Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

 ²¹  So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you;  as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

 ²²  And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

 ²³  “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them;  if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”  John 20:19-23.

————————–

The climax of this passage is this last verse in which Jesus hands the keys of the kingdom to the disciples.  “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;  and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”  Matthew 16:19. 

Who, but our LORD Jesus, is worthy to be in charge of church discipline?  I speculate that the disciples felt that way, and I also speculate that likely feeling in the disciples is why Jesus first proclaims peace on them, twice, before making this climactic statement.  Jesus also first empowers them by the Holy Spirit, so they can fulfill their duty to discipline.

Discipline was probably the last thing on the minds of the disciples as to what they wanted to do.  It is also probably the last thing on the minds of ministers and other elders today as to things that they want to do.  Ministers and other elders also need peace and to be filled with the Holy Spirit to accomplish their duty as well, and they themselves and the congregation should pray that their minister and their elders receive peace and to be filled with the Holy Spirit to be able to handle this duty of church discipline.

The importance of discipline can be seen in The Belgic Confession.  It is one of the three marks of a true church.

Article 29:  Of the marks of the true Church, and wherein she differs from the false Church.

We believe, that we ought diligently and circumspectly to discern from the Word of God which is the true Church, since all sects which are in the world assume to themselves the name of the Church.  But we speak not here of hypocrites, who are mixed in the Church with the good, yet are not of the Church, though externally in it;  but we say that the body and communion of the true Church must be distinguished from all sects, who call themselves the Church.  The marks, by which the true Church is known, are these: if the pure doctrine of the gospel is preached therein;  if she maintains the pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ;  if church discipline is exercised in punishing of sin:  in short, if all things are managed according to the pure Word of God, all things contrary thereto rejected, and Jesus Christ acknowledged as the only Head of the Church.  Hereby the true Church may certainly be known, from which no man has a right to separate himself.  With respect to those, who are members of the Church, they may be known by the marks of Christians:  namely, by faith;  and when they have received Jesus Christ the only Savior, they avoid sin, follow after righteousness, love the true God and their neighbor, neither turn aside to the right or left, and crucify the flesh with the works thereof.  But this is not to be understood, as if there did not remain in them great infirmities;  but they fight against them through the Spirit, all the days of their life, continually taking their refuge in the blood, death, passion and obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ, “in whom they have remission of sins, through faith in him.”  As for the false Church, she ascribes more power and authority to herself and her ordinances than to the Word of God, and will not submit herself to the yoke of Christ.  Neither does she administer the sacraments as appointed by Christ in his Word, but adds to and takes from them, as she thinks proper; she relieth more upon men than upon Christ; and persecutes those, who live holily according to the Word of God, and rebuke her for her errors, covetousness, and idolatry. These two Churches are easily known and distinguished from each other.

 ¹³  And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”  She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”

 ¹⁴  When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.

 ¹⁵  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?  Whom are you seeking?”  Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”

 ¹⁶  Jesus said to her, “Mary!”  She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher).

 ¹⁷  Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father;  but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'”

 ¹⁸  Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.”  John 20:11-18.

——————————

The Scripture for today reminds me of Romans 8:29-30.

First, Jesus figuratively embraced His disciples as His “brethern”.  He called them His brethern.  He identified His Father as their Father.  He identified His God as their God.  Jesus had a concern for His brethern and instructed Mary to give this message to His brethern.  

Second, Jesus called:  “Mary!”, and Mary figuratively and literally embraced Jesus.  Mary figuratively embraced Jesus as her Teacher, and Mary literally embraced Jesus who replied:  “Stop clinging to Me …”    

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30.

Thus, we can think about the resurrection as Jesus embracing us.  Not only did Jesus rise from the dead, He embraced us and brought us too up from the dead to new life.  

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  1 Peter 1:3-5.

 ³  So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb.

 ⁴  The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first;

 ⁵  and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there;  but he did not go in.

 ⁶  And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb;  and he saw the linen wrappings lying there,

 ⁷  and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself.

 ⁸  So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed.

 ⁹  For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

 ¹⁰  So the disciples went away again to their own homes.”  John 20:1-10. 

——————————-

The Empty Tomb.  We tend to rush through this passage in order to think about the resurrection, but we need to meditate on this passage as it is.

Let us think about the reactions of Mary Magdalene and the disciples Peter and John.  They seem puzzled and sad when they encountered the empty tomb.

There is a lesson for us here.  In our lives, we encounter emptiness.  We may be faced with an empty wallet or an empty home.  We may base our feelings and other reactions on what we see rather than on what we believe.  We may forget about Scripture to focus on the cold, hard facts.  We need to read and remember and meditate upon Scripture.  We need to have faith.  We need to live by faith.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For by it the men of old gained approval.  By faith …”  Hebrews Chapter 11. 

“For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope;  for who hopes for what he already sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”  Romans 8:24-25.

 ⁴⁰  So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

 ⁴¹  Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.

 ⁴²  Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.”  John 19:38-42.

——————————

^“1  What shall we say then?  Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?

 ²  May it never be!  How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

 ³  Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

 ⁴  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

 ⁵  For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,

 ⁶  knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

 ⁷  for he who has died is freed from sin.

 ⁸  Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

 ⁹  knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again;  death no longer is master over Him.

 ¹⁰  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

 ¹¹  Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

 ¹²  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,

 ¹³  and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness;  but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

 ¹⁴  For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

 ¹⁵  What then?  Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?  May it never be!

 ¹⁶  Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

 ¹⁷  But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,

 ¹⁸  and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

 ¹⁹  I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.  For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

 ²⁰  For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.”

 ²¹  Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed?  For the outcome of those things is death.

 ²²  But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

 ²³  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans Chapter 6.

 ³³  but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

 ³⁴  But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

 ³⁵  And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true;  and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.

 ³⁶  For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, “NOT A BONE OF HIM SHALL BE BROKEN.”

 ³⁷  And again another Scripture says, “THEY SHALL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY PIERCED.”  John 19:31-37. 

————————————

As soon as Jesus died, it was indeed finished.  Christ “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”.  Article 21 of The Belgic Confession. 

We do not have to wait three days until the resurrection to see clues that God had accepted Christ’s perfect sacrifice as full satisfaction. 

Here is one clue.  In today’s Scripture, we read the detailed account of how the soldiers considered breaking the legs of all three of those who were crucified, but how they did not break the legs of Jesus, “to fulfill the Scripture, “NOT A BONE OF HIM SHALL BE BROKEN.” 

This Scripture refers to Psalm 34:19-20.  “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.  He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken.” 

God used this “breaking of bones” event and Scripture to indicate that God considered Jesus righteous at this point of time.

Here is another clue.  In today’s Scripture, we read the detailed account of how the soldiers pierced the side of Jesus, to fulfill the Scripture, “THEY SHALL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY PIERCED.” 

This Scripture refers to Zechariah 12:10.  “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”

God used this “piercing of the side” event and Scripture to indicate that in a sense God considered Himself as pierced at this point of time.

So, if God so quickly received the perfect sacrifice of Jesus as full satisfaction, why did God wait three days to raise Him from the dead?  Why must we also die?  Why does it state in The Apostle’s Creed that he descended into hell? 

The answers are in The Heidelberg Catechism.

Question 41.  Why was he also “buried”?

Answer.  Thereby to prove that he was really dead.

Question 42.  Since then Christ died for us, why must we also die?

Answer.  Our death is not a satisfaction for our sins, but only an abolishing of sin, and a passage into eternal life.

Question 43.  What further benefit do we receive from the sacrifice and death of Christ on the cross?

Answer.  That by virtue thereof, our old man is crucified, dead and buried with him;  that so the corrupt inclinations of the flesh may no more reign in us;  but that we may offer ourselves unto him a sacrifice of thanksgiving.

Question 44.  Why is there added, “he descended into hell”?

Answer.  That in my greatest temptations, I may be assured, and wholly comfort myself in this, that my Lord Jesus Christ, by his inexpressible anguish, pains, terrors, and hellish agonies, in which he was plunged during all his sufferings, but especially on the cross, hath delivered me from the anguish and torments of hell.

 ³⁰  Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!”  And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”  John 19:28-30.

——————————-

What exactly did Christ “finish” or accomplish by His death on the cross?

Here are some parts of the following Reformed Confessions which can help us understand:

The Heidelberg Catechism emphasizes that Christ made “full satisfaction”. 

Question 12.  Since then, by the righteous judgment of God, we deserved temporal and eternal punishment, is there no way by which we may escape that punishment, and be again received into favor?

Answer.  God will have his justice satisfied;  and therefore we must make this full satisfaction, either by ourselves, or by another.

The Belgic Confession (like The Heidelberg Catechism) emphasizes that Christ appeased God’s wrath by making full satisfaction.  The Belgic Confession also emphasizes that Christ’s sacrifice was perfect by which believers are made perfect forever. 

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.

The Canons of Dordt details the saving gifts.

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.

The Westminister Larger Catechism emphasizes that Christ bore the weight of God’s wrath and laid down his life as an offering for sin. 

Q. 49. How did Christ humble himself in his death?

A. Christ humbled himself in his death, in that having been betrayed by Judas, forsaken by his disciples, scorned and rejected by the world, condemned by Pilate, and tormented by his persecutors; having also conflicted with the terrors of death, and the powers of darkness, felt and borne the weight of God’s wrath, he laid down his life an offering for sin, enduring the painful, shameful, and cursed death of the cross.

Why is it so important that we have a true understanding and appreciation for what Christ finished and accomplished on the cross?

There are those who falsely teach that Christ’s death only opened up the possibility of salvation, but it is up to man to supply what is missing, namely man-generated works or man-generated faith.  Thus, under these false teachings, salvation is ultimately determined by man. 

These false teachings may seem pious at first, but they too lightly regard the blood of Christ.  

Scripture warns:  “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?”  Hebrews 10:29.  I think this Scripture not only applies to those who are openly hostile to Christ;  it also applies to those who regard the blood of Christ too lightly.

Matthew 5:13 gives an example of those who trample over salt.  These people are not hostile to salt, but they give it insufficient respect.   “You are the salt of the earth;  but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”  Likewise, there are those who regard the blood of Christ so lightly that in a sense, they trample over it.

In conclusion, let us join Paul who states:  “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.  For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.  I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”  1 Corinthians 2:1-5.

 ²⁷  Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!”  From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.”  John 19:25-27. 

—————————

This Scripture reminds me of the unconditional covenant wherein the Holy Trinity takes the Elect into Their own household, Their family of fellowship.  “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God‘s household,”  Ephesians 2:19

“remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”  Ephesians 2:12-13. 

In a sense, John (the disciple whom Jesus loved) adopted Mary, the mother of Jesus.  In a sense, we too have been adopted by God.

“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.

 ²⁴  So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”;  this was to fulfill the Scripture:  “THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS.”  John 19:23-24.

——————————

We see casting of lots in Scripture more than we may think prior to checking it out –  Click here: BibleGateway.com – Keyword Search: cast lots  –  Even in the very first entry, we may be surprised to read  that God specifically commanded it for a particular purpose.  “Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat.  “Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the LORD fell, and make it a sin offering.  “But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.”  Leviticus 16:8-10. 

I certainly do not maintain that we are generally encouraged throughout Scriptures to cast lots, nor do I maintain that the soldiers were trying to follow God’s will by casting lots.  But, it is interesting to me that we can consider parallels between these Scriptures and meditate upon the purpose of these Scriptures. 

Scriptures talk about being clothed with righteousness.  Here are examples.

 ¹⁸  There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.

 ¹⁹  Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross.  It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

 ²⁰  Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city;  and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek.

 ²¹  So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’;  but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.'”

 ²²  Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”  John 19:16-22.

—————————-

Yesterday, I quoted the entire chapter of Psalm 2.  Today, I will repeat just verses 6 and 7. 

⁶  “But as for Me, I have installed My King
         Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
    ⁷  “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:
         He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
         Today I have begotten You.”  Psalm 2:6-7. 

Concerning Christ’s position as king, The Westminister Larger Catechism states:

Question 45:  How does Christ execute the office of a king?

Answer:  Christ executes the office of a king, in calling out of the world a people to himself, and giving them officers, laws, and censures, by which he visibly governs them;  in bestowing saving grace upon his elect, rewarding their obedience, and correcting them for their sins, preserving and supporting them under all their temptations and sufferings, restraining and overcoming all their enemies, and powerfully ordering all things for his own glory, and their good;  and also in taking vengeance on the rest, who know not God, and obey not the gospel.

 ⁹  and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?”  But Jesus gave him no answer.

 ¹⁰  So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me?  Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?”

 ¹¹  Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above;  for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

 ¹²  As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar;  everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.”

 ¹³  Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.

 ¹⁴  Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour.  And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!”

 ¹⁵  So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!”  Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”  The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”  John 19:7-15.

———————

“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”  Romans 13:1.  

“Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. ”  Titus 3:1-2.

“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.”  1 Peter 2:13-14. 

^“1  Why are the nations in an uproar
         And the peoples devising a vain thing?
    ²  The kings of the earth take their stand
         And the rulers take counsel together
         Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
    ³  “Let us tear their fetters apart
         And cast away their cords from us!”
    ⁴  He who sits in the heavens laughs,
         The Lord scoffs at them.
    ⁵  Then He will speak to them in His anger
         And terrify them in His fury, saying,
    ⁶  “But as for Me, I have installed My King
         Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
    ⁷  “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:
         He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
         Today I have begotten You.
    ⁸  ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
         And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
    ⁹  ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,
         You shall shatter them like earthenware.'”
    ¹⁰  Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
         Take warning, O judges of the earth.
    ¹¹  Worship the LORD with reverence
         And rejoice with trembling.
    ¹²  Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
         For His wrath may soon be kindled
         How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”  Psalm Chapter 2.