Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 10, 2012

A Severe Warning to Hold on to our Confession and to Not Go Back

Today’s devotion comes from Hebrews 10:26-31.
 
“26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.  28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?  30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”  31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  Hebrews 10:26-31.
 
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This is not a call to avoid “sinning willfully” by going back to the Law and trying harder.  This is not a call to perfect ourselves by the flesh.  Remember the context of the previous chapters in how Peter was patiently comparing the old covenant represented by the works of the Law versus the new covenant represented by our perfect High Priest Jesus Christ and His perfect one-time sacrifice for us to cleanse us of our sins through His blood. 
 
This knowledge of the new covenant is the knowledge of truth that Peter refers to verse 26.  And, the sin that he refers to also in verse 26 is the sin of going back to the old covenant. 
 
A comparison can be made to Israel being brought to the edge of the Promised Land, and yet Israel complains and rebels and wants to go back to Egypt.
                                

The sons of Israel were on the threshhold of entering the Promised Land.  God had proven Himself faithful without exception in delivering them from Egypt and caring for them with mighty miracles. 

Their spies also confirmed all the good things about the land.  “When they returned from spying out the land, at the end of forty days, they proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh;  and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land.  Thus they told him, and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.”  Numbers 13:25-27. 

But, the sons of Israel shrunk back into unbelief as they heard these words of the spies.  ”Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large;  and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there.”  Numbers 13:28.

Caleb tried to rebuild their faith.  “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.”  Numbers 13:30.   

“But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.”  So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size.”  Numbers 13:31-32. 

“Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.  All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron;  and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt!  Or would that we had died in this wilderness!  Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword?  Our wives and our little ones will become plunder;  would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”  So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”

“Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel.  Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;  and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.  If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey.  Only do not rebel against the Lord;  and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey.  Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us;  do not fear them.”  Numbers 14:1-9. 

“But all the congregation said to stone them with stones.”  Numbers 14:10. 

And, we know the rest of the story.  God punished the sons of Israel by forcing them to wander in the desert for 40 years, and none of that generation entered the Promised Land except Caleb and Joshua.  ”So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.”  Hebrews 3:19.

We too are on the threshhold of entering our rest.  Are we going to fully trust and rest upon the work of Christ, or are we going back to trust our own works? 

Another comparison can be made to Arminians who want to hang on to Arminianism and man’s free will despite receiving knowledge of the truth of Calvinism and man’s total depravity and need for a sovereign God to handle all the points of salvation.

Arminians hang on to the false doctrine that Jesus died for everyone (“Universal Atonement” – The Third Point of Arminianism) and they love to speak about the power in Christ’s blood.  But, Arminians realize that their doctrine forces them to conclude that Christ’s blood (as they claim, shed for everyone) by itself did not save, “purchase”, or “redeem” anyone, because they admit that most people are not saved. 

Arminians hang on to man’s free will and claim that it is up to man to generate his own faith through his own free will, and keep his own faith through his free will until death, in order to make Christ’s blood effective to save.  They claim that the only difference between the saved and the unsaved is not Christ’s blood, because everyone gets the blood, but rather the only difference is whether or not a certain individual will generate and keep his own faith through his own free will to make the blood effective.  According to this logic of these Arminians, man’s faith, not Christ’s blood, is the determining factor as to whether or not one will be saved.

Because Arminians talk about the blood all the time, it is true that in a sense they are trampling it, not in the sense of being hateful to it, but in the sense of treating it as ineffective by itself, like the description in Matthew 5: 13:  “…if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again?  It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”

This Hebrews 10:26-31 Scripture does not apply to the person who steadfastly rejects Christ.  That person did not receive the knowledge of truth as stated in Hebrews 10:26.  That person is not sanctified, so to speak, as is stated in Hebrews 10:29.  That person does not talk about the blood of Christ.  Rather, this Hebrews 10:26-31 Scripture speaks about those received or were exposed to knowledge of the truth and were sanctified so to speak but nevertheless denied the power of the blood and insulted the Spirit of grace. Rather, this Scripture applies to Arminians who love to talk about Christ’s blood all the time, but who really treat Christ’s blood as ineffective by itself , that it does not actually “save”, “purchase”, nor “redeem” anyone, because they teach that most people are not saved and that it is up to man to generate his own faith through his own free will in order to make Christ’s blood effective to save.

Likewise, the Arminian can be compared to the one who insults the Spirit of Grace as is mentioned above in Hebrews 10:29.  Think of a situation in which your father took you out to a very expensive dinner and even left the tip in addition.  However, you did not think that the tip was sufficient so you add your $5 to the tip. Wouldn’t your father be insulted that you thought that what he did was not enough?  Likewise, Arminians insult God by their doctrine that believes that the blood of Christ is not enough, they feel that they must add their own tip of faith.  The Calvinist thinks of faith as a gift of God;  the Arminian thinks that faith is their own gift to God which is necessary to secure salvation.

In conclusion, let us not be like those in Israel who wanted to go back to Egypt.  Let us not be like those Arminians who want to go back to trusting their own free will and their own works.  Let us not be like those who want to go back to the old covenant.  “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”  Hebrews 10:19-22.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 9, 2012

The Confession of Our Hope

Today’s devotion comes from Hebrews 10:23-25.
 
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;  and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”  Hebrews 10:23-25.
 
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Some doctrine confesses man’s goodness, man’s free-will, and man’s self-improvement. 
 
Reformed doctrine confesses God’s goodness, God’s sovereignty, and God’s work to handle all the points of salvation from “Unconditional Election” through “Preservation of the Saints”, “U” through “P” of “TULIP, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation. 
 
Consider the following examples from the Reformed “Three Forms of Unity”:  The Heidelberg Catechism, The Canons of Dordt, and The Belgic Confession.
 
Here are two Questions and Answers from the Heidelberg Catechism.
 
Question 1.  What is thy only comfort in life and death?
 
Answer.  That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ;  who, with his precious blood, hath fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil;  and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head;  yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.
   
Question 26.  What believest thou when thou sayest, “I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”?
 
Answer.  That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (who of nothing made heaven and earth, with all that is in them;  who likewise upholds and governs the same by his eternal counsel and providence) is for the sake of Christ his Son, my God and my Father; on whom I rely so entirely, that I have no doubt, but he will provide me with all things necessary for soul and body:  and further, that he will make whatever evils he sends upon me, in this valley of tears turn out to my advantage;  for he is able to do it, being Almighty God, and willing, being a faithful Father.
 
Here is Article 8 of the Canons of Dordt from the section titled:  “SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men. 
 
Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father;  that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death;  should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing;  and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever. 
 
Here is Article 13 of the Belgic Confession.
 
Article 13:  Of Divine Providence.

We believe that the same God, after he had created all things, did not forsake them, or give them up to fortune or chance, but that he rules and governs them according to his holy will, so that nothing happens in this world without his appointment:  nevertheless, God neither is the author of, nor can be charged with, the sins which are committed.  For his power and goodness are so great and incomprehensible, that he orders and executes his work in the most excellent and just manner, even then, when devils and wicked men act unjustly.  And, as to what he doth surpassing human understanding, we will not curiously inquire into, farther than our capacity will admit of;  but with the greatest humility and reverence adore the righteous judgments of God, which are hid from us, contenting ourselves that we are disciples of Christ, to learn only those things which he has revealed to us in his Word, without transgressing these limits.  This doctrine affords us unspeakable consolation, since we are taught thereby that nothing can befall us by chance, but by the direction of our most gracious and heavenly Father;  who watches over us with a paternal care, keeping all creatures so under his power, that not a hair of our head (for they are all numbered), nor a sparrow, can fall to the ground, without the will of our Father, in whom we do entirely trust;  being persuaded, that he so restrains the devil and all our enemies, that without his will and permission, they cannot hurt us.  And therefore we reject that damnable error of the Epicureans, who say that God regards nothing, but leaves all things to chance.

 
What can be more encouraging than teaching such a comforting confession of our hope?!
 
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful”:  “encouraging one another”.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 8, 2012

“let us draw near (to God) with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith”

Today’s devotion comes from Hebrews 10:19-22.
 
“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”  Hebrews 10:19-22.
 
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“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, … let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith“.
 
We are reminded of the contrast between the works of the Law in the old covenant and the work of Christ in the new covenant. 
 
Under the works of the Law in the old covenant, there was plenty of busy worship in the outer tabernacle, “but into the second (the holy place), only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.  The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time.  Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.”  Hebrews 7:7-10.
                                 

Under the work of Christ in the new covenant, “.. by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”  Hebrews 10:14.  “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;  and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.  For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”  Hebrews 9:11-14.

“For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.”  Hebrews 7:18-19.
 
And, not only are the works of the Law in the old covenant ineffective to draw us near God, because of the sin within us, the Law causes us to fear and shrink back from God.
 
“What shall we say then?  Is the Law sin?  May it never be!  On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law;  for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”  But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind;  for apart from the Law sin is dead.  I was once alive apart from the Law;  but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died;  and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;  for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.”  Hebrews 7:7-11.  
 
“For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse;  for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.”  Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident;  for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”  Galatians 3:10-11.
 
“So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world.  But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.  Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”  Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son;  and if a son, then an heir through God.”  Galatians 4:3-7.
 
“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”  Romans 8:15.
 
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free;  therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”  Galatians 5:1.
 
“You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law;  you have fallen from grace.”  Galatians 5:4.
 
“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. 

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 7, 2012

O sing to the Lord – The Lord has made known His salvation – For by one offering

Today’s devotion comes from Hebrews 10:11-18.
 
“11 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;  12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.  14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.  15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us;  for after saying,

16 “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 on their mind I will write them,”

He then says,

17 “And their sins and their lawless deeds
I will remember no more.”

18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”  Hebrews 10:11-18.

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“O sing to the Lord a new song,
For He has done wonderful things,
His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.
2 The Lord has made known His salvation;
He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

4 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
With the lyre and the sound of melody.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
Shout joyfully before the King, the Lord.

7 Let the sea roar and all it contains,
The world and those who dwell in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy
9 Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth;
He will judge the world with righteousness
And the peoples with equity.”  Psalm Chapter 98.

“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”  Verse 14. 

In contrast to this work of Christ in the new covenant, there are the works of the Law in the old covenant.  “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse;  for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.”  Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”  Galatians 3:10-11.  “This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?  Are you so foolish?  Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”  Galatians 3:2-4. 

“Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;”  Verse 11.

“For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did:  sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”  Romans 8:3-5.

“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 on their mind I will write them,”

He then says,

“And their sins and their lawless deeds
I will remember no more.”  Verses 16-17.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 5, 2012

“For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God”

Today’s devotion comes from Hebrews 10:1-10.
 
“1 For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?  3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.  4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.  5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,

“Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,
But a body You have prepared for Me;
6 In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure.
7 “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come
(In the scroll of the book it is written of Me)
To do Your will, O God.’”

8 After saying above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”  Hebrews 10:1-10.

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We have seen in Galatians that we can not perfect ourselves through our own works of the Law (first covenant).  “This is the only thing I want to find out from you:  did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?  3 Are you so foolish?  Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?  4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?  5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”  Galatians 3:2-4.

And now in today’s Scripture, we see that we are not even made perfect through the sacrifices of the Law.  “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.”  Verse 1.  

Our only hope is the will of God in the second covenant through the work of Jesus Christ:  “then He (Jesus Christ) said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.”  He takes away the first (covenant) in order to establish the second (covenant).  By this will (the will of God the Father) we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”  Verses 9 and 10.

Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father;  that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death;  should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing;  and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.  Canons of Dordt, Article 8 of the section titled:  “SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 4, 2012

Eagerly Await Christ in Whom are All Things Necessary for our Salvation!

Today’s devotion comes from Hebrews 9:23-28.
 
“23 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;  25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.  26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world;  but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.  27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”  Hebrews 9:23-28.
 
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Do we still look back at the Law wanting to prove our own self-righteousness?  Or, do we heed the building momentum of the Book of Hebrews and eagerly await Christ Who has born our sins and Who will bring us salvation?
 
Do we “hedge our bets” by thinking we believe in Jesus, but to be safe, by also trying to perfect ourselves by our flesh?  Or, do we rest upon Christ and His work? 
 
Here is what the following Reformed Confessions state:
 
Question 30.  Do such then believe in Jesus the only Savior, who seek their salvation and welfare of saints, of themselves, or anywhere else?
 
Answer.  They do not;  for though they boast of him in words, yet in deeds they deny Jesus the only deliverer and Savior;  for one of these two things must be true, that either Jesus is not a complete Savior; or that they, who by a true faith receive this Savior, must find all things in him necessary to their salvation.  The Heidelberg Catechism.
                               

Question 72:  What is justifying faith?

Answer:  Justifying faith is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and Word of God, whereby he, being convinced of his sin and misery, and of the disability in himself and all other creatures to recover him out of his lost condition, not only assents to the truth of the promise of the gospel, but receives and rests upon Christ and his righteousness, therein held forth, for pardon of sin, and for the accepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for salvation.  The Westminister Larger Catechism.

Article 22:  Of Faith in Jesus Christ.

We believe that, to attain the true knowledge of this great mystery, the Holy Ghost kindleth in our hearts an upright faith, which embraces Jesus Christ, with all his merits, appropriates him, and seeks nothing more besides him.  For it must needs follow, either that all things, which are requisite to our salvation, are not in Jesus Christ, or if all things are in him, that then those who possess Jesus Christ through faith, have complete salvation in him.  Therefore, for any to assert, that Christ is not sufficient, but that something more is required besides him, would be too gross a blasphemy:  for hence it would follow, that Christ was but half a Savior.  Therefore we justly say with Paul, that we are justified by faith alone, or by faith without works. However, to speak more clearly, we do not mean, that faith itself justifies us, for it is only an instrument with which we embrace Christ our Righteousness.  But Jesus Christ, imputing to us all his merits and so many holy works which he has done for us, and in our stead, is our Righteousness.  And faith is an instrument that keeps us in communion with him in all his benefits, which, when become ours, are more than sufficient to acquit us of our sins.”  The Belgic Confession.   

There are very stern warnings in Scripture!!!

“Thus says the LORD, ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.’ ”  Jeremiah 17:5-7.

Arminians will deny being like this man who trusts in mankind, but the Arminian trusts in his “free will” to be the determining factor as to whether or not he will be saved.  He chooses Christ through his “free will”.  He keeps his faith through “his free will”.  He turns away from the LORD of Scripture who unconditionally elects and declares:  “That is not the God I serve!”

On the other hand, the Calvinist trusts in the LORD alone to handle all the points of salvation.  The Calvinist continually seeks the LORD and focuses on the LORD and His works.  Salvation is not a joint accomplishment between God and man to the Calvinist.  The Calvinist knows that if salvation was dependent even as little as 1% on himself, that he would not be saved.  He truly trusts in the LORD alone for his salvation and attributes his salvation to grace alone.

Scripture also sternly warns us:
“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.  Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know Him who said:  “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.”  And again, THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.”  It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  Hebrews 10:26-31.

I think this Scripture applies to Arminians who steadfastly continue to hang on to Arminianism despite receiving knowledge of the truth of Calvinism. They hang on to the false doctrine that Jesus died for everyone (“Universal Atonement” – The Third Point of Arminianism) and they love to speak about the power in Christ’s blood.  But, Arminians realize that their doctrine forces them to conclude that Christ’s blood (as they claim, shed for everyone) by itself did not save, “purchase”, or “redeem” anyone, because they admit that most people are not saved.  Arminians claim that it is up to man to generate his own faith through his own free will in order to make Christ’s blood effective to save.  They claim that the only difference between the saved and the unsaved is not Christ’s blood, because everyone gets the blood, but rather the only difference is whether or not a certain individual will generate his own faith through his own free will to make the blood effective.  According to this logic of these Arminians, man’s faith, not Christ’s blood, is the determining factor as to whether or not one will be saved.

Because Arminians talk about the blood all the time, it is true that in a sense they are trampling it, not in the sense of being hateful to it, but in the sense of treating it as ineffective by itself, like the description in Matthew 5: 13:  “…if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again?  It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”

This Hebrews 10:26-31 Scripture does not apply to the person who steadfastly rejects Christ.  That person did not receive the knowledge of truth as stated in Hebrews 10:26.  That person is not sanctified, so to speak, as is stated in Hebrews 10:29.  That person does not talk about the blood of Christ.  Rather, this Hebrews 10:26-31 Scripture speaks about those received or were exposed to knowledge of the truth and were sanctified so to speak but nevertheless denied the power of the blood and insulted the Spirit of grace. Rather, this Scripture applies to Arminians who love to talk about Christ’s blood all the time, but who really treat Christ’s blood as ineffective by itself , that it does not actually “save”, “purchase”, nor “redeem” anyone, because they teach that most people are not saved and that it is up to man to generate his own faith through his own free will in order to make Christ’s blood effective to save.

There is coming a judgment.  Who do you trust?  In this judgment, “so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”  Verse 28.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 3, 2012

God’s Last Will and Testament and Administration of His Estate

Today’s devotion comes from Hebrews 9:15-22.
 
“15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.  16 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.  17 For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.  18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.”  21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. 22 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 9:15-22.
 
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As an attorney who practices in the area of wills, trusts, estates, and probate, it is interesting to me to think of the analogy of a Last Will and Testament to this new covenant.  Hopefully, the readers too are more familiar with Last Will and Testaments (than covenants) which will also help them better understand this Scripture through the use of an analogy of a Last Will and Testament and administration of an estate, keeping in mind the reservation of general limitations of the use of any analogy. 
 
Think of God as the testator of the Last Will and Testament a/k/a the new covenant.  Here is His Last Will and Testament: 
 
“10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
11 “And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,
And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
For all will know Me,
From the least to the greatest of them.
12 “For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And I will remember their sins no more.”  Hebrews 8:10-12.
 
This is God’s Last Will and Testament.  This is His new covenant.  There are no more wills.  There are no more covenants.  
 
Now, we go back to today’s Scripture to see how this Last Will and Testament makes provision for beneficiaries as specified in Scripture.  “For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called (the beneficiaries) may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”  Verse 15.   
 
Going back to the analogy of a Last Will and Testament, we know that a will does not become effective until the person who wrote it (the testator) dies.  Until the death of the testator, the Last Will and Testament can be revoked or amended by the testator.
 
Now, we go back to today’s Scripture.  Like a Last Will and Testament, “For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.  For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.”  Verses 16 and 17.  Jesus died as God the Son to bring God’s Last Will and Testament into “force”.  Jesus made that Last Will and Testament “accepted into probate” and effective.  This is one role of Jesus as mediator of the new covenant.  We will later see more roles of Jesus as mediator of the new covenant. 
 
After the death of the testator, the terms of the Last Will and Testament cannot be changed.  “Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it.”  Galatians 3:15.  In a sense, Jesus ratified God’s Last Will and Testament by His death on the cross.  The provisions of God’s Last Will and Testament were locked in and irrevocable upon the death of Jesus Christ as mediator of this new covenant, although you can also state that God the Father ratified His own covenant by His own oath.   See Hebrews 6:16-18.    
 
Going back to the analogy of a Last Will and Testament, we know that even after death and the Last Will and Testament is accepted into probate, there still needs to be administration of the estate according to the terms of the Last Will and Testament.  There needs to be an Executor (term used in most northern states) or “Personal Representative” (term used here in Florida).  
 
Now, we go back to today’s Scripture, Jesus Christ is that Executor a/k/a Personal Representative.  God’s covenant a/k/a Last Will and Testament specified who are the Elect, the beneficiaries of God’s estate, and Who is the Executor a/k/a Personal Representative of His estate.  Jesus as mediator died for those Elect, so that “those who have been called (the Elect, the beneficiaries) may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance”.  Verse 15.  Jesus needed to die for the Elect, because “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”  Verse 22.  This is “Limited Atonement”. 
 
There is more administration of the estate needed.  Jesus sent His Spirit to irresistibly draw His Elect into saving faith.  This is “Irresistible Grace”.  Jesus sent His Spirit to preserve God’s Elect to salvation.  This is “Preservation of the Saints”.
 
In conclusion, as stated in the very beginning of this devotion, there are general limitations of the use of any analogy, so this analogy of a Last Will and Testament and administration of estate is certainly not perfect.  Of course, we should foremost directly try to understand Scripture and use other Scripture as cross references.  But, analogies can be helpful to a partial, imperfect extent as I hope this analogy of a Last Will and Testament and administration of an estate is helpful. 

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 2, 2012

Jesus is “mediator of a new covenant”, saving “those who have been called”.

Today’s devotion comes from Hebrews 9:15.
 
“For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”  Hebrews 9:15. 
 
————————
 
Jesus is “the mediator of a new covenant”.  Jesus died for “those who have been called (so that they) may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance”.  The Elect are “those who have been called”.  This is “Unconditional Election” and “Limited Atonement”, the “U” and “L” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation. 
 
“The Law” represents the first covenant also known as the old covenant.  As we have seen, the Book of Hebrews has patiently been building the case of the inability of the old covenant to save.  The Law a/k/a old covenant can righteously condemn, but it cannot save.
                             

“Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?”  Hebrews 7:11.

“For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.”  Hebrews 7:18-19.

“For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.”  Hebrews 7:28.

“For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.”  Hebrews 8:7.

“When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete.  But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.”  Hebrews 8:13.

And, we also see other Scripture outside of the Book of Hebrews about the need for this new covenant.

 “… For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.  But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.  But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.  Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.  But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.  For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”  Galatians 3:21-26.

“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.  For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.  But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
 
What shall we say then?  Is the Law sin?  May it never be!  On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law;  for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”  But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind;  for apart from the Law sin is dead.  I was once alive apart from the Law;  but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died;  and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;  for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.”  Romans 7:4-11.
 
Unlike the old covenant, the new covenant effectively saves the Elect.  Here is what the Canons of Dordt states in part in Article 8 of the “SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men” about what was accomplished by Jesus, this “mediator of a new covenant”:   
 
Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father;  that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death;  should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing;  and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 1, 2012

The Blood of Christ

Today’s devotion comes from Hebrews 9:1-14.
 
“1 Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.  2 For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread;  this is called the holy place.  3 Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, 4 having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant;  5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat;  but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
 
6 Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, 7 but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.  8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, 9 which is a symbol for the present time.  Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, 10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.
 
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;  12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.  13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”  Hebrews 9:1-14.
 
———————-
 
“Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.”  Verse 1.  “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;  and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”  Verses 11 and 12.
                              
 “For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”  Verses 13 and 14.
 
Here is what the Belgic Confession states in part about what was accomplished by this blood of Christ:
 
Article 21:  Of the satisfaction of Christ, our only High Priest, for us.
 
We believe that Jesus Christ is ordained with an oath to be an everlasting High Priest, after the order of Melchisedec;  and that he hath presented himself in our behalf before the Father, to appease his wrath by his full satisfaction, by offering himself on the tree of the cross, and pouring out his precious blood to purge away our sins;  as the prophets had foretold.  For it is written:  He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:  the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.  He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and numbered with the transgressors, and condemned by Pontius Pilate as a malefactor, though he had first declared him innocent.  Therefore:  he restored that which he took not away, and suffered, the just for the unjust, as well in his body as in his soul, feeling the terrible punishment which our sins had merited;  insomuch that his sweat became like unto drops of blood falling on the ground.  He called out, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? and hath suffered all this for the remission of our sins.  Wherefore we justly say with the apostle Paul:  that we know nothing, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified;  we count all things but loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord, in whose wounds we find all manner of consolation.  Neither is it necessary to seek or invent any other means of being reconciled to God, than this only sacrifice, once offered, by which believers are made perfect forever.  This is also the reason why he was called by the angel of God, Jesus, that is to say, Savior, because he should save his people from their sins.
 
Here is what the Canons of Dordt states in part in Article 8 of the “SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men” about what was accomplished by this blood of Christ: 
 
Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father;  that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death;  should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing;  and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | September 30, 2012

One Unconditional Covenant

Today’s devotion comes from Hebrews 8:7-13.
 
“7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.  8 For finding fault with them, He says,
                                 

“Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,
When I will effect a new covenant
With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;
9 Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers
On the day when I took them by the hand
To lead them out of the land of Egypt;
For they did not continue in My covenant,
And I did not care for them, says the Lord.
10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
11 “And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,
And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
For all will know Me,
From the least to the greatest of them.
12 “For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And I will remember their sins no more.”

13 When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete.  But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.”  Hebrews 8:7-13.

———————–

“…I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
11 “And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,
And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
For all will know Me,
From the least to the greatest of them.
12 “For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And I will remember their sins no more.”  Verses 10-12.

There is no condition to this new covenant.  God “will put My (His) laws into their minds”.  God “will write them on their hearts.”  God “will be their God”.  … God “will be merciful to their iniquities”.  God “will remember their sins no more.”  There is no condition supplied by man that is a prerequisite for God to take these actions.

There were conditions to the old covenant.  If man obeyed God, then he could live.  “So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the LORD.”  Leviticus 18:5 

Here are some more Scriptures which likewise state this condition. 

Leviticus 18:4
“You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them;  I am the LORD your God.”

Leviticus 25:18
‘You shall thus observe My statutes and keep My judgments, so as to carry them out, that you may live securely on the land.”

Deuteronomy 4:1                                                                                                                            “Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.”

Deuteronomy 12:1                                                                                                                         “These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth.”

Deuteronomy 30:16
“in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.”

 
Although the distinction between the old covenant and new covenant thus helps us to better understand the unconditional nature of the covenant, there is a sense that there is only one unconditional covenant throughout history.  God did not go to “Plan B” after the Fall or after witnessing the nation of Israel sin.  Before the foundation of the world, God chose His elect for salvation and planned and promised to do everything necessary for their salvation.  This is “TULIP”:  “Unconditional Election” through “Preservation of the Saints”.  “When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete.  But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.”   Verse 13.      
 
“Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure‘;
Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man of My purpose from a far country.
Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, surely I will do it.”  Isaiah 46: 9-11.
 
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”   Ephesians 1:3-6.
    

The Covenant Protestant Reformed Church has provides a link to resources on the Covenant – Click here: Covenant Baptism Resources

Here are additional articles on the Covenant from the Protestant Reformed Churches denomination under the section titled “Doctrine” –  Click here: Pamphlets and Articles

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