Lange's Commentaries are packed full of ancient wisdom.

A Puritan's view of justification, a.k.a. "a biblical view"

Taken from the book, A Quest for Godliness by J.I. Packer

1.  Every man faces the judgement seat of God, and must answer to God for himself.  The church cannot shield him from this.

2.  Every man is a sinner by nature and practice, a nonconformist so far as God's law is concerned, and therefore can only expect God's wrath

3.  Justification is God's judicial act of pardoning the guilty sinner, accepting him as righteous, and receiving him as a son.

4.  The source of justification is grace, not human effort or initiative.

5.  The ground of justification is Christ's vicarious righteousness and blood-shedding, not our own merit.

6.  The means of justification, here and now is faith in Jesus Christ

7.  The fruit of faith, the evidence of its reality, is a manifest repentance and a life of good works.

Jesus Crucifixion Was A Historical Event

Did Jesus really die of crucifixion like the gospels tell us?   Was his crucifixion recorded in other sources?  The answer to both questions is yes.   John Dominic Crossan, a critical scholar and participant in the Jesus Seminar, wrote concerning the historicity of Jesus crucifixion in his book  Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography ,  “That he was crucified is as sure as anything historical can ever be.”   Among critical scholars like Crossan many of the words and deeds recorded in the gospels are not considered to be historically accurate- yet the resurrection is.  This is significant because it demonstrates that liberal theologians and critical scholars of the bible confirm what the gospels tell us- that Jesus was crucified.   In addition, and I believe more importantly,  there are records from antiquity that confirm the historicity of the crucifixion.  1^st century historians Josephus and Tacitus,  2^nd century Greek Satirist Lucian,  Mara Bar- Serapion,  and the Jewish Talmud,  testify to the fact that Jesus was crucified.  If there was no crucifixion, why would these sources record it?  They were not biased Christians that had a vested interest in proliferating this message, but they were secular writers and some were opposed to the message.   These multiple, independent sources regarding the account of the crucifixion is one principle historians employ to determine whether a particular account is historical (Licona 36).   Another  historical principle that these accounts fall under is the “attestation by an enemy”.    Historians believe that enemy attestations indicate the authenticity of an account.  

These facts confirm and reiterate what the gospels have accurately reported-  the crucifixion of Jesus.   This was a real historical event attested to and confirmed by independent ancient historians and now by liberal scholars.   

Is There Evidence For the Resurrection of Jesus?

Recently I finished the book The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus.    I highly recommend this book for those who would like to hear an argument that defends the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection and gives counter arguments to the popular theories trying to disprove it.

For those interested in the arguments, I will try and summarize them the best I can over the next few days.   I pray you find this interesting and helpful.  More importantly, I pray this strengthens your faith.   For those who have questions or want to challenge or push back, please fill free to post a response or send me an email at robertfonseca@renaissance-church.com

Below is a brief summary of the 5 facts from the book.  The strength of the argument rest on the fact that virtually all scholars in this field of study, even those who are skeptical, meaning they do not hold to the historic Christian faith or believe the bible to be the infallible word of God, agree to the truthfulness of the following facts.

There are 5 facts to the argument

1.        Jesus was crucified-

a.       In order for a resurrection to take place; there must first be a dead body.  Therefore, demonstrating the fact the Jesus died is an important part of the argument.  Opponents of the resurrection have developed theories that try to disprove that Jesus died while being crucified.  There are those who claim that Jesus did not die on the cross, but instead passed out and was revived later while in the tomb. 

2.       The disciples believed Jesus rose from the dead

a.       At first reading this may seem like a weak argument, but in a few days I will elaborate to show the power of this fact.  Suffice it for now to leave you with this thought.  Many people will die for what they believe to be true, but how many will die for what they know to be false?   The disciples were not people who only heard the stories of the resurrected Jesus, they were eye witnesses and most of them died a martyr’s death.    If there was any doubt in their minds, would they have willing accepted death?

3.       The church persecutor Paul was suddenly changed

a.       This is significant because Paul made a drastic change in his life based on the belief that he encountered the resurrected Jesus.   Prior to meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus Paul was actively hostile towards the Christian church, so much so that he was determined to put an end to it.   Yet when he encountered the risen Lord, he renounced everything he held dear.    If Jesus did not really rise then why would a man who achieved the success Paul did so easily give it all up?  Would he actually give up his success for a legend?  A story?  A myth?  For something he knew was not true?

4.        The skeptic James, brother of Jesus, was suddenly changed.

a.       The argument from James conversion is similar to Paul’s.    So I will elaborate when I get to him in a later blog.  

5.       The empty tomb

a.       For me this argument is the strongest and I can’t wait to blog about it.   For now let me say that if someone could have produced Jesus corpse, the message of Christianity would have died immediately.    Now there are many theories that have developed since the death of Jesus, but as we will see in light of the evidence, one can conclude a resurrection must have taken place.

Thanking God for Others

1 Thessalonian 1:2-3   We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ

In the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians it is very clear how thankful Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy are for their brothers and sisters at the church of Thessalonika.   The whole chapter is a declaration of praise for the character, works, and faith of the church.   The Thessalonians had a big impact on these men and on the churches in the surrounding cities.

There is no doubt that we have people in our lives who have been like the Thessalonian church.  People who have been or are great examples, mentors or encouragers in the faith.   Therefore we would do well to follow the example Paul, Silvanus and Timothy and constantly mention them in our prayers.  In prayer we should praise their works, labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord.  It wouldn’t hurt to encourage them by showing our appreciation to them with a kind word or kind gesture.   

So today and everyday in prayer and in word let us encourage and thank those who have made a difference in our Christian life.   

What Are You Stirring Up?

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another,  and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  - Hebrews 10:24-25

As I was waiting for a meeting to start I read through this portion of scripture and thought this is a good filter for the meeting I am about to have.  My goal in this meeting should be to stir up love,  to stir up good works and to be encouraging.   So before I give any counsel, I need to ask myself if this counsel is going to stir up love?  Is it going to stir up good works?   And finally is it encouraging?

Then I thought, this should be my filter with every conversation I have in life.   I should want every conversation I have to leave the other party stirred up to love and good works.  I want to make sure I speak words of encouragement or at least have those I meet in life leave encouraged by our exchange and not discouraged.  I'm also reminded about what the apostle Paul admonished the Ephesians concerning their conversations.  He said, "Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouth, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."  Eph. 4:29

We would all do well to take the apostles advice and use it as our filter in our day to day interaction with others.  In doing so we will edify others and keep ourselves from conversations that can lead us into sin.  More importantly we will be glorifying and doing the will of God.

Therefore, we should consider the following before we speak.
1.  What am I going to stir up by saying this?
2.  Am I stirring up love with what I am about to say?
3.  Am I stirring up good works with what I am about to say?
4.  Is my conversation encouraging the other party in some way?
5.  Are my words building up or tearing down?

John Chrysostom's short explanation of Paul's instruction to the Ephesians sums this blog up perfectly "what ever edifies your neighbor, say this and nothing more..."

The Internal Struggle

O that my ways were directed to keep Thy statutes.  Psalm 119:5

In this verse I get a sense that the Psalmist has an intense desire to follow God's statutes.  I get the sense that he is pleading to follow God's ways, but something is obstructing his path.   Something is continuing to harass him as he tries to walk in the way of the Lord.  Therefore, the Psalmist cryie out in frustration because his all to common way is to allow this hinderance to keep him from doing what is right in God's eyes.   He recognizes the internal struggle between his flesh and the Spirit as they both seek to control his desires.   So he cries out and pleads that God would direct his steps so that he would not be pulled to the right or to the left, but he would walk in the ways of Lord.

The apostle Paul express this same sentiment in Romans 7:15-20.  He writes "For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.  But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.  So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.  For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.  But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me."

Let us not read Paul's statement as an excuse for our sin, but let us be aware of the internal struggle we have as we deal with our sinful nature that always with us.  This should prompt us all the more to plead for God's help to lessen our inclination to yield to our sinful desires.

In commenting on this Psalm C.H. Spurgeon adequately describes the Psalmist' intent in his prayer as a "...sigh of regret because the Psalmist feels that he has not kept the precepts diligently, it is a cry of weakness appealing for help to one who can aid, it is a request of bewilderment from one who has lost his way and would fain be directed in it, and it is a petition of faith from one who loves God and trust in him for grace."


Let us pray that God would direct us, guide us, and lead us so that we would keep His statutes.