Coffee Shop Chapel

Jan and I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Boice in person at a Bible Conference at the Kings College, when it was in Briarcliff Manor, Westchester County, NY. What a blessing it was, actually it was a double blessing, good preaching, and we got to see our daughters who went to the Kings College.

 

June 27

Romans 9:6, “... For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:”

We live in a world of imitation. Factories can produce paneling that looks and feels like wood, and until you cut into them, often you cannot differentiate between the real and the imitation.

Our text for today tells us that not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Paul makes a distinction between those who seem to be spiritual children and those who actually are. What is required for one to be a true Israelite? Paul listed in verses 4 and 5 things that do not in themselves make an Israelite a true Israelite. The adoption, the divine glory, the receiving of the law, etc, were real privileges that imparted important spiritual advantages, but they did not bring salvation in themselves. Not even being in the line that produced the Messiah was advantageous for salvation.

What then is required? Faith, saving faith in Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God and Savior. It is the belief that Jesus died in our place, taking our sins upon Himself, and that by faith in Him we are delivered from the punishment due us because we are sinners, and being counted as righteous through the righteousness of Christ.

True Israelites in the O.T. looked forward to Jesus (the Messiah) coming, and they believed on Him whom they had not seen. True Israelites in the N.T. look back, and they believe on Him who has come, and Whom they do know. Abraham was an O.T. example of a true Israelite. He wasn’t saved by circumcision, for God declared him righteous years before he was circumcised. He wasn’t saved by keeping the law of Moses, because he lived some four hundred years before the Law of Moses was given. Abraham was saved by faith, just as we are saved by faith today, just as Adam, and all other true believers have always been saved. Faith, plus nothing.

In the church age, cultural Christians and true Christians often look alike until you cut into them. What differentiates between the two groups?

1. Christians believe in Christ. Which is to say that the Christ of the Bible is the Son of God who became a man (the God man) for our salvation. Faith has three elements. The first is its intellectual content: who Jesus is and what He has done for our salvation. The second is the warming of the heart: being moved by Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. The third is personal commitment, it means giving oneself to Jesus, becoming His, taking up His cross, being a disciple.

2. Christians follow Christ. To be a Christian means to believe on Jesus, but it also means to be following after Jesus and becoming increasingly like Him.

3. Christians witness to Christ. They are looking for others whom they can tell about Christ.

4. Christians learn more and more about Christ.

A time for self-examination.

1. Do I believe on Christ? Have I been touched by the knowledge of Jesus’ death for me, and have I committed myself to Him?

2. Am I following after Christ? Has my life been redirected? Has my life been changed? Nobody who truly has begun to follow Jesus Christ has ever been entirely the same or walked in the same paths afterward.

3. Do I testify to Christ? Nominal Christians do not talk about Jesus, they are content to let everyone believe as he or she likes. True Christians talk about Christ to others, and live a life for Christ that witnesses to others.

4. Am I learning about Christ? Do I know more about Him today than I did at the time of my conversion? Do I read and study the Bible?

Remember faith is the key, we are saved by grace through faith. But if we are truly saved, then our lives will manifest the other qualities we have mentioned. We will be following Christ, we will be testifying of Christ, and we will be learning about Christ?

Adapted from “Romans” by Boice

In Christ,
Dan Todd

 

June 30

Romans 9:7-12, “ Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.”

Romans 9-11 is concerned with election, one of the Bible’s most difficult doctrines to understand. Romans 9 adds an equally difficult doctrine, the doctrine of reprobation (the passing over of those who are not elected to salvation). These chapters are written to prove that God is right in electing some to salvation, and the He is equally right in passing over others.

Boice calls this type of discussion a “theodicy.” A theodicy is an attempt to vindicate the justice of God in His actions. Several objections are often heard when the subject of election is brought up.

1. “Why are you ‘Calvinist’ always harping on the doctrine of election?” The premise of that question is untrue, we do not always talk about election. But the doctrine is so objectionable to most people that it sticks in their memories, and makes them think that we are always talking about it!

2. “How can election be true? If election is true, free will is impossible, and we all know that we have free will.” Whenever we here the phrase “we all know,” it should send up a red flag. Election and free will are not incompatible. God completely understands how they work together. Just because I don’t understand it, doesn’t make their compatibility untrue. Remember, God is infinite, and we are not. God is all-knowing, and we are not. It is time that we quit trying to make God and His sovereignty conform to what we finite and (please excuse this harsh statement) ignorant human beings can understand. He is the Potter, and we are the clay (Romans 9:21). How dare “the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?” (Romans 9:20)

3. “If election is true, why should we evangelize?” The answer to this objection is quite simple, and I’ll let Jesus answer it, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Simply stated, God told us to evangelize. “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14)

4. “If election is true, God is not just. I could never believe in a God like that.” It is time that Christians come to grips with the fact that we are not God, we do not think like God, we do not act like God, and we need to quit telling God what we will believe and what we will not believe.

Boice says, “To seek understanding is one thing. God encourages it. But to demand that God conform to our limited insights into what is just or right is another matter entirely.” The entire human race tries to create god in man’s image. I believe that Americans (the English speaking world) are particularly guilty of that sin. We have lost sight of the perfect righteousness of God. A righteousness that we cannot comprehend, a righteousness that demands perfection from us. We want to remain in our sin (especially our favorite sin/sins), and at the same time we don’t want God to punish us for that sin, so we create (invent) a god that will look the other way when we sin, a god that will tolerate our sin, a God that is nothing more than a Santa Claus, an Easter Bunny, or a Tooth Fairy, that is a god of our own imagination.

The God of the Bible is not created by human beings, He is not even self-created. He is the great I AM, He always has been, He always will be. There is another one of those revealed facts about God that I do not understand. When I stop to think of it, most revealed facts about God, are things that I do not understand.

But I dare not take this dime-store computer of a brain that I have, and try to confront God with who I think He should be. Rather, I ask you to join me in the prayer and desire, that the true God, the God of the Bible, will lead us, and help us understand (as much as is possible) the great truths that He reveals to us in His Word, especially as we travel through Romans 9-11, Amen.

Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.

In Christ,
Dan Todd

 

Sue,

Don't give up so quickly - I read both weekend devotionals.

Board members, please let us know if you read these devotionals. We (I) are (am) not looking for a pat on the back, but we would like to know if anyone is reading them.

Thanks,
Dan Todd

 

July 1

Romans 9:7-12, “Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.”

I’ve often wondered, why did God choose me? As a believer I wonder, why does God use me? I’m sure Paul must have wondered the same thing. My wondering is rooted in my knowledge of myself, that I was a worthless sinner, that I remain, as the song says, “a sinner saved by grace.” I am very thankful that only God knows how worthless I was, and how worthless I remain. Paul gives us a view of his worth before salvation in 1 Timothy 1:12-16, 25, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” He gives us a view of his inner struggle with sin after salvation in Romans 7:14-20, “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

Paul establishes in Romans, that in me (us) there is no good thing, which would cause God to choose us, or that would cause God to accept us if it were possible for us to come to Him on our own. In Romans 9-11, Paul establishes the fact that God chooses us based on His own sovereign will according to election. To establish that fact he uses the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) as examples.

1. Abraham had a pagan ancestry. He was born in Ur of the Chaldees (Mesopotamia). He had no knowledge of the true God, because no one in Ur had knowledge of the true God. In Joshua’s farewell message to Israel, he reminded them of Abraham’s background, “ And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.” (Joshua 24:2) Simply stated, Abraham did not seek God, God sought Abraham.

That unvarnished truth did not suit Israel’s religious scholars. Rabbinic tradition had Abraham being driven out of his native country for refusing to worship idols. It had Abraham leaving Haran because he abhorred the idolatrous nature of its citizens. Abraham was not merely born and bred an idolater (note the entrenchment of idolatry in the family, when you study Rachel and her idol), he was a pagan, “His fathers served other gods.”

Abraham and his family were polytheists, they worshiped several deities. R. Glover says, “Amongst a multitude of silent deities, One spoke to him ...” God called Abraham, called him out of idolatry, called him for His own sovereign purposes, called him with a calling he could not refuse.

I was born into a family that loved and worshiped God, a blessing that Abraham was not privileged with. I was saved at the age of eighteen, another blessing that Abraham was not privileged with. The longer I study the Word, the longer I walk this walk with the Lord, the more convinced I become of the truth of 1 John 4:19, “ We love him, because he first loved us.” Had not God called me, I would never have sought Him.

Now lest I am charged with being a hyper-calvinist, let me close with a quote from MacArthur, “Paul did not have a cold and indifferent acquiescence to God’s sovereign election. He had a compelling, heartfelt longing to bring his physical kinsmen to Christ. His deepest heartfelt desire was that every Jew be saved, and his earnest prayer to God on their behalf was for their salvation. ... Paul was not making a hopeless plea that he did not expect God to answer. He prayed because he fully believed God could save Israel, that, no matter how seemingly unlikely, the people of Israel could be saved if they would place their trust in their Messiah and Savior.”

Paul’s desire and prayer must be our desire and prayer, that is, for the salvation of lost sinners. Romans 9 focuses on God’s sovereign election and on the elect’s response of faith in Him. Romans 10 focuses on Israel’s willing unbelief (man’s free will) and spiritual ignorance. I do not have the mental powers to put God’s choice and man’s free will together, but I do trust God to do what I cannot do.

Tomorrow, Lord willing, Isaac.

Adapted from “Romans” by both Boice and MacArthur.

In Christ,
Dan Todd

[ July 01, 2003, 03:38 PM: Message edited by: Dan Todd ]

 

July 2

Romans 9:7-12, “Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger..

Yesterday we saw that God chose Abraham. The Jews would never argue that fact, so Paul did not spend much time on Abraham’s election. After all, God had to start somewhere, and He started with Abraham. Boice says, “The matter being discussed is not whether God has elected the nation of Israel to some specific destiny apart from other. That much had been conceded by everyone. The real issue was whether all the descendants of Abraham, that is, all Jews, were thereby saved, or whether the principle of choice and rejection also applies after the initial choice of Abraham.”

Does God continue to choose some but not all, some Jews, and yes, some Gentiles, but not all of either category. The Jewish leaders would say – all Jews, and no Gentiles, unless they became proselytes.

But what saith the Scripture? Paul begins his argument with Isaac, one of Abraham’s sons. Abraham had eight sons, Ishmael – son of Hagar, and six sons by Keturah (Genesis 25:1-2). But to be Abraham’s son by physical birth did not necessarily translate into being Abraham’s son by promise. God said, “In Isaac shall thy seed be called.” Why Isaac, and not Ishmael? Why Isaac, and not the sons of Keturah? Those are questions we will never be able to answer, because God chose because He wanted to choose, and who are we to question the mind of God?

There is another contrast between Isaac and his seven half-brothers, between “the children of the flesh” (the natural children), and “the children of the promise” (verse 8). That contrast shows that the choice of God involved more than just an arbitrary or whimsical choice, the choice also involved the supernatural intervention in the case of Isaac’s conception. Genesis 18:10, 14, “And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”

Ishmael was born of Abraham’s natural powers, so also the sons of Keturah. Isaac was conceived when it was humanly impossible for Sarah to conceive a child and give birth.

Boice says, “It is the same with our spiritual conception and new birth, which is the inevitable outworking of God’s electing choice and is likewise supernatural. We cannot engender spiritual life in ourselves, for according to Ephesians 2:1, we are spiritually dead. For us to become spiritually alive, God must do a miracle.”

Let me close with a few words on the subject of faith and obedience. Abraham had made the journey in faith, until Ishmael. We, like Abraham, try to take things in our own hands and help God solve the really difficult problems. As it is with our salvation, (which is by grace through faith), Abraham began his journey in faith. God called him, he went in faith. God calls us, He saves us through faith. God promised him a son, God promises us eternal life. Abraham let circumstances question his faith, we let circumstances question our faith (Satan loves to get us to question our salvation). Abraham and Sarah decided that God needed help, we sin, and then try to keep ourselves saved in our own power. Abraham learned, some fourteen years later, that he still had to walk by faith. This Christian life, the beginning, the middle, and the end, is all by faith. We need to believe God when He tells us that He has given us eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. On the subject of obedience, when anyone suggests that we take things in our own hands, especially when such an undertaking directly violates God’s Word, say NO!!! Abraham’s attempt to help God, spawned a conflict between his children that remains today. We get ourselves into more trouble when we try to help God, especially when we disobey Him in our attempts to help.

Tomorrow, Lord willing, Jacob.

Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.

In Christ,
Dan Todd

 

July 3

Romans 9:7-12, “ Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.”

Today we consider an interesting argument in our discussion of God’s sovereignty in election. With Abraham, the Jews had no argument, God had to begin somewhere, and He began with Abraham. With Isaac, the Jews would argue that Ishmael was not a pure-blooded Jew. Ishmael was a son of Abraham, but he was not the son of Sarah. The same argument can be made regarding the sons of Keturah.

Paul now takes his argument into the third generation of election, the father (Isaac) was chosen, the mother (Rebekah) was chosen, but one of the twin sons (Jacob) was chosen, while the other (Esau) was not chosen. This choice, made by Almighty God, was made before “the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.”

Wow, what an argument, it proves everything that Paul needed or wanted to prove.

First, both Jacob and Esau were born of the same Jewish parents. One could not be preferred based on better ancestry and the other rejected because of lesser ancestry, as was the case with Isaac and Ishmael.

Second, Jacob being chosen over Esau went against the normal standards of primogeniture (the right of inheritance belonging exclusively to the eldest son). Though they were twins, Esau was the first-born, and there is nothing to explain the choice of Jacob, other than God’s sovereign right to choose the destinies of human beings as He pleases. As Boice says the choice is “entirely apart from any rights thought to belong to us due to our age or other factors.”

Third, the choice of Jacob over Esau was made before either child had opportunity to either good or evil. This means that election is not on the basis of anything done by the individuals chosen.

The choice of Jacob was made by God to teach the doctrine of election. “For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.” (Verses 11-12) Boice says, “This means that God made His choice before the birth of Rebekah’s sons to show that His choices are unrelated to anything a human being might or might not do. It is a case, as Paul will say just a few verses further on, that ‘God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy’” (verse 18).
About now, in many circles, we would here screams of protest, “It’s not fair!” – “How can God choose some, and not choose others, and have it be fair?” and “What about free will?”

Boice says, “How could it be otherwise, if the condition of fallen humanity is as bad as the Bible declares it to be?” Remember what Paul says in Romans 3:10-11, “There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” These verses tell us that sin pervades all our actions and darkens all our understanding. The result of this sin sickness is that instead of fleeing to God, Who is our only reasonable object of worship and our only hope of blessing, we exercise our free will by fleeing from Him.

Boice writes, “How could a creature as depraved as that possible come to God unless God should first set His saving choice upon him, regenerate him, and then call him to faith? How could a sinner like that believe the gospel unless God should first determine the he or she should believe it and then actually enable him or her to believe?”

The answer is quite simple, the depraved creature would not come to God unless God called them. The depraved creature apart from the call of God would continue on the path to destruction and eternal damnation, choosing damnation freely (free will)!

Let me close with another quote from Boice, “Did you know that the doctrine of election was the chief factor in the conversion of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher of the nineteenth century? Spurgeon believed it and was blessed by it, because he knew his own spiritual inability. Apart from election, he knew he would be lost. Be like him. The more you are, the more you will rejoice in election, however puzzling parts of it may be.”

Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.

In Christ,
Dan Todd

 

July 4

Romans 9:13-18, “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.”

This is a difficult portion of Scripture that we examine. Many are troubled by election, because God’s choosing denies self-determination. We mortals like to think, in fact we have been falsely convinced that we can and do determine our own fate. As much as the doctrine of election is hated, the doctrine of reprobation, the doctrine that God rejects or repudiates some persons to eternal condemnation, is hated and misunderstood even more than election. The problem with rejecting these doctrines, is that in doing so, you must reject portions of God’s Word, such as our text today. I would rather that you or I say, “I don’t understand it,” than to say, “I don’t believe it, so it can’t be true,” for when we say the latter, we come dangerously close to calling God a liar!

In today’s text, Paul quotes two O.T. passages: Verse 13 is quoted from Malachi 1:2-3, “I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.” Verse 17 is quoted from Exodus 9:16, “And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee [Pharaoh] up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.” (What an awesome way Paul has to deal with controversy, quote Scripture.)

Paul summarizes the teaching in the two quoted texts by saying, “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.” (Verse 18) Many read this verse, or hear this subject discussed and determine that this is a monstrous doctrine, that God is an indifferent deity who sits in heaven and arbitrarily assigns human destinies.

John Calvin wrote, “Election [cannot] stand except as set over against reprobation.” It is easy to distort this doctrine, and recognizing our own limited understanding, we must try to see what the Bible does teach about reprobation, since the subject cannot be avoided, unless you do what I did (and many others do) the first time I preached through Romans, that was to skip chapters 9-11.

Let’s do what Paul did in our text, look to the Word.

Proverbs 16:4, “The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.”

John 12:39-40, “Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.”

John 13:18, {Jesus said,} “ I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.”

John 17:12, {Jesus prayed} “ While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”

1 Peter 2:7-8, “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”

Jude 4, “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Perhaps the clearest of all statements are found in Romans 9, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”

Lord willing, I will continue this subject in our next devotional. But I need to draw to a close what we have discussed today. I don’t pretend to understand the mind of God, He is infinite and I am exceedingly and extremely finite. A poor example to help us try to understand the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s free will would be a set of railroad tracks. When I first walk up to them, I distinctly see two separate tracks. But when I look down the tracks towards the horizon, the two seem to blend into one. Rest assured, God’s sovereignty and man’s free will blend perfectly in the mind of our Almighty and Loving God. All I can cry out when I read and study such doctrines, is Lord I believe, help my unbelief. Then I cannot help but fall on my face in grateful thanksgiving that God chose me, a worthless, despicable sinner, and saved me by His grace. And in obedience to His commission, I am obliged to tell a lost and dying world about this Great God Who gave His only begotten Son as my substitute.

Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.

In Christ,
Dan Todd