tenaciously to hang on to your life, and God wants you to let it go. He wants you to succumb, Jerry… to die!" As long as you fight to retain control of your life, He is unable to possess you and perform all these things you have been asking Him to do in you and through you. I realize it's terrifying to feel the reins of your life slipping from your hands. Death is never easy because it is veiled on the side of the living, and we just don't know what's to become of us.

Until we all are prepared to yield completely, God will faithfully trouble us, as Malcolm Muggeridge suggests in his book Jesus Rediscovered.

God comes padding after me like a Hound of Heaven. His shadow falls over all my little picnics in the sunshine, chilling the air; draining viands of their flavor, talk of its sparkle, desire of its zest… one shivers as the divine beast of prey gets ready for the final spring; as the shadow lengthens, reducing to infinite triviality all mortal hopes and desires.[18]

We hang on to our lives tightly because we are afraid of what we will lose should we let them go. This fact is in itself revealing. It shows us what we are really living for. As we waver over the conscious and the tangible, it reveals a short sighted desire for the immediate. Like the children of Israel seeking a "table in the wilderness," we ask, "Can God provide flesh for His people?"

We find out soon enough that God will give us our own desire. Down it comes, flesh, the tangible something we can sink our teeth into, the immediate. Delighted with our circumstance we "fill" ourselves with that which will never fill us. But in time the euphoria is gone. We discover that the "immediate" looks less real all the time.

We are all, in a sense, like thirsty desert wanderers. It is natural for us to jump at the first "sighting" of desperately needed water. But the wise man will not run after it long. He will not fail to notice that the water which he had spotted and with which he sought to quench his thirst is keeping its fair distance no matter how much ground he covers. Yet today so many are actually increasing the thirst they seek, to quench by continually rushing after mirages. Jesus said:

He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Matthew 10:39

God is not attempting to strip away our dreams and ambitions altogether. He is merely trying to encourage us toward that which will really satisfy. He encourages those who "hunger and thirst after righteousness" that "they shall be filled." We hear the voice of God across the desert, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters…" (Isaiah 55:1). The man who "loses" his life doesn't die in the desert chasing mirages, but discovers out of the somewhat frightening, trembling expiration of self, a new, inner oasis.

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. —John 4:14

Those who will release themselves utterly into the hands of God will discover a sense of abandonment to the things that previously occupied their hearts. It's at once a feeling of near weightless relief, after the pressure of managing our own affairs is dispensed with, and a sense of being borne up into the heavenlies where life suddenly takes on brand new perspective. We are freed from the burden of governing our own affairs that we might focus our attention on the King's business. Although the process of giving ourselves wholly to God involves giving up our sin as a first step, the matter by no means ends at this point. There is also an emptying involved that drains out all ostensible rights. He will take rightful but loving control over every area of our lives; mere confession of sin is not enough. He does not want us to give up our sins and keep ourselves, He wants us to give up the whole package.

The Christian way is different: harder and easier. Christ says 'Give Me all. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. [19]

Not yielding up to God what is rightfully His, Fenelon calls "sacrilegious theft." We might even venture to say that holding on to our rights amounts, in effect, to spiritual suicide.

The Art of Building Your Own Cross

The reader might like to get on with dying, but not know how to go about it. It's one thing to have a willingness to give up to God what is rightfully His, and quite another to know how to do it. I remember receiving a letter not too long ago from a young man begging me to instruct him on how he might die to himself. He was more than willing. He was desirous of the death of his self-interests to bring him into more intimate fellowship with the Lord. He just didn't know how to go about it.

The answer is—don't do it. Don't try to set up your own execution. Many Christians interpret Jesus' admonition to "take up the cross" as instructions to begin immediate cross building. This is a mistake. Although Jesus indeed instructs us to take up our cross (as opposed to His cross—Calvary), He nowhere suggests that we attempt spiritual self-execution. John Wright Follette reminds us,

The cross is a symbol of suffering. Do you want to live? Then take up your cross. What is your cross? You will have to interpret your own cross, for yours is not like anyone else's. It will be a cross fitting your whole concept and disposition, and more than that, your will. Whatever you are in your will, determines your cross. What may be a cross to you may seem like a joy-ride to another. It is that which will crucify the I in you that will determine your cross…[20]

Why can't we build our own crosses? Simply because the ones we build do not get the job done. No one is proficient at self execution. For this reason, when an individual attempts to "crucify" himself, more often than not, he remains very much alive. A cross manufactured by a twentieth century Christian is generally quite plush. Padded and cushioned, the believer reposes on the cross in style. To help ease the pain, sympathetic friends mount a special remote control television set and pass up a sponge filled with Coca-Cola. Within a few days the "disciple" dismounts his cross and begins to share on the resurrection life of which he knows nothing—due, of course, to the fact he never died!

If we will wait on the Lord, He will, master craftsman that He is, fashion a cross for us that will accomplish its purpose. It will slay us. He knows what it will take to bring us to the end:

He disillusions us with ourselves by the experience of our weakness and our corruption, in an infinite number of failures, and yet, even then when He seems to overwhelm us, it is for our good, it is to spare us from the harm which we would do to ourselves. What we weep for would have made us weep eternally. What we believe to have lost was lost when we thought we had it.[21]

It was only a desert mirage.

Seeing Eyes

Spiritual victory is realized only when we see the path of life from a higher position. An earthly view alone is too localized and deceptive. Although the immediate view may be accurate, it is nevertheless limited. We can only garner the strength to refuse the compromises of immediate pleasures by acquiring a full and accurate view of life, the sort of "extended vision" which gave Moses the strength to forsake the temporal pleasures of Pharaoh's palace. "…He endured, as seeing Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27). When Elisha and his young servant were surrounded by hostile forces, the prophet said,

Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of that young man; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. —2 Kings 6:17

Our tendency to think pessimistically seems to affect our outlook on just about everything. Religious themes are they are prime not only not exempted from this pessimism, they are prime targets. This matter of dying to self is a good example of what I mean. It seems the only thing many people can think of when this subject is broached is what they will have to give up, what they are going to lose. Yet God promises that "He that loses his life for my sake will find it." He will find his life! What encouraging tidings! These are not negative words of loss, but positive words. Jesus suffers no equation here. Rather, He offers us life for mere existence, and extended vision for spiritual blindness. It is an offer made by One who knows what living really is, to those who do not. The Master's words contain no paradox except to those limited by a "flesh and blood" worldview.

In other words, this "extended vision" is a direct reward of this process of spiritual death. Job evidently acquired "seeing eyes" after his cross had done its work, for he declared, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mind eye seeth thee" (Job 42:5).

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). Those diligent enough to see God will see, as well, the overall structure of life. It's not that this structure is invisible that so many fail to see it, but that spiritual blindness is so widespread. Life cannot be accurately interpreted by anyone other than a true Christian. This is true not because Christians have necessarily earned positions of counsel, but because they "see." God has designed that spiritual sight be a possession of the humble. Thus it is that those unwilling to "lose their lives" for His sake are destined to remain blind.

So often those involved in various spiritual projects are totally oblivious to the place and purpose of their particular vision in God's overall scheme. They work at it day after day with no real understanding of what they are doing. The man of God, however, who has lost his life for Christ's sake, who has fallen into the ground and died, receives his commission from the Lord along with its context. He arises from his "death" to view the world through eyes that see color and detail which the church's leisure class fails to notice. To this man life vibrates with meaning and anticipation.

I am a flame born of celestial fire
 I bear a name, Insatiable Desire.
I wear in heart an image all divine,
 Past human art, not traced by mortal line.
I hear God call to taste His heavenly power,
 I give my all to bum life's single hour.
So let me burn through fetters that would bind;
 Thus will I learn and freedom will I find.
I shall return to Love's eternal fire.
 There shall I burn—a satisfied desire.[22]

May we pursue a clean heart and righteous hands within the diligence of a David. May we return to Love's eternal fire and hear him say, "Blessed are your eyes, for they see…" (Matt. 13:16).

The Philosophy of Evangelism

Not a day passes but that the world is discovering the frustration that results in attempting to understand Christian activity apart from Christian teaching. To my Soviet interrogators, my faith was an incorporeal experience and nothing more. It wasn't difficult for me, knowing their definition, to understand their amazement over my actions.

The paint is that Christianity is more than an experience. Many Christian people in their haste to spread their joy, relate a subjective experience rather than objective truths. While this is a great deal safer (in that people do not seem nearly as threatened by personal experience), it is also infinitely less productive than the presentation of objective, invasive truths.

The essence of Christ's great commission rests in what He has taught us, not what He has done for us (important and precious as this is). Only Christ's teaching can work a similar inner miracle in another's life. If what we share with the world is solely a subjective experience, we run the risk of seeing it routinely tossed into the world's ever-growing bag of experiences. The only factor that sets the Christian experience apart from Krishna-consciousness, spiritism, existentialism or what-have-you, is the intrinsic truth of Christianity.

However, a philosophy of evangelism must encompass more than what we share; it must include the why. Why do we share? There appear to be two reasons why every Christian needs to share the Gospel message with others: obedience and life purpose. Although the two are linked together in the sense that obedience is the life purpose of every Christian, our immediate design is to examine this philosophy of evangelism from both an objective and a subjective standpoint.

A Kingdom Not of This World

In Evgeny Barabanov's brilliant essay, "The Schism Between the Church and the World," he establishes a fundamental flaw in the thinking of the Russian Church (and to my mind, in the Western Church as well) which left the door ajar to humanistic activists:

Heavenward aspirations often went hand in hand with execration of the earth. Too often the ideal of salvation was built on a foundation of inflexible renunciation of this world. Thus salvation itself was understood as an escape from the material world into a world of pure spirituality[5]

The Soviet State had a message for the Church, and it came in the form of a cynical resolution by the Soviet Central Committee:

You say you are not of this world, well then, there is nothing for you to do in this world.[6]

Perhaps this is a message the Church wants to hear. It would certainly appear that way when one observes her extreme reticence to handle any of the burning issues of our day. The primary line of reasoning is that admitting political and social issues into the Church tends to encourage factionalism, which in turn erodes unity. I quite agree when no clear biblical guideline is evident, but there are plenty of clear-cut issues on which the Church must take a stand.

Be that as it may, there is one thing of which we may be certain: If we do not want to be involved in this world, there are scores of godless people who will gladly take our political and social "burdens" from us. With responsibility goes authority; by abdicating our responsibilities, we in turn lose our voice and authority in the world. The Church's message to the humanistic princes of this world has been clear—"You go ahead and run things. Just let us go on with our fellowship." This "drop out" mentality was noted by Bob Dylan in his hit song "Desolation Row":

Ophelia she's 'neath the window
for her I feel so afraid
on her twenty-second birthday
she already is an old maid
to her death is quite romantic
he wears an iron vest
her profession's her religion
her sin is her lifelessness.[7]

What a travesty that the Church of Jesus Christ should be indicted for lifelessness! Our detachment from this world has made a mockery of our message. Perhaps our callousness stems from our obliviousness, but perhaps not. The fact remains, according to the words of Christ, that a Christian is one not only called out of the world but sent back into the world as well. Certainly the good news of Christianity is not limited to the world beyond the grave.

Recently I observed two women engaged in a strange, new Christian ritual. They'd spent quite some time discussing the miserable state of the world, fuming over this and fretting about that—all the while gesticulating their distress in a most remarkable manner. Eventually, just prior to wrapping up the solemn conversation, they slapped each other on the back and asked with enormous smiles, "Aren't you glad Jesus is coming to take us out of this mess?"

This longing for "home" affects us all at times, and there is assuredly nothing wrong with this. That is, until we become so intoxicated by other-worldly thinking that we neglect to maintain the present. Malcolm Muggeridge put it this way: "I often pined for total detachment from a society whose standards I despise and whose future prospects I regard as catastrophic, but in which I, nonetheless, have an inescapable stake."[8]

How many times has it happened that an athletic team has found a weak opponent scheduled prior to some important contest, and wound up getting beaten? They had their minds on future matters while their bodies were trying to conduct present business.

Jesus said we were to be in the world but not of it. He said we were to be the salt of the earth. He said we were to occupy until He returned—so let's get on with it! Let's occupy territory for the kingdom of God. Let's work on preserving our society from wanton destruction by actively pursuing and demonstrating righteousness. We are behind In a game we ought to be winning!

Mannequins, Popcorn and Cheer

Those of you who are scratching your heads, asking what in the world this heading means, need some explanation.

If we are going to conquer this world for Christ, there are three points to remember: we must allow Him to speak for Himself; we must let Him do what He wants; and we must do what He says. If the following illustration will help you to remember these three ingredients, it will have served its purpose.

Definition: Mannequin—

Something which allows you to create appearance and display your own tastes.

One would almost think from the looks of things these days that Jesus Christ owns the biggest wardrobe in town. Everyone from the liberal theologian trying to legitimize homosexuality, to the local youth pastor trying to prove the great commission means halloween parties, have an outfit in which they feel Jesus looks especially nice. Church board meetings, Jesus rock concerts, revival meetings, encounter groups—you name it—after the program kickoff, Jesus will inevitably appear to rubber-stamp His support of any and alI activities. So today, as if Jesus could no longer speak for Himself, He is wheeled onto platforms, into meetings, used everywhere His name might be helpful in legitimizing men's deeds. Everybody's "dressin' up" Jesus.

How ludicrous it is to think we can force Jesus into our garments. Jesus Christ can never be a mannequin, for a mannequin is at the mercy of the clothing designer and Jesus chooses His own clothes. In addition (for the benefit of those who didn't know), Jesus only owns one suit…

And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called the Word of God…

And on His Robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." —Revelation 19:13,16 (NASB)

To present Jesus Christ dressed any other way is to present a false Christ. He will only be who He is, He will only speak for Himself. Let us, each one, temper our words accordingly.

Definition: Popcorn—

Something which makes the main attraction that much more enjoyable.

We in the West are living in a system designed to provide material satisfaction. This system, as Alvin Toffler points out, is generating "experience makers" and "creating an economy geared to the provision of psychic gratification."[9] The more "in-depth" the experience, the better. In other words, an experience involving three senses is preferable to that which stimulates only two. The search is on for the total, sensual-immersion experience.

One of the leading experience manufacturers today is the movie industry. Hollywood launches lavish productions, costing millions of dollars, on a regular basis. The only drawback seems to be that although they're veritable feasts for the eyes and ears (and thanks to Sensurround, the touch), the olfactory nerves and taste buds are unimpressed.

Ah, but not for long! Accommodating as they are, proprietors of movie theaters across the land have solved the problem. The first thing that meets the eye in almost every theater one enters any more is a glass or plastic cubicle sitting atop a concessions counter with the words, "hot, salty, buttered popcorn" emblazoned across the front. At an additional cost (usually about double the price of your ticket), you can experience the thrill of titillating all your senses simultaneously. Bear in mind, however, that despite the cost, the popcorn itself is not the main attraction. It rather serves to make the main attraction just a little bit more enjoyable.

What folly to think that the King of the universe would consent to cater to our selfishness, that he would provide religious seasoning in order to make our cuisine of self-indulgence palatable.

Jesus Christ is not the main attraction in our lives. He is the only attraction. He lives in us, He is all of us—everything we do, everything we say, everything we are. He does what He wants to with our lives. This is why He will reject every effort we make to incorporate Him as an appendage to our lifestyles; even if that appendage is disguised as the major thrust of our lives!

Definition: Cheer—

Something an observer does to feel like a participant.

During my high school years, I indulged in the American craze known as football. In the Los Angeles City School System where I played (and studied a little), the fellows became varsity or B-level players depending on their "exponents" (a combination of age, height and weight). Due to my not-so-massive frame, I played on the "B" team. Since our game was played prior to the varsity contest, this afforded us the opportunity to both play and watch football every Friday night.

As a general rule the fellows on the "B" team would sit together in the bleachers and root for the varsity. I must admit that in spite of our volume and enthusiasm, we never influenced the outcome of the game. It seems strange that one could feel so much like a participant and yet in actuality be so impotent to effect any results. But just being in the proximity and atmosphere of the action wasn't enough. The only fellows truly influencing the outcome of the game were the dirty, weary players down on the field.

An analogous situation exists in Christendom today. This contest is between the forces of heaven and the powers of darkness. The stakes are far higher, however, when you consider the value of a human soul. Every Sunday the evangelical bleachers fill with eager believers. The cheering section is even replete with cheerleaders in the form of choir directors, associate pastors and song leaders. When the music begins, we sing "I Surrender All," when in actuality we offer very little, or "He Is Lord" when He is not. Somehow we can feel the tide of the battle turning when we sing " Onward, Christian Soldiers" in spite of the fact "Protestant churches have long ago become like N.A.T.O., a headquarters without an army."[10]

Why sit we here until we die?

There is an interesting story in the book of 2 Kings that speaks in the simplest of terms to the deteriorating situation of an ailing Church. Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, had decided to besiege Samaria. If one possesses sufficient patience, laying siege can be a very effective military tactic. Often It involves nothing more than encircling a fortified position and waiting. In time, supply routes are cut, and the enemy will either starve or surrender.

The whole operation actually went quite well for Ben-Hadad. This becomes evident when you scan the menu inside the city:

Donkey's Head…………………………………80 shekels (silver)
One Pint of Dove's Dung.………………5 shekels (silver)
Boiled Sons………………………………………no price mentioned

The situation was bleak for the inhabitants of Samaria.

Numbered among the residents of the city were four leprous men who sat at the entrance of the gate. Given their perspective at the time, life's silver lining was pretty tattered. As they looked outside the city, they saw the Syrian army perched like vultures awaiting their prey. Inside the city, starvation had taken its toll and panic was beginning to set in. Then, as they tried to cover their eyes from the sight, they were reminded of their own leprous, decaying flesh. Finally, motivated by desperation, they came to that pivot point where one realizes things are not going to improve and, for better or for worse, decided to "do something." They asked themselves, "Why sit we here until we die?"

Perhaps for the Church of Jesus Christ, standing in the twilight of a spent civilization, it is high time we ask ourselves the same question. A fatalistic, apocalyptic policy of laissez-faire doesn't seem quite in order while society is decaying and collapsing around us. Do we doubt that society is collapsing? In light of the ample visual and statistical evidence available today, it is doubtful that anyone other than a naive idealist or fanatic optimist could believe it is not. Nevertheless, the question remains: Just how bad do things have to get before we take action? Are we waiting until our nation is completely trampled into dust—until we are ultimately and utterly consumed? Why sit We here until we die?

When you read further in this biblical account, it's interesting to note that four desperate lepers discovered that God had driven the Syrians out of their camp. God had spoken earlier through Elisha concerning the release that was to come, bur the officialdom would have none of it.

Then Elisha said, 'Listen to the word of the LORD; thus says the LORD, "Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria." And the royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, 'Behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?' Then he said, 'Behold you shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.' —2 Kings 7:1-2 (NASB)

The cynical unbelief of the royal officer became his death sentence. Unlike the four lepers who had also concluded the situation was nearly terminal, he neglected to add two vitally important ingredients to the situation—hope and action. Did not the word of the Lord through the prophet Elisha provide sufficient grounds for the exercise of faith and the manifestation of hope?

When we respond to the Word of the Lord with hope and action, we will surely live to see His deliverance. If, on the other hand, we allow circumstances to foster unbelief, then we shall perish.

So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Syrians. Then a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord. Now the king appointed the royal officer on whose hand he leaned to have change of the gate; but the people trampled on him at the gate, and he died just as the man of God had said… —2 Kings 7.:16-17 (NASB)

In the New Testament this same issue is addressed in Jesus' parable of the pounds (Matthew 25:14). Jesus, speaking of Himself, describes a certain nobleman who prepares to leave on a long journey. He gathers his servants together in order to deliver parting instructions. As they stand before him he gives pounds (or talents) to each one with the command, "Occupy till I come."

Eventually the nobleman returns to reckon with his servants. One has gained ten pounds, another five. Yet another comes with the word that his pound is wrapped up in a napkin and safely hidden. The master is delighted with the productivity of the first servants. The last servant, however, is a different matter. His report ignites the nobleman's fury.

Why was the master angry? What was the basic difference between the first servants and the last? I think it can be summed up in a word—inactivity. He simply didn't do anything with his pound. He had somehow failed to understand, or more likely failed to act upon, his master's instructions to "Occupy till I come." The consequences were severe.

And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. —Matthew 25:30

The Master's servants still have difficulty interpreting His instruction today. Many seem to be convinced that it means, "Occupy this church pew until the Lord returns." It has become simply a matter of obtaining our salvation, wrapping it up nicely in religious trappings and waiting. "Suffocating indifference" is the way Leonard Ravenhill put it:

We Christians are so willfully smug to the lostness of men! We are chronically lazy and so callously indifferent! As lax, loose, lustful and lazy Laodiceans, we are challenging God to spew us out of His mouth.[11]

Who will release the prisoners of the earth? Alexander Solzhenitsyn in a recent, smoldering editorial asked this poignant question: "Do we have the freedom of indifference to a distant alien's trampled freedom?"[12] Consider the following scripture before you answer.

Deliver those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to slaughter, O hold them back. If you say, 'See, we did not know this,' does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work? —Proverbs 24:11 (NASB)

Solzhenitsyn continues:

In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousand-fold in the future.[13]

If we wait for history to present us with freedom and other precious gifts, we risk waiting in vain. History is us—and there is no alternative but to shoulder the burden of what we so passionately desire and bear it out of the depths.[14]

A Mysterious Army

Our generation has, probably had more than its share of revolution. It doesn't really matter whether you study the "professionals," a la Lenin, Mao and Castro, or the special interest terrorist groups, be they German, Japanese, Italian or Palestinian—the results are identical. Revolution begins with a barrage of inflamed rhetoric and ends with bloodshed and tyranny. When the dust has finally settled, one tyranny has replaced another in the name of progress.

Karl Marx said that "Philosophers have only interpreted the world differently; the point is, however, to change it." The fact remains that neither Marx nor his successors approached the problem of changing the world with enough force. Their weapons of destruction, both ideological and military, were (and still are) far too feeble. All the apparatuses of war in any nation's arsenal are just as capable of being destroyed as they are of destroying. Furthermore, as history has proven, one ruler's ideology is vulnerable to being replaced by the next. In order to change this world, it's going to take a force that is not of this world.

Such a force exists. God is raising up a mysterious army unlike any of which the Pentagon or the Kremlin have ever dreamed. It is unique, powerful, growing, but it is not new. It cannot be stopped by any weapon or barrier known to man. It is relentless and determined. There are no conscripts in this army, it is entirely volunteer. It is an army made up of the dead… who are all very much alive.

I shall not give the impression that the princes of this world are afraid or unable to make war against this army, but it can't be destroyed. Trifling with this heavenly army becomes a study in frustration. The enemy dispatches one soldier and ten more spring up in his place. As I mentioned to a Soviet lieutenant in 1973, the repressive regimes of the world would be wise to take notes from history, for whenever the Church has been persecuted, that is precisely when it has flourished. The blood of martyrs has always been the seed of the Church. It has been estimated that for every Christian that perished in the Roman coliseum there were twelve to sixteen new converts in the stands. It's like trying to put out a fire by dousing it with gasoline. The most effective action against this army is no action.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me… —Galatians 2:20

As one surveys the life of our Lord Jesus, the magnitude of His accomplishments cannot help but diminish all tendency toward self-congratulatory conversation. Jesus accomplished infinitely more in just thirty-three years than most of us could hope to conclude in a full lifetime. As J. Oswald Sanders observed, "He spent His time doing things that mattered."[15]

In Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, there are recorded for us some of the most thrilling words in the entire Bible.

I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. —John 17:4

These words are an example to us. I wonder how many of us, were we to be ushered before the throne of God today, could make such a statement? Let us order our lives in such a way that we might one day experience the deep, eternal satisfaction of repeating these words of Jesus before our Father.

We end by posing C. S. Lewis' question, from his book Mere Christianity: "One soul in the whole creation you do know: and it is the only one whose fate is placed in your hands. If there is a God, you are, in a sense, alone with Him. You cannot put Him off with speculations about your next-door neighbors, or memories of what you have read in books. What will all that chatter and hearsay count (will you even be able to remember it?) when the anesthetic fog which we call 'nature' or 'the real world' fades away, and the Presence in which you have always stood becomes palpable, immediate, and unavoidable?"

Chapter One

1. What is the primary necessity if we are to experience an intimate, personal relationship?
2. Give several reasons why an individual may not want to pursue godly understanding.
3. What conclusion can we draw about God if it is true that knowledge decreases faith?
4. What are the two ingredients of true unity? What is the basic cause of disunity?
5. What does it mean to "neglect" so great a salvation?
6. Why did God create man?
7. Give several evidences that would prove God has not endeavored to remain mysterious and aloof.
8. Explain the statement "no man is deceived unless he wants to be deceived" in relation to truth and salvation. Include statements about the two universal sources of moral enlightenment.
9. What is the basic difference between the deceived, the deceivers and the reconciled?
10. In Jesus' parable of the sower, what is the sole difference between the man who is lost and the individual whose life bears fruit?
11. Using the surrounding context, explain what God is saying in Isaiah 55:8-9 regarding His thoughts and ways.
12. What is wrong with defining God's expressed feelings in the Bible as anthropopathisms?
13. What is deficient about a desire to merely "experience" God?
14. Describe the differences between God's being and His character.
15. Which is more important to understand prior to relational committal: physical prowess or character traits?

Chapter Two

1. What is God's expressed standard for His children?
2. Name the two options open to those individuals whose lives do not correspond to the biblical standard.
3. Give a brief definition of holiness.
4. Why is God holy?
5. On what basis does God require us to choose Him supremely?
6. Define the relationship between our supreme, subordinate and simple choices. Which level does God evaluate to determine what is virtuous and what is sinful?
7. What is the difference between Christ's righteousness imputed as a technicality versus as a reality?
8. Explain the relationship between motive and conduct. What is the meaning of James 4:17?
9. Is it possible to live supremely for God and yourself simultaneously? Give scriptural evidence for your answer.
10. What is moral character?

Chapter Three

1. What is the inherent danger in referring to sin as a sickness?
2. Is sin itself a physical or a moral phenomena?
3. If it is true that men can't obey God, then why should they be disturbed that they aren't?
4. What are some of the weaknesses of the federal headship theory? What is the overriding message of Ezekiel 18?
5. What exactly did Jesus come to earth to save us from?
6. What is wrong with the idea that the only difference between the Christian and non-Christian lifestyle is forgiveness?
7. Why can there be no ignorance involved in sin? Give scriptural references.
8. Why does the Bible state that prior to salvation all our deeds, "good" and bad, are as filthy rags? Explain Matthew 7:17-18.
9. What is the origin of the sinful nature spoken of in passages such as Ephesians 2:3? How do our thoughts and choices ultimately become our destiny?
10. What is wrong with allowing our minds to become harnessed to our emotions?

Chapter Four

1. Briefly summarize man's situation apart from God.
2. What were the four major difficulties overcome through the atonement?
3. Was it possible for God to accomplish many ends with just one action?
4. Explain God's governmental problems in reconciliation. How did His problem correspond to Darius?
5. What does law without sanctions amount to?
6. What thoughts entered Adam's mind about God subsequent to his initial sin? How has this erroneous concept been carried on down through human history?
7. How is this wrong concept transferred to various interpretations of Christ's work in the atonement?
8. Why did God's love not need to be restored by any propitiation? Was the cross of Christ a stimulus to bring mercy about, or an expression of God's predisposition to mercy?
9. What is wrong with the statement, "God is a God of love but He is also a God of justice?"
10. Define the two types of justice. Which type allowed for forgiveness?
11. Define "forgiveness." Why is it impossible to both receive payment on a claim and to forgive it?
12. If the atonement satisfied retributive justice to the tiniest iota, what prospect are we faced with in relation to the Trinity? Where in the universe, if this theory be true, can we find an example of true agape love?
13. Can God relate to man in intimate fellowship when that man thinks he's something he's not? Why is it important for man to see himself as he truly is in the matter
14. Explain God's motivational problem in reconciliation. What was the key to maintaining the relationship against the magnetism of former, inflamed appetites and habit patterns?
15. Do we possess any alluring qualities at all which would attract God to us prior to salvation?

Chapter Five

1. Give several reasons why the atonement could not have consisted in Christ's obedience to the moral law on behalf of sinners.
2. What is the difference between an allegory and a metaphor? What is important for us to remember about biblical analogies using transactionary terminology?
3. Could redemption have involved Christ offering his blood as a legal "ransom" to God in order to get Him to release us? Explain.
4. Explain the sense in which our salvation did cost something.
5. If it is true that Jesus literally paid for our sins with His blood (a paid debt no longer being a debt), and He died for the sins of the whole world, what conclusions must we come to? What is the theological word for it?
6. What is a "limited" atonement? Is it taught in the Bible?
7. Why is it not possible that our salvation was secured through Christ suffering punishment? Explain the potential difference between suffering and punishment.
8. What was the function of the Old Testament sacrificial system? What did the sacrifices not represent?
9. Why was it important that the sacrificial animal be without spot or blemish?
10. What does "blood" symbolize in the Bible? What is its importance relative to the atonement?
11. What is the significance of the word "almost" in Hebrews 9:22?
12. Was it possible for a sin offering to be efficacious if it did not produce a heart realization, humility and contrition? Give scriptural evidence for your answer.
13. In what way was the Old Testament sacrificial system deficient?
14. Explain how the sacrifice of Christ opened up a better hope—or a new and Living way to God.
15. When the Bible talks about an imperfect law and replacing the old system, is it referring to ceremonial law or moral law? Explain.
16. What biblical evidence do we have that crucifixion facilitated, rather than caused Jesus' death?
17. What does the Bible mean when it states that Jesus "bore our sins?"
18. Is there any evidence that profound emotional grief and heart trauma are related? How does this correspond with Isaiah 53:11-12?
19. What is the biblical evidence for and significance of Jesus' premature death on the cross?
20. Describe in detail how Christ's shed blood and substitutionary sufferings solved, once and for all, God's difficulties in reconciling man to Himself.

Chapter Six

1. How can a church sanctuary become an effective hiding place for sinners?
2. Can you be saved solely by repenting of sin? Can you be saved without repenting of sin?
3. Is the critical factor in salvation whether we accept Christ, or whether or not He accepts us?
4. Does it matter to God at the point of salvation if we have unconfessed, unrepented sin in our hearts?
5. Is repentance a divine invitation or a divine commandment? Give supporting evidence for your answer.
6. Is repentance essentially a surrender, or a cure? Explain.
7. What do we indicate to God when we desire and determine to hold on to our sin?
8. Explain the steps involved in true repentance.
9. What is the difference between confession of sin and repentance?
10. What happens to us when we realize the truth about our sin, and yet decide to remain unchanged?

Chapter Seven

1. What is the basic distinction between intellectual faith and saving faith?
2. Why is saving faith regarded as virtuous?
3. Describe the elements of faith (substance and evidence) mentioned in Hebrews 11:1.
4. What is the difference between Christian faith and existentialism?
5. Is it possible to believe anything without evidence? Explain.
6. Why does "yo-yo" Christianity not measure up to the biblical definition of saving faith?
7. What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the process of coming to a saving faith?
8. Briefly define antinomianism. What is its error?
9. What do we learn from a thorough reading of James 2:14-26?
10. Are we saved by faith, or saved by grace?

Chapter Eight

1. Describe the basic aspects of any good, personal relationship.
2. What happens to a relationship when commitment is withdrawn?
3. What is wrong with the statement: "He lost his fellowship with the Lord, but not his salvation?"
4. Give a brief definition of the word truth.
5. Based on the scriptural evidence in this chapter, how would you define the "if" condition?
6. When Jesus came into the world He brought two equally significant messages—what were they?
7. What are the two potential sources of condemnation?
8. What is an "altar relationship"?
9. Briefly define discipleship. Why is biblical discipleship not legalistic?
10. Describe the process that takes place in the human heart when the rightful rulership of Christ is challenged.

Chapter Nine

1. What is the basic difference between positional and experiential sanctification?
2. What ultimately is the difference between a positionally sanctified carnal Christian living for himself supremely and an unregenerate, natural man living for himself supremely?
3. Upon examining the 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 passage in context, what is the Apostle Paul actually stating? Do these verses establish a category for carnal Christians?
4. What are the two main aspects of the new covenant?
5. Give a brief definition of the word sanctified.
6. What does it mean to abide in Christ?
7. What is the difference between attempting to secure spiritual victory via abstinence as opposed to abiding in Christ?
8. Why are we afraid to let go of our lives? What does this reveal to us?
9. Why is it not a good idea to build our cross?
10. What is the importance of spiritual vision and how is it to be obtained?

Chapter Ten

1. Why is it important to share objective truth as opposed to subjective experiences in our evangelism?
2. Give two reasons why every Christian needs to share the Gospel message with others.
3. Is compassion for the lost sufficient motive for preaching the Gospel? Explain.
4. What was Jesus really saying to Peter when He closed the book of John with the words "Feed My sheep?" Who do the sheep represent?
5. What is the danger of misunderstanding what it means to be "not of this world?" What is apocalyptic fatalism?
6. If we are going to conquer in this world with Christ, what three things do we need to allow Him to do? Explain in detail.
7. What was the basic message in Jesus' parable of the pounds?
8. Give your understanding of Proverbs 24:11.
9. Why are all non-Christ-centered revolutions doomed to fail?
10. What has proven to be the seed of the Church down through the centuries? Why?