EXEGESIS AND EXPOSITION OF FIRST THESSALONIANS 1:1

Pastor William E. Wenstrom Jr. WENSTROM BIBLE MINISTRIES Marion, Iowa 2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

Exegesis and Exposition of First Thessalonians 1:1

First Thessalonians 1:1

Identification of the Authors

1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. (ESV) “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy ” is composed of the following: (1) nominative masculine singular form of the proper name Paulos (Παῦλος ), “Paul ” (2) conjunction kai (καί ), which is not translated (3) nominative masculine singular form of the proper name Silouanos (Σιλουανός ), “ Silvanus ” (4) conjunction kai (καί ), “ and ” (5) nominative masculine singular form of the proper name Timotheos (Τιμόθεος ), “ Timothy .” The proper name Paulos (Παῦλος ), “Paul” means, “little” or “short” and is functioning as a nominative absolute or independent nominative, which simply means that it shows no direct grammatical relationship to the sentence. The nominative absolute is the use of the nominative case in introductory material (such as titles, headings, salutations, and addresses), which are not to be construed as sentences. 12 The nominative absolute is used in the salutation of a letter with a descriptive phrase or explanatory phrase added, as is the case here in the first verse in Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians. We will insert the word “from” even though it is not in the Greek text to indicate the senders of the letter. The conjunction kai is adjunctive expressing the fact that Silvanus “in addition to” Paul is the author of this epistle to the church at Thessalonica. The proper name Silouanos (Σιλουανός ), “ Silvanus ” is most likely a Semitic name. Silvanus is the Latinized form of the Semitic Silwani . Silva is a Latin word meaning “wood” or “woodland.” Silvanus was also a Roman deity in the first century A.D. Silas is his other Greek name, which is a transliteration of the Aramaic form of the name “Saul.” J.A.D. Weima writes “The ‘Silvanus’ mentioned in the letters of Paul and Peter is almost certainly the same person identified as ‘Silas’ in Acts. The longer name was the one commonly known and used in Greek and Roman communities (2 Cor. 1:19; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; 1 Pet. 5:12), whereas the shorter name was

1 Funk, Intermediate Grammar , 2.710 (§886.4). 2 Wallace, D. B. (1999). Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics - Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (49). Zondervan Publishing House and Galaxie Software.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 1 employed in Jewish circles (Acts 15:22, 27, 32, 40; 16:19, 25, 29; 17:4, 10, 14, 15; 18:5).”3 Paul refers to him as Silvanus ( Σιλουανός , Silouanos ) in his letters (2 Cor. 1:19; 2 Thess. 1:1), as well as Peter (1 Pet. 5:12). Luke called this same person Silas (cf. Acts 15:22). He was Paul’s primary associate on his second missionary journey (Acts 15:40). Silvanus was a Jew and a Roman citizen. Like the proper name Paulos , this proper name Silouanos is a nominative absolute or independent nominative, which simply means that it shows no direct grammatical relationship to the sentence. The nominative absolute is used in the salutation of a letter with a descriptive phrase or explanatory phrase added, as is the case here in the first verse in Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians. Once again, we have the conjunction kai and it is again used here in an adjunctive sense expressing the fact that Timothy “in addition to” Paul and Silvanus are the authors of this epistle to the church at Thessalonica. The proper name Timotheos means “one who honors God” since it is composed of the noun time , “honor” and the noun theos , “God.” This name appears 24 times in the Greek New Testament and is found 6 times in Acts (16:1; 17:14-15; 18:5; 19:22; 20:4). It appears 18 times in Pauline epistles (Romans 16:21; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 16:10; 2 Corinthians 1:1, 19; Philippians 1:1; 2:19; Colossians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 3:2, 6; 2 Thessalonians 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:2, 18; 6:20; 2 Timothy 1:2; Philemon 1:1; Hebrews 13:23). The word also occurs at the head of eight of the Pauline epistles (2 Cor. 1:1; Phlp. 1:1; Col. 1:1, 1 Th. 1:1, 2 Th. 1:1, 1 Tm. 1:2; 2 Tm. 1:2; Phlm 1:1). The proper name Timotheos , “Timothy” refers to Paul’s disciple who was from Lystra and was converted to Christianity during the apostle’s first missionary journey and joined him permanently during his second missionary journey (Acts 16:1-5). His mother was Jewish but his father is described as a Greek (Acts 16:1). Like the proper name Paulos and Silouanos , the proper name Timotheos is a nominative absolute or independent nominative, which simply means that it shows no direct grammatical relationship to the sentence. The nominative absolute is used in the salutation of a letter with a descriptive phrase or explanatory phrase added, as is the case here in the first verse in Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians.

Identification of the Recipients of Epistle

1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. (ESV)

3 Weima, J. A. D. (2014). Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2 Thessalonians . (R. W. Yarbrough & R. H. Stein, Eds.) (p. 67). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 2 “To the church of the Thessalonians ” is composed of the following: (1) articular dative feminine singular form of the noun ekklesia (ἐκκλησία ), “ to the church ” (2) genitive masculine plural form of the noun Thessalonikeus (Θεσσαλονικεύς ), “ of the Thessalonians .” The term “church” in the New Testament translates the Greek noun ekkl ēsia . Moisés Silva writes “The noun ἐκκλησία , attested no later than the 5th cent. BC, is evidently derived from the compound vb. ἐκκαλέω , which means in the first instance ‘to call out, call forth, summon’ (e.g., Homer Od. 10.471). On that basis it has been suggested that the term ἐκκλησία has its origin in the practice of the herald’s calling people ‘out of’ their homes to meet in public assembly; alternatively, the idea is that of citizens (as opp. to those without civic rights) being summoned out of the general population (Trench 2). This type of explanation sounds plausible, but several factors need to be kept in mind. (a) Although the vb. can be used with a prep. phrase (or a comparable clause) indicating something ‘out of’ which someone is called (e.g., Eurip. Bacch. 170: Κάδμον ἐκκάλει δόμων , ‘call Kadmos from the house’), this usage is rare; most often the term has an extended sense (e.g., in the mid. it can mean ‘to elicit, entice, appeal,’ etc.). (b) There is no attested instance of ἐκκαλέω being used in the context of calling an ἐκκλησία ; instead, we find such vbs. as συναγείρω (Hdt. 3.142.2) and ἀθροίζω (Xen. Hell. 1.6.8). (c) The contexts where ἐκκλησία occurs do not allude to the action of people being ‘called out’; the term appears to mean simply ‘(duly constituted) assembly.’ (d) The cognate adj. ἔκκλητος means ‘chosen, selected,’ and the subst. pl. οἱ ἔκκλητοι is applied to a group of citizens selected for a partic. purpose (e.g. Xen. Hell. 2.4.38).”4 As a secular term, he ekkl ēsia was a technical term for the lawful assembly of free Greek citizens met to transact public affairs. That they were summoned is cent. century BC before Christ vb. verb e.g. exempli gratia (for example) opp. opposite, (in) opposition (to) Trench R. C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament , 9th ed. (1880) vb. verb prep. prepositional e.g. exempli gratia (for example) Eurip. Euripedes e.g. exempli gratia (for example) mid. middle vbs. verb(s) Hdt. Herodotus, The Histories Xen. Xenophon adj. adjectival subst. substantive, substantival(ly) pl. plural partic. particular(ly) e.g. exempli gratia (for example) Xen. Xenophon 4 Silva, M. (Ed.). (2014). New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Second Edition, Vol. 2, p. 134). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 3 expressed in the verb kaleo and the preposition ek indicates that they were summoned out of the whole population as a select portion that included neither the populace, strangers, nor those who had forfeited their civic rights. Both the calling and the calling out are the distinctives that make the word well adapted for its new Christian usage. The word was used in classical literature for the summons to the army to assemble. It is attested from Eurpides and Herodotus onwards (fifth century B.C.) and denotes in the usage of antiquity the popular assembly of the competent full citizens of the polis , “city.” It reached its greatest importance in the fifth century and met at regular intervals (in Athens about 30-40 times a year, elsewhere less frequently) and also in cases of urgency as an extra- ordinary ekkl ēsia . Its sphere of competence included decisions on suggested changes in the law (which could only be effected by the council of the 400), on appointments to official positions and-at least in its heyday-on every important question of internal and external policy (contracts, treaties, war and peace, finance). To these was added in special cases (e.g. treason) the task of sitting in judgment, which as a rule fell to regular courts. The noun ekkl ēsia opened with prayers and sacrifices to the gods of the city. It was bound by the existing laws. Every citizen had the right to speak and to propose matters for discussion, but a proposition could only be dealt with if there was an expert opinion on the matter. 5 A decision was only valid if it won a certain number of votes. Authorization to participate and the methods of summoning the assembly and of voting-by show of hands in Athens, 6 by acclaim, 7 by ballot sheets or stones 8- were strictly regulated, as was the control of the assembly, which originally lay with the president of the Prytaneis and from the fourth century B.C. with a college of nine. Thus, ekkl ēsia , centuries before the LXX and the NT was clearly characterized as a political phenomenon, repeated according to certain rules and within a certain framework. It was the assembly of full citizens, functionally rooted in the constitution of the democracy, an assembly in which fundamental political and judicial decisions were taken. The scope of its competence varied in the different states. The word ekkl ēsia throughout the Greek and Hellenistic areas always retained its reference to the assembly of the polis . In only three exceptional cases was it used for the business meeting of a cultic guild. Otherwise it was never used for guilds or religious fellowships. The Greeks had a well-developed vocabulary to describe their religious gatherings and offerings. Most of these terms are not found in the NT.

5 Aristotle Ath. Pol. 45 6 Aristotle Ath. Pol., 45 7 Thuc. 1.87 8 Xenophon Hell. 1.7.9

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 4 Ekkl ēsia was used in a very restricted sense while sunagoge was used especially for the cultic gatherings and various offerings to the pagan deities. The noun ekkl ēsia occurs 100 times in the Septuagint representing exclusively the Hebrew qahal (including once each for 4 derivatives of the root). Where ekklesia is used in the LXX for qahal , it indicates the assembly of the people of Israel (e.g. Deuteronomy 9:10; 23:3 ff.; Mic. 2:5). It also indicates, especially in the Chronicler, the assembly of the people for worship (e.g. 2 Chronicles 6:3 at the consecration of the temple; 30:2, 4, 13, 17 at Hezekiah’s Passover; cf. also Joel 2:16 and in the Psalm 21:23, 26. The noun ekkl ēsia was used in the LXX primarily as an equivalent to qahal , a term which to some degree was itself a particular group within the people of God, even when it was translated by sunagoge . Ekkl ēsia was used only infrequently for non-religious assemblies and it was never used for a pagan religious gathering. The term ekkl ēsia is employed 114 times in the Greek New Testament. It appears only three times in the Gospels (Matthew 16:18; 18:17 twice). The word occurs most frequently in the Pauline epistles. In the overwhelming majority of the New Testament passages, ekkl ēsia is used as a fixed Christian term and is to be translated with congregation or congregational assembly or church. Early Christianity did not conceive of ekkl ēsia primarily as an organizational, but rather as a theological entity or spiritual organism. In the New Testament, the noun ekkl ēsia was employed to designate the following regarding this group of believers who are in union with Christ by virtue of the baptism of the Spirit: (1) Local assembly of believers in a city or town. (2) Universal assembly of believers living throughout the world. BDAG list the following meanings: “① a regularly summoned legislative body, assembly, as gener. understood in the Gr-Rom. world (Jos., Ant. 12, 164; 19, 332, Vi. 268) Ac 19:39 (on ‘[regular] statutory assembly’, s. ἔννομος and IBM III/2, p. 141. The term ἐννόμη ἐ. here contrasts w. the usage vss. 32 and 40, in which ἐ. denotes simply ‘a gathering’; s. 2 below. On the ἐ. in Ephesus cp. CIG III, 325; IBM III/1, 481, 340; on the ἐ. in the theater there s. the last-named ins ln. 395; OGI 480, 9).—Pauly-W. V/2, 1905, 2163–2200; RAC IV 905–21 (lit.). ② a gener. gener. = generally Gr-Rom. Gr-Rom. = Greco-Roman (gener. in contrast to Israelite/Christian tradition) Jos. Jos. = Josephus. This abbr. used when follow by title; I A.D.—Lists 5 IBM IBM = Ancient Greek Inscriptions in the British Museum—List 3 w. w. = with cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts CIG CIG = Corpus Inscriptionum Graecarum—List 3 IBM IBM = Ancient Greek Inscriptions in the British Museum—List 3 ins Ins, ins = Inscription, Inschrift, inscription(s). Without a period, esp. in lists, as at the beginning of entries; the capitalized form is used in titles. In conjunction with literary works this abbr. refers to the title or description of contents. ln. ln. = line OGI OGI = Orientis Graeci Inscriptiones Selectae—List 3 Pauly-W Pauly-W = AP./GW., Real-Encyclopädie der klassischen Altertumswissenschaft—List 6 RAC RAC = Reallexikon für Antike u. Christentum—List 6

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 5 casual gathering of people, an assemblage, gathering (cp. 1 Km 19:20; 1 Macc 3:13; Sir 26:5) Ac 19:32, 40. ③ people with shared belief, community, congregation (for common identity, cp. the community of Pythagoras [Hermippus in Diog. L. 8, 41]. Remarkably, in Himerius, Or. 39 [Or. 5], 5 Orpheus forms for himself τὴν ἐκκλησίαν , a group of wild animals, who listen to him, in the Thracian mountains where there are no people), in our lit. of common interest in the God of Israel. ⓐ of OT Israelites assembly, congregation (Dt 31:30; Judg 20:2; 1 Km 17:47; 3 Km 8:14; PsSol 10:6; TestJob 32:8 τῆς εὐώδους ἐ.; Philo; Jos., Ant. 4, 309; Diod S 40, 3, 6) Hb 2:12 (Ps 21:23); e.g. to hear the law (Dt 4:10; 9:10; 18:16) Ac 7:38. ⓑ of Christians in a specific place or area (the term ἐ. apparently became popular among Christians in Greek-speaking areas for chiefly two reasons: to affirm continuity with Israel through use of a term found in Gk. translations of the Hebrew Scriptures, and to allay any suspicion, esp. in political circles, that Christians were a disorderly group). α. of a specific Christian group assembly, gathering ordinarily involving worship and discussion of matters of concern to the community: Mt 18:17 ; συνερχομένων ὑμῶν ἐν ἐ. when you come together as an assembly 1 Cor 11:18 ; cp. 14:4f, 12, 19, 28, 35 ; pl. vs. 34. ἐν ἐ. ἐξομολογεῖσθαι τὰ παραπτώματα confess one’s sins in assembly D 4:14; cp. 3J 6 (JCampbell, JTS 49, ’48, 130–42; for the Johannines s. ESchweizer below). In Ac 15:22 the ‘apostles and elders’ function in the manner of the βουλή or council, the committee of the whole that was responsible in a Gr-Rom. polis for proposing legislation to the assembly of citizens.—Of Christians gathering in the home of a patron house- assembly (‘house-church’) Πρίσκαν καὶ Ἀκύλαν … καὶ τὴν κατʼ οἶκον αὐτῶν ἐ. Ro 16:5 ; cp. 1 Cor 16:19. Νύμφαν καὶ τὴν κατʼ οἶκον αὐτῆς ἐ. Col 4:15 ; ἡ κατʼ οἶκόν σου ἐ. Phlm 2. —FFilson, JBL 58, ’39, 105–12; other reff. οἶκος 1a α.—Pl. ἐ.

lit. lit. = literal(ly); literature (refererences to [scholarly] literature) cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts Diog. L. Diog. L. = Diogenes Laertius, III A.D.—List 5 Himerius Himerius , IV A.D.—List 5 lit. lit. = literal(ly); literature (refererences to [scholarly] literature) OT OT = Old Testament PsSol PsSol = Psalms of Solomon—List 2 TestJob TestJob = Testament of Job—List 2 Philo Philo = P. of Alexandria, I B.C.–I A.D.—List 5 Jos. Jos. = Josephus. This abbr. used when follow by title; I A.D.—Lists 5 Diod S Diod S , I B.C.—List 5 e.g. e.g. = exempli gratia (for example) Gk. Gk. = Greek esp. esp. = especially cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts pl. pl. = plural D D = Didache, except that in a list of manuscripts or as textual variant D refers to Codex Bezae—List 1 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts JTS JTS = Journal of Theological Studies—List 6 Gr-Rom. Gr-Rom. = Greco-Roman (gener. in contrast to Israelite/Christian tradition) cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts JBL JBL = Journal of Biblical Literature—List 6

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 6 τῶν ἁγίων 1 Cor 14:33 ; ἐ. τῶν ἐθνῶν Ro 16:4 .—1 Ti 5:16 prob. belongs here, s. βαρέω b. β. congregation or church as the totality of Christians living and meeting in a particular locality or larger geographical area, but not necessarily limited to one meeting place: Ac 5:11 ; 8:3 ; 9:31 (so KGiles, NTS 31, ’85, 135–42; s. c below), 11:26 ; 12:5 ; 15:3 ; 18:22 ; 20:17 ; cp. 12:1 ; 1 Cor 4:17 ; Phil 4:15 ; 1 Ti 5:16 perh., s. α above; Js 5:14 ; 3 J 9f ; 1 Cl 44:3; Hv 2, 4, 3. More definitely of the Christians in Jerusalem Ac 8:1 ; 11:22 ; cp. 2:47 v.l.; 15:4, 22 ; Cenchreae Ro 16:1 ; cp. vs. 23 ; Corinth 1 Cor 1:2 ; 2 Cor 1:1 ; 1 Cl ins; 47:6; AcPlCor 1:16; Laodicea Col 4:16 ; Rv 3:14 ; Thessalonica 1 Th 1:1 ; 2 Th 1:1 ; Colossae Phlm subscr. v.l. Likew. w. other names: Rv 2:1, 8, 12, 18 ; 3:1, 7 ; IEph ins; 8:1; IMg ins; ITr ins; 13:1; IRo 9:1; IPhld ins; 10:1; ISm 11:1; Pol ins. Plural: Ac 15:41 ; 16:5 ; Ro 16:16 ; 1 Cor 7:17 ; 2 Cor 8:18f, 23f ; 11:8, 28 ; 12:13 ; Rv 2:7, 11, 17, 23, 29 ; 3:6, 13, 22 ; 22:16 ; the Christian community in Judea Gal 1:22 ; 1 Th 2:14 ; Galatia Gal 1:2 ; 1 Cor 16:1 ; Asia vs. 19 ; Rv 1:4, and cp. vss. 11 and 20 ; Macedonia 2 Cor 8:1. κατʼ ἐκκλησίαν in each individual congregation or assembly Ac 14:23 (on the syntax cp. OGI 480, 9 [s. 1 above]: ἵνα τιθῆνται κατʼ ἐκκλησίαν in order that they [the statues] might be set up at each [meeting of the] ἐ.). On κατὰ τ. οὖσαν ἐ. Ac 13:1 cp. εἰμί 1 end. ⓒ the global community of Christians, (universal) church (s. prob. prob. = probable, probably NTS NTS = New Testament Studies—List 6 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts perh. perh. = perhaps 1 Cl 1 Cl = 1 Clement—List 1 Hv Hv = Visions cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts v.l. v.l. = varia lectio (variant reading) cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts 1 Cl 1 Cl = 1 Clement—List 1 ins Ins, ins = Inscription, Inschrift, inscription(s). Without a period, esp. in lists, as at the beginning of entries; the capitalized form is used in titles. In conjunction with literary works this abbr. refers to the title or description of contents. AcPlCor AcPlCor = Acts of Paul: correspondence with Corinthians (a.k.a. Third Corinthians), text according to PBodmer X—List 1 subscr. subscr. = subscription v.l. v.l. = varia lectio (variant reading) w. w. = with IEph IEph = Ignatius to the Ephesians—List 1 ins Ins, ins = Inscription, Inschrift, inscription(s). Without a period, esp. in lists, as at the beginning of entries; the capitalized form is used in titles. In conjunction with literary works this abbr. refers to the title or description of contents. IMg IMg = Ignatius to the Magnesians—List 1 ins Ins, ins = Inscription, Inschrift, inscription(s). Without a period, esp. in lists, as at the beginning of entries; the capitalized form is used in titles. In conjunction with literary works this abbr. refers to the title or description of contents. ITr ITr = Ignatius to the Trallians—List 1 ins Ins, ins = Inscription, Inschrift, inscription(s). Without a period, esp. in lists, as at the beginning of entries; the capitalized form is used in titles. In conjunction with literary works this abbr. refers to the title or description of contents. IRo IRo = Ignatius to the Romans—List 1 IPhld IPhld = Ignatius to the Philadelphians—List 1 ins Ins, ins = Inscription, Inschrift, inscription(s). Without a period, esp. in lists, as at the beginning of entries; the capitalized form is used in titles. In conjunction with literary works this abbr. refers to the title or description of contents. ISm ISm = Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, I–II A.D.—List 1 Pol Pol = Polycarp to the Philippians—List 1 ins Ins, ins = Inscription, Inschrift, inscription(s). Without a period, esp. in lists, as at the beginning of entries; the capitalized form is used in titles. In conjunction with literary works this abbr. refers to the title or description of contents. cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts OGI OGI = Orientis Graeci Inscriptiones Selectae—List 3 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 7 AvHarnack, Mission I 4 420 n. 2 on Ac 12:1 ): Mt 16:18 (OBetz, ZNW 48, ’57, 49– 77: Qumran parallels; s. HBraun, Qumran I, ’66, 30–37); Ac 9:31 (but s. 3b β); 1 Cor 6:4 ; 12:28 ; Eph 1:22 ; 3:10, 21 ; 5:23ff, 27, 29, 32 (HSchlier, Christus u. d. Kirche im Eph 1930; also ThBl 6, 1927, 12–17); Col 1:18, 24 ; Phil 3:6 ; B 7:11; Hv 2, 2, 6; 2, 4, 1 (with the depiction of the church as an elderly lady cp. Ps.- Demetr. 265 where Hellas, the homeland, is represented as λαβοῦσα γυναικὸς σχῆμα ); 3, 3, 3; IEph 5:1f and oft.—The local assembly or congregation as well as the universal church is more specif. called ἐ. τοῦ θεοῦ or ἐ. τ. Χριστοῦ. This is essentially Pauline usage, and it serves to give the current Gk. term its Christian coloring and thereby its special mng.: α. ἐ. τοῦ θεοῦ (Orig., C. Cels. 1, 63, 22) 1 Cor 1:2 ; 10:32 ; 11:16, 22 ; 15:9 ; 2 Cor 1:1 ; Gal 1:13 ; 1 Th 2:14 ; 2 Th 1:4 ; 1 Ti 3:5, 15 ; Ac 20:28 ; ITr 2:3; 12:1; IPhld 10:1; ISm ins al. β. ἐ. τοῦ Χριστοῦ (Orig., C. Cels. 5, 22, 14) Ro 16:16. γ. both together ἐ. ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ καὶ κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ 1 Th 1:1. δ. ἡ ἐ. ἡ πρώτη ἡ πνευματική the first, spiritual church (conceived in a Platonic sense as preexistent) 2 Cl 14:1; ἐ. ζῶσα the living church the body of Christ vs. 2; ἡ ἁγία ἐ. Hv 1, 1, 6; 1, 3, 4; ἡ καθολικὴ ἐ. ISm 8:2; ἡ ἁγία καὶ καθολικὴ ἐ. MPol ins; ἡ κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην καθολικὴ ἐ. 8:1; 19:2; ἓν σῶμα τῆς ἐ. ISm 1:2.—The literature before ’32 is given in OLinton, D. Problem der Urkirche in d. neueren Forschung (s. esp. 138–46) ’32 and AMedebielle, Dict. de la Bible, Suppl. II ’34, 487–691; before ’60, s. RAC; also s. TW, Sieben, and

ZNW ZNW = Zeitschrift für die ntl. Wissenschaft—List 6 ThBl ThBl , s. TBl—List 6 B B = Barnabas (the Letter of), II A.D., except in series of uncial witnesses, in which case B refers to Codex Vaticanus (s. also Vat.). When the abbrv. B would ambiguous, Vat. is used for the codex.—List 1 Hv Hv = Visions cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts Ps. Ps. = pseudo, pseudonymous Demetr Demetr , III B.C.—List 5 IEph IEph = Ignatius to the Ephesians—List 1 oft. oft. = often specif. specif. = specifically Gk. Gk. = Greek mng. mng. = meaning(s) Orig Orig , var. works, II–III A.D.—List 5 ITr ITr = Ignatius to the Trallians—List 1 IPhld IPhld = Ignatius to the Philadelphians—List 1 ISm ISm = Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, I–II A.D.—List 1 ins Ins, ins = Inscription, Inschrift, inscription(s). Without a period, esp. in lists, as at the beginning of entries; the capitalized form is used in titles. In conjunction with literary works this abbr. refers to the title or description of contents. al. al. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others) Orig Orig , var. works, II–III A.D.—List 5 2 Cl 2 Cl = 2 Clement—List 1 Hv Hv = Visions ISm ISm = Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, I–II A.D.—List 1 MPol MPol = Martyrdom of Polycarp; after II A.D.—List 1 ins Ins, ins = Inscription, Inschrift, inscription(s). Without a period, esp. in lists, as at the beginning of entries; the capitalized form is used in titles. In conjunction with literary works this abbr. refers to the title or description of contents. ISm ISm = Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, I–II A.D.—List 1 esp. esp. = especially Suppl. Suppl. = Supplement (to serials) suppl. = supplement, supplied (in grammatical references) RAC RAC = Reallexikon für Antike u. Christentum—List 6 TW TW = Theologisches Wörterbuch zum NT; tr. GBromiley, Theological Dictionary of the NT—List 6

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 8 JHainz, Ekklesia ’72. Esp. important: EBurton, Gal (ICC) 1921, 417–20; KHoll, D. Kirchenbegriff des Pls usw.: SBBerlAk 1921, 920–47=Ges. Aufs. II 1928, 44ff; FKattenbusch, D. Vorzugsstellung d. Petrus u. d. Charakter d. Urgemeinde zu Jerusalem: KMüller Festschr. 1922, 322–51; KLSchmidt, D. Kirche des Urchristentums: Dssm. Festschr. 1927, 259–319, TW III 502–39. S. also: EPeterson, D. Kirche aus Juden u. Heiden ’33; KLSchmidt, D. Polis in Kirche u. Welt ’39; WBieder, Ekkl. u. Polis im NT u. in d. alten Kirche ’41; OMichel, D. Zeugnis des NTs v. d. Gemeinde ’41; NDahl, D. Volk Gottes ’41; RFlew, Jesus and His Church 2, ’43; GJohnston, The Doctrine of the Church in the NT ’43; WKümmel, Kirchenbegriff u. Geschichtsbewusstsein in d. Urg. u. b. Jesus ’43; DFaulhaber, D. Johev. u. d. Kirche ’38; AFridrichsen, Kyrkan i 4. ev.: SvTK 16, ’40, 227–42; ESchweizer, NT Essays (Manson memorial vol.) ’59, 230–45; EWolf, Ecclesia Pressa—eccl. militans: TLZ 72, ’47, 223–32; SHanson, Unity of the Church in the NT ’46; HvCampenhausen, Kirchl. Amt u. geistl. Vollmacht in den ersten 3 Jahrh. ’53; EKäsemann, Sätze hlg. Rechtes im NT, NTS 1, ’55, 248– 60; AGeorge, ET 58, ’46/47, 312–16; in ATR: JBernardin 21, ’39, 153–70; BEaston 22, ’40, 157–68; SWalke 32, ’50, 39–53 (Apost. Fath.); JMurphy, American Ecclesiastical Review 140, ’59, 250–59; 325–32; PMinear, Images of the Church in the NT, ’60; BMetzger, Theology Today 19, ’62, 369–80; ESchweizer, Church Order in the NT, tr. FClarke ’61; RSchnackenburg, The Church in the NT, tr. WO’Hara ’65; LCerfaux, JBL 85, ’66, 250–51; AHilhorst, Filología Neotestamentaria 1, ’88, 27–34. S. also ἐπίσκοπος 2 end; Πέτρος ; πέτρα 1.—B. 1476f. DELG s.v. καλέω . M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.” 9

ICC ICC = International Critical Commentary—List 6 Festschr. Festschr. = Festschrift, in ref. to any honorary publication Dssm. Dssm. = ADeissmann, various works—List 6 Festschr. Festschr. = Festschrift, in ref. to any honorary publication TW TW = Theologisches Wörterbuch zum NT; tr. GBromiley, Theological Dictionary of the NT—List 6 NT NT = New Testament NT NT = New Testament NT NT = New Testament vol. vol. = volume eccl. eccl. = ecclesiastical TLZ TLZ = Theolog. Literaturzeitung—List 6 NT NT = New Testament NT NT = New Testament NTS NTS = New Testament Studies—List 6 ET ET = Expository Times—List 6 ATR ATR = Anglican Theological Review—List 6 NT NT = New Testament NT NT = New Testament tr. tr. = translate, etc. NT NT = New Testament tr. tr. = translate, etc. JBL JBL = Journal of Biblical Literature—List 6 B. B. = CDBuck, A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms—List 6 DELG DELG = PChantraine, Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque—List 6 s.v. s.v. = sub voce (under the word, look up the word) M-M M-M = JMoulton/GMilligan, Vocabulary of Greek Testament—Lists 4, 6 EDNT EDNT = Exegetical Dictionary of the NT—List 6 TW TW = Theologisches Wörterbuch zum NT; tr. GBromiley, Theological Dictionary of the NT—List 6

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 9 Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains: (1) A congregation of Christians, implying interacting membership – ‘congregation, church’ 10 (2) The totality of congregations of Christians – ‘church’ 11 (3) A group of citizens assembled for socio-political activities – ‘assembly, gathering’ 12 The use of ekkl ēsia became more widespread than sunagoge as the church rooted itself more predominately in the soil of the Gentile world, breaking away from its Jewish roots. The use of sunagoge in the early first century church declined because it was permanently associated with the nation of Israel, while the use of ekkl ēsia increased, not only because it was already familiar but also because it had an honorable meaning in Greek culture. After the period of the exile it was the synagogue which dominated the religious life of the Jews. It was in the Greek Diaspora that the synagogue became accepted as the new designation for the ` edhah . The name applied not only to the house of the synagogue but to the congregation of the synagogue as well. Having this background in mind, it is very interesting that the Gentile Christian congregations did not use the designation of synagogue for their signification. The members of these first Christian congregations came in a large degree from the Jewish synagogues which consisted of both Jews and proselytes. These believers claim to represent true Jewish congregation (Romans 2:28-29) and the true Israel of God (Romans 9:6) since they were regenerate. Although these ancient Christian congregations were patterned primarily after the Jewish synagogues, they avoided using the term synagogue. In fact, the term synagogue is used only one time in the New Testament as a designation for a Christian congregation (Jm. 2:2) since James was speaking exclusively to regenerate Jews. In the Roman Empire the synagogues stood as symbols of Jewish law and religion, and the new Christian religion. However, Christian congregations avoided association with this term. Instead, they adopted the term ekkl ēsia which had fallen out of usage in Jewish circles. As well as avoiding associations with the Jewish religion, the Christians also chose ekkl ēsia as a way of distancing themselves from the terms utilized by the pagan Greek cults. Here a multitude of terms would have been at the disposal of the ancient Christians. Secular Gentile authors such as Lucian and Celsus did, however, identify the Christians congregations by the pagan term thiasos . More

Sv Sv (at the end of entries)=HSieben, Voces—List 6 9 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., pp. 303–304). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 10 11.32 11 11.33 12 11.78

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 10 amazing than this though, the early church historian Eusebius also used the term for the church. In 1 Thessalonians 1:1, the noun ekkl ēsia means “the church” refers to the Christian community as a corporate who were located in the city of Thessalonica since it is modified by the noun Thessalonikeus (Θεσσαλονικεύς ). Best writes “The Greek word ἐκκλησία is normally rendered ‘church’, but this suggests a more formal organization than existed in this period. Originally the word denoted an assembly of people (cf. Acts 19:32, 39) but it had been used by the Greek translators of the O.T. for the people of God, whether assembled together or not, and so in the N.T. it is not a neutral concept, ‘community’, but has always a definite and necessary religious content (cf. Rom. 16:1, 4(!); 1 Cor. 4:17; 6:4, etc., where it is used without qualification) which is brought out here by the addition of the adjective Christian . It is used for the whole Christian community (1 Cor. 10:32; 12:28; Col. 1:18, 24), for the Christian community in a town (Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 1:2), for the Christian community in a house (Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15) of which there may be many in the town. The use of one word for all these indicates that the whole is not regarded merely as the sum total of the units but rather that the whole appears as smaller units in particular places, the whole being the basic conception. (Cf. R. N. Flew, Jesus and His Church , London, 1938; G. Johnston, The New Testament Doctrine of the Church , Cambridge, 1943, pp. 35–45; K. L. Schmidt, T.D.N.T. III, pp. 501–536.) Thessalonians defines the Christian community as that found in Thessalonica; it is not a community on its own but part of the whole people of God.”13 The noun ekkl ēsia is in the dative case and functions as a dative of recipient, which is a dative that appears in verbless constructions such as salutations and titles. Here, the word appears in the salutation of Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians, which indicates that the Christians located in the city of Thessalonica were the recipients of this epistle. The articular construction of the noun ekkl ēsia emphasizes the “uniqueness” of this word, which is indicated by the genitive adjunct, Θεσσαλονικέων , which signifies a monadic function. Together, they both express a “monadic” concept. So the articular construction of this word is emphasizing that this Christian community is unique in a two-fold sense: (1) They are located in the city of Thessalonica distinguishing them from other believers living in other cities in the Roman Empire. (2) They are distinguished from those living in Thessalonica who have not been declared justified by the Father through faith in Jesus Christ.

N.T. Novum Testamentum . T.D.N.T. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (a translation of T.W.N.T. I–VI by G. W. Bromiley). 13 Best, E. (1986). The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians (pp. 61–62). London: Continuum.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 11 The plural form of the noun Thessalonikeus (Θεσσαλονικεύς ) means “Thessalonians” referring to a person who was located in the city of Thessalonica or in other words, was a native of this city. The noun Thessalonikeus functions as a genitive of content, which specifies the contents of the word to which it stands related which is the ekkl ēsia which indicates that the church which Paul is addressing is composed of the Thessalonians. Fee writes “Although the designation of the addressees in this letter is quite abbreviated when contrasted with later letters, what is said here is full of Pauline theological grist. The fact that they are designated as ‘the church of the Thessalonians’14 indicates that this usage of the Greek word ekkl ēsia was by now (ca. CE 48) an already established practice among the early followers of Christ. Its origins in the Greek city-state as a designation for the assembly of citizens gathered to deal with city affairs, as well as a term for “societies” of people who shared common beliefs, 15 made it the happy choice of the Greek translators of the Old Testament, where it was regularly used to render the Hebrew qahal, referring to the ‘whole congregation’ of Israel. 16 The choice of this word for the community of believers in any given locale was thus a natural one. And by the time of this letter, it had already begun to designate all the believers in a given community, 17 whether gathered or not—although in Paul it still most often carries its original sense. Gentile converts to Christianity were no longer members only of Greco- Roman culture. They had entered the “society” 18 of a people whose roots were in Judaism and whose story had its origins in the Old Testament, a story which the Thessalonians would have known well in its Greek form—the Septuagint (LXX). 19 And the primary term used to refer to this new ‘society’ was that used in the earlier form of the story when referring to Israel as ‘the gathered people of God.’ The new expression of that ‘gathered people’ had now taken deep root in Macedonia. Only in these two letters is the church described as ‘of the Thessalonians.” 20 The genitive in this instance means simply “composed of people who live in Thessalonica.’ It is

14 For a useful discussion of this phrase, see R. F. Collins, Studies in the First Letter to the Thessalonians (BETL 66; Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1984), 285–97. ca. circa, about 15 On this see BDAG 2. 16 The myth that because its origins centuries earlier was a combination of the Greek ἐκ (“out”) and καλέω (“call”), so that Christians are “the called out ones,” should be laid to rest. The word was already in use by the time of Paul, both in the Greek world and in the Greek Bible, and had nothing to do with being “called out.” It simply meant “an assembly.” See my New Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors (3rd ed.; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002), 79–80. 17 See further on 2:14, where the plural is used to designate the many communities of believers in the province of Judea; cf. Gal 1:2. 18 On the sociological question of the early churches as a religious “society” in the Greco-Roman world, see esp. W. A. Meeks, The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983), 74–80; J. E. Stambaugh and D. L. Balch, The New Testament in Its Social Environment (LEC; Philadelphia: Westminster, 1986), 124–26, 140–41; and E. Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity (2nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), 131–36. LXX Septuagint 19 This has recently been called into question; for a brief rebuttal see G. D. Fee, Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 2007), 20–25. 20 In fact this phenomenon occurs only in these two instances out of 62 occurrences of the word ἐκκλησία in the Pauline corpus.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 12 of some interest that in Paul’s next letter (our 1 Corinthians), he no longer speaks of the church in this way—perhaps because it could so easily carry connotations of possession. Thus in 1 Corinthians they are ‘the church of God in Corinth,’ very likely because some in that church had begun to think in terms of ‘ownership.’” 21 Wanamaker writes “The prescript of 1 Thessalonians specifies that the letter was addressed ἐκκλησίᾳ Θεσσαλονικέων (“to the church of the Thessalonians”). ‘Church’ probably has more meaning for us than ἐκκλησία had for the Thessalonians. The Greek word was used of a summoned assembly, for example, a regularly summoned political body (cf. Josephus, Ant. 12.164) or a public gathering of a more general sort (cf. Acts 19:32). The word was also used in the LXX for the solemn gathering of the people of Israel as a religious assembly (cf. Dt. 31:30; 1 Kgdms. [1 Sa.] 17:47). Because the Christian community constituted the new people of God who assembled regularly for worship and fellowship, the word was taken over by Paul and others as a designation for any local Christian community (cf. 1 Cor. 4:17; Gal. 1:22), for the wider Christian community (cf. 1 Cor. 12:28), and even for house churches (Rom. 16:5). Use of ἐκκλησία for the assembly of the Christian community may also reflect the desire for a distinctively ‘Christian’ identity in the face of Jewish use of συναγωγή for local Jewish congregations (cf. Acts 6:9).”22

Union with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. (ESV) “In God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ ” is composed of the following: (1) preposition en (ἐν), “ in ” (2) dative masculine singular form of the noun theos (θεός ), “ to God ” (3) dative masculine singular form of the noun pat ēr (πατήρ ), “ the Father ” (4) conjunction kai (καί ), “ and ” (5) dative masculine singular form of the noun kurios (κύριος ), “ Lord ” (6) dative masculine singular form of the noun Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), “ Jesus ” (7) dative masculine singular form of the noun Christos (Χριστός ), “ Christ .” The etymology of theos has not yet been clarified. The only thing that is certain is that it was originally a title. It is originally a predicative term and had a broad usage in classical literature. Homer employed both the plural theoi and the indefinite singular theos (tis ). In this use he is sometimes thinking of a divine being

21 Fee, G. D. (2009). The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians (pp. 14–15). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Ant. Jewish Antiquities (Antiquitates Judaicae) (Josephus) 1 Kgdms. 1, 2, 3, 4 Kingdoms 22 Wanamaker, C. A. (1990). The Epistles to the Thessalonians: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 70). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 13 and work in general. Sometimes he has a particular god in mind and sometimes specifically Zeus. The term was applied to any superhuman being. Johannes Scheider commenting on the classical usage of the word, writes, “Greek religion was polytheistic. The gods were represented in anthropomorphic form as personal beings who exercised a determining influence on the world and fate of men, but who themselves were dependent on a superior fate. As they were not creator-gods, they were not thought of as outside the universe and transcendent. The cosmos included both gods and men. The influence of the gods was not universal, but was limited by their natures and attributes. They were not righteous in the OT sense. The Greek gods had form. Consequently, the statement ‘God is spirit’ (John 4:24) could not be applied to them. From Aeschylus onwards the different gods came increasingly to be identified. Their convergence into one divine being was prepared by the pre-Socratic thinkers and the ideas of classical tragedy. The Greek philosophical understanding of god was non-personal. Philosophers sought the origin of all things and the principle that shaped the world. In the process of rationalizing and moralizing, brought about by philosophical criticism and reflection, an important transformation of the Greek concept of god took place. The divine forms were spiritualized and finally replaced by general concepts like ‘world reason, the divine,’ and ‘being,’ which influenced and formed the world as powers giving it meaning and creating order. In Hellenistic syncretism the various Greek and non-Greek divinities were assimilated and even equated as a result of the recognition that behind the diverse names stood the same entities. This is particularly clear in the Isis cult. Not infrequently these tendencies lead to the honouring of one godhead as the divine All. The development reached its height in Neo-Platonism, where the divine is the universal One which has no objective existence or personality. It is being itself which is manifested through a series of hypostases and emanations in the world, since it is the ground and force behind everything that is.” 23 Hermann Kleinknecht once again commenting on the usage of theos in Greek literature, writes, “Zeus takes the first decision and has the final word. Hence piety often equates him quite simply with God (cf. Hom. Od., 4, 236; Demosth.Or., 18, 256; Aesch. Suppl., 524 ff.; 720 ff.; Ag., 160 ff.). Under the influence of rational theological speculation along causal lines there develops out of the original plurality of gods a divine genealogy and hierarchy (cf. Hesiod’s theogony). We read of higher and lower gods, of families of gods, and finally of a pantheon. In Greece and Rome there is not only a trinity etc., but also a group of twelve gods (hoi dodeka theoi ), and this expression comes to be used for the unity and totality of the gods who rule the world (cf. Pind. Olymp., 5, 5; Plat. Phaedr., 247a). For

23 The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology volume 2, pages 66-67

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 14 the most part theos is used for such well-known deities as Zeus, Apollos, Athena, Eros etc. But to call the cosmos God is also good Greek (Plat. Tim. 92c: hode ho kosmos...theos, Orig. Cels. V, 7); the phthonos is a kakistos kadikotatos theos, Hippothoon Fr., 2 (TGF, p. 827), and in Eur. even meeting again is a god: Hel. 560: ho theoi theos gar kai to gignoskein philous . In Aesch. Choeph. 60 eutuchein is for men theos te kai theou pleon . Similarly, original forces (dike II, 181), both inward and outward, may be furnished with the predicate theos , and later abstract concepts, cosmic magnitudes and divine attributes such as aion (I, 198), logos , nous (Corp. Herm. II, 12), are personified in the cultus and philosophy and hypostatised as gods. Eulabeia is an adikos theos , Eur. Phoen., 560; 782, and lupe isa deine theos , Eur. Or. 399.” 24 Heroes such as Chiron and Colonos were described as gods. Homer speaks of extraordinary men as theos . An outstanding ruler may be called theos in the Hellenistic period. In the Hellenistic cult of the ruler and the Roman cult of the emperor theos becomes a designation of office. The word is used increasingly in the world of religious philosophy to denote impersonal metaphysical powers and forces. To the Greek athanatos is synonymous with theos . The gods are called immortals ( athanatoi , Hom. Iliad, 1, 503; Odyssey 1, 31). This does not mean eternal pre-existence. It means only that they have no end, that they are not subject to death. Moisés Silva writes “The noun θεός is of course very common already in Homer (the etym. of the word remains obscure; for some possibilities, see Frisk 1:662–63). It can be applied specifically to one or more gods and goddesses, and it is often used in a more general sense of the supreme reality (e.g., Homer Il. 13.730; pl. in 24.430; in Plato Leg. 757e the word is used coordinately with ἀγαθὴ τύχη , “calling on God and Good Luck”). The sense of the word can be extended in various ways, e.g., τὸ δʼ ἐτυχεῖν, τόδʼ ἐν βροτοῖς θεός τε καὶ θεοῦ πλέον , “and to be lucky [i.e., successful, prosperous], this is among mortals a god and more than a god” (Aesch. Cho. 59–60). Although θεός is sometimes applied to goddesses, the fem. θεά is normally used. Numerous derivatives and compounds are attested. The common adj. θεῖος (“pertaining to the gods, holy, divine”) is used already by Homer. The term ἄθεος has the sense “godless, impious” (Pindar Pyth. 4.162), but it can be applied also to someone who denies the gods (Plato Apol. 26c). Another

24 Theological Dictionary of the New Testament volume 3, page 68 etym. etymology, etymological(ly) Frisk H. Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch , 3 vols. (1955–72) e.g. exempli gratia (for example) pl. plural e.g. exempli gratia (for example) i.e. id est (that is) Aesch. Aeschylus fem. feminine adj. adjectival

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 15 adj., ἔνθεος , lit., “god-filled,” refers to someone thought to be divinely inspired. Representative compounds are θεόγονος (“born of God” or “divine”), θεομισής (“hated by the gods”), θεοσέβεια G2537 (“reverence for God, piety”; see σέβομαι G4936), θεοφιλής (“loved by the gods, highly favored”), and so forth.”25 Theos occurs in the LXX with few exceptions as a translation for the Hebrew words ` Elohim and Yahweh (Yahweh, Lord God). This latter is the personal name of God, the name under which He revealed Himself as the God of Israel (Exodus 3:13-15). Elohim and Yahweh are rarely translated by kurios or other terms. `Elohim describes God and is the plural of ` eloahh , but it usually takes its verb in the singular when used of the true God. When it is in reference to the Lord the plural form has no effect upon the reality that God is one (monotheism). ` Elohim , derived from ` el, is one of the oldest terms for God, and it is found in all the Semitic languages. In the OT ` el serves both as a common name and as a proper name for the God of Israel (Num. 23:8; Psa. 16:1 [LXX 15:1]; Isa. 40:18; etc.). The Greek theos as well as the Hebrew ` el were also used by polytheists. They are in fact used so in the Scripture both of the true God ( theos ) and of foreign gods ( theoi ). The term theos is actually a title and not the personal name for God. Moisés Silva writes “In the LXX the noun θεός occurs almost 4000×, esp. in Psalms (c. 460×), Deuteronomy (c. 440×), and Genesis (c. 280×). In almost 3000× instances it renders Heb. H466, a pl. form with sg. meaning that functions both as a title (it is often used with the def. art.) and as a personal name. In many H468 (prob. the sg. form of , e.g. Job 3:4 [and לוֹהַּ instances it stands for .V H446, a more generic term (e.g., Num 12:13; cf ֵל freq. in this book]); for H3378, usually ו ,H10033, Ezra 4:24 et al.); for the Tetragrammaton לָהּ .Aram vocalized Yahweh, the covenant name of Israel’s God (e.g., Gen 8:20; see

adj. adjectival lit. literal(ly), literature 25 Silva, M. (Ed.). (2014). New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Second Edition, Vol. 2, p. 433). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. LXX Septuagint esp. especially c. circa (about, around) c. circa (about, around) c. circa (about, around) Heb. Hebrew pl. plural sg. singular def. art. definite article prob. probable, probably sg. singular e.g. exempli gratia (for example) freq. frequent(ly) e.g. exempli gratia (for example) cf. confer (compare) Aram. Aramaic et al. et alii (and others) e.g. exempli gratia (for example)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 16 discussion s.v. κύριος G3261); and occasionally for other terms. The adj. θεῖος occurs over 30×, but only 5× in the canonical books (e.g., for in Exod 31:3; 35:31; fully 24× of the occurrences are found in 4 Maccabees). The derived noun θειότης , attested only once or twice prior to the LXX, occurs in Wis 18:9 ( ὁ τῆς θειότητος νόμος , “the law of divinity,” i.e., the divine law). Several compounds occur once each (e.g., θεομαχέω , “to fight God,” 2 Macc 7:19). 2 The root ’l is common to the Semitic languages (e.g., Akk. ilu , Ugar. ’il ). It occurs as a common generic noun (“god”) and also as the proper name for a partic. god. For the is clearly not the highest god in a pantheon, but the only God, whom ֵל ,patriarchs they honored on the basis of his revelation. The term occurs often as part of a double name, such as El Elyon (“God Most High,” Gen 14:18–22), El Shaddai (traditionally rendered “God Almighty,” 17:1), El ‘Olam (“Eternal God,” 21:33), etc. (On these titles see A. Alt, “The God of the Fathers,” in id., Essays on Old is ֵל Testament History and Religion [1966], 3–66, esp. 8ff.) Since the pl. of a rare form, Job 41:17 et al.), the term is most likely the pl. of) ֵל properly do not have a common etym.). In any לוֹהַּ and ֵל moreover, it appears that) לוֹהַּ case, , which seldom occurs in the OT as a true pl. (“gods”), no doubt connotes some kind of intensification, poss. indicating fullness or majesty. Although in a few isolated cases a single heathen god is designated with this pl. form (e.g., Judg 11:24; 1 Kgs 11:5; 2 Kgs 1:2), for the Israelites functioned as a name for the true God. 3 Many scholars argue that a doctrine of absolute monotheism developed only gradually as a result of belief in the superiority of Israel’s God over all other gods. Some argue specifically that the doctrine was first given full expression in Isa 40:25 (influential discussions incl. H. H. Rowley, The Re-Discovery of the Old Testament [1945], 77–93; G. E. Wright, The Old Testament against Its Environment [1950], 9–41). The God of Israel is the Lord of s.v. sub verbo (under the word) adj. adjectival e.g. exempli gratia (for example) LXX Septuagint i.e. id est (that is) e.g. exempli gratia (for example) e.g. exempli gratia (for example) Akk. Akkadian Ugar. Ugaritic partic. particular(ly) id. idem (the same [author]) esp. especially ff. and following pl. plural et al. et alii (and others) pl. plural etym. etymology, etymological(ly) OT Old Testament pl. plural poss. possible, possibly pl. plural e.g. exempli gratia (for example) incl. include(d)/including

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 17 all, whose sovereign power fills all the earth (6:3). There are no gods apart from Yahweh (41:4; 42:8; 43:10–13; 45:3, 6; 48:11). But was this really a new development? It is true that some statements in the OT seem to suggest the existence of other gods, as when Moses and the Israelites sang, ‘Who among the gods is like you, LORD ?’ (Exod 15:11). One needs to keep in mind, however, that this kind of language may simply reflect social convention. Even today, a preacher may quote those words with great conviction as a powerful way of affirming God’s greatness, without implying that indeed other gods truly exist. It is of course likely that some, perhaps many, Israelites assumed that the Canaanite gods were real, and one should hardly be surprised to notice cultural traits reflected in the language of the bib. writers. But there is little reason to infer that these writers themselves shared such an assumption (after all, if we hear someone say, ‘The sun rose this morning at 6:30,’ we do not automatically infer that the person holds to a geocentric view of the solar system). In any case, the OT gives no all-embracing definition of the concept of God. It does, however, contain an extensive range of statements that testify to the being of God and have their basis in the divine revelation. Nor is there in the OT any suggestion of theogony. Instead, God is viewed as the first and the last (Isa 41:4; 44:6; 48:12), the fountain of life (Ps 36:9 [35:10]), the Creator of heaven and earth (Gen 1:1; 2:4; et al.). He is the Lord who guides the destinies of the nations, but who has made Israel a people for his own possession (Exod 19:5–6). Israel stands, therefore, under his special protection. Yahweh not only leads, guides, and gives Israel his promises; he also imposes his judgments when he goes his own way. God is the commanding and demanding God who makes his will known and demands obedience. The history of Israel is the history of God with this people. Thus Israel’s belief in God is founded on a theology of history. The OT expresses a conception of God as personal: Israel’s God is capable of experiencing love, anger, and other emotions that a person can have. But even if human characteristics can be attributed to him, he cannot be compared with any human being (Hos 11:9). The transcendent God who dwells in light, where no one can approach, is exalted above time and space and is therefore unique in his Godhead, not to be portrayed or localized (cf. Exod 20:4). He is the eternal king (Isa 52:7) who rules over all the kingdoms of the world (Isa 37:16). The most fundamental feature of God’s being is expressed by the word “holy” (see ἅγιος G41). In the OT this has become the characteristic attribute of God. He is the

OT Old Testament bib. biblical OT Old Testament OT Old Testament et al. et alii (and others) OT Old Testament cf. confer (compare) OT Old Testament

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 18 Holy One (Isa 40:25; Hab 3:3; Hos 11:9). But the holy, transcendent God steps out of his concealment through his word and his acts of revelation, and he repeatedly communicates with his people in demonstrations of power and glory. The holy God is just in all that he does (cf. Ps 7:11 [7:12]). He is the Judge who condemns unrighteousness and to whom humans must answer. But the OT also testifies to his grace and mercy (e.g., Exod 34:6; Ps 103:8 [102:8]). He comforts the righteous, blesses them, and helps them in their need (Ps 45:7 [44:8]; 94:22 [93:22]). Thus a personal relationship is created between God and his people so that individual believers can turn to him in prayer in all their needs. God can even be described as the Father of the people of Israel (Exod 4:22–23; Deut 32:6; Isa 63:16; Jer 31:9 [38:9]; Hos 11:1). To be sure, a full knowledge of the divine grace and love that embraces the whole world is arrived at only through the revelation of the new covenant. Nevertheless, the OT testifies to the fact that God forgives transgressions and sins (Exod 34:6–7). He has mercy on his people in everlasting grace (Isa 54:8), and in partic. takes up the cause of the poor and needy, and widows and orphans (Ps 146:9 [145:9]; Isa 49:13). Therefore, even in the OT God is not just a dreaded enemy of unholy human beings; he also makes it poss. for them both to trust and to love him, because he himself loves his chosen people.”26 The noun theos as would be expected appears numerous times in the Greek New Testament, which rests firmly on the foundation of the Old Testament, when it speaks about God, but its emphases are new. It is the same God who reveals Himself in the New Testament as in the Old Testament, and whose plan of salvation, there promised, comes to fulfillment in the New Testament. Louw and Nida lists the following New Testament meanings (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, volume 2): (1) The one supreme supernatural being as creator and sustainer of the universe – ‘God’ 27 (2) Any one of many different supernatural beings regarded as having authority or control over some aspect of the universe or human activity – ‘god’ 28 (3) A female deity – ‘goddess’29 . BDAG list the following meanings for theos : ① In the Gr-Rom. world the term θεός primarily refers to a transcendent being who exercises extraordinary cf. confer (compare) OT Old Testament e.g. exempli gratia (for example) OT Old Testament partic. particular(ly) OT Old Testament poss. possible, possibly 26 Silva, M. (Ed.). (2014). New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Second Edition, Vol. 2, pp. 434–436). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 27 page 137 28 page 143 29 page 144 Gr-Rom. Gr-Rom. = Greco-Roman (gener. in contrast to Israelite/Christian tradition)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 19 control in human affairs or is responsible for bestowal of unusual benefits, deity, god, goddess (s. on θεά ) Ac 28:6 ; 2 Th 2:4 (cp. SibOr 5, 34 ἰσάζων θεῷ αὐτόν ; Ar. 4, 1 οὐκ εἰσὶ θεοί ; Tat. 10, 1 θεὸς … κύκνος γίνεται …; Ath. 18, 3 θεός τις δισώματος ); θεὸς Ῥαιφάν Ac 7:43 (Am 5:26; s. entry Ῥαιφάν ). οὐδεὶς θεὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς there is no god but one 1 Cor 8:4 (cp. AcPl Ha 1, 17 restored). θεοῦ φωνὴ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώπου Ac 12:22. —ἡ θεός the (female) god, goddess (Att., later more rarely; Peripl. Eryth. c. 58; Lucian, Dial. Deor. 17, 2; SIG 695, 28; ins, one of which refers to Artemis, in Hauser p. 81f; Jos., Ant. 9, 19; Ar. 11, 2 [Artemis]; Ath. 29, 2 [Ino]) Ac 19:37. —Pl. Ac 7:40 (Ex 32:1). Cp. 14:11 ; 19:26 ; PtK 2 p. 14, 21. εἴπερ εἰσὶν λεγόμενοι θεοί even if there are so-called gods 1 Cor 8:5a ; s. vs. 5b (on θεοὶ πολλοί cp. Jos., Ant. 4, 149.—Maximus Tyr. 11, 5a: θ. πολλοί w. εἷς θ. πατήρ ). οἱ φύσει μὴ ὄντες θεοί those who by nature are not really gods Gal 4:8b (cp. Ar. 4, 2 μὴ εἶναι τὸν οὐρανὸν θεόν al.). θεοὶ … λίθινοι etc. AcPl Ha 1, 18 (cp. JosAs 10:13 τοὺς χρυσοῦς καὶ ἀργυροῦς). Of the devil μὴ ὢν θεός AcPlCor 2:15. ② Some writings in our lit. use the word θ. w. ref. to Christ (without necessarily equating Christ with the Father, and therefore in harmony w. the Shema of Israel Dt 6:4; cp. Mk 10:18 and 4a below), though the interpretation of some of the pass. is in debate. In Mosaic and Gr-Rom. traditions the fundamental semantic component in the understanding of deity is the factor of performance, namely cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts SibOr SibOr = Oracula Sibyllina, II–III A.D.—List 5 Ar. Ar. = Aristides, apologist, II A.D.—List 5 Tat Tat , II A.D.—List 5 Ath. Ath. = Athenagoras, II A.D.—List 5 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts AcPl Ha AcPl Ha = Acts of Paul, PHamb—List 1 Att. Att. = Attic, esp. in ref. to dialect Lucian Lucian , II A.D.—List 5 SIG SIG = Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum 3; superscript omitted in text—List 3 ins Ins, ins = Inscription, Inschrift, inscription(s). Without a period, esp. in lists, as at the beginning of entries; the capitalized form is used in titles. In conjunction with literary works this abbr. refers to the title or description of contents. Hauser Hauser = KH., Grammatik der griechischen Inschriften Lykiens—List 3 Jos. Jos. = Josephus. This abbr. used when follow by title; I A.D.—Lists 5 Ar. Ar. = Aristides, apologist, II A.D.—List 5 Ath. Ath. = Athenagoras, II A.D.—List 5 PtK PtK = Petruskerygma (Preaching of Peter)—List 1 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts Jos. Jos. = Josephus. This abbr. used when follow by title; I A.D.—Lists 5 Maximus Tyr Maximus Tyr , II A.D.—List 5 w. w. = with cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts Ar. Ar. = Aristides, apologist, II A.D.—List 5 al. al. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others) AcPl Ha AcPl Ha = Acts of Paul, PHamb—List 1 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts JosAs JosAs = Joseph and Aseneth—Lists 2, 5 AcPlCor AcPlCor = Acts of Paul: correspondence with Corinthians (a.k.a. Third Corinthians), text according to PBodmer X—List 1 lit. lit. = literal(ly); literature (refererences to [scholarly] literature) w. w. = with ref. ref. = reference(s) w. w. = with cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts pass. pass. = passive (either of grammatical form or of passive experience); also used in reference to literary portion=passage Gr-Rom. Gr-Rom. = Greco-Roman (gener. in contrast to Israelite/Christian tradition)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 20 saviorhood or extraordinary contributions to one’s society. Dg. 10:6 defines the ancient perspective: ὃς ἃ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ λάβων ἔχει , ταῦτα τοῖς ἐπιδεομένοις χορηγῶν, θεὸς γίνεται τῶν λαμβανάντων one who ministers to the needy what one has received from God proves to be a god to the recipients (cp. Sb III, 6263, 27f of a mother). Such understanding led to the extension of the mng. of θ. to pers. who elicit special reverence (cp. pass. under 4 below; a similar development can be observed in the use of σέβομαι and cognates). In Ro 9:5 the interpr. is complicated by demand of punctuation marks in printed texts. If a period is placed before ὁ ὢν κτλ ., the doxology refers to God as defined in Israel (so EAbbot, JBL 1, 1881, 81– 154; 3, 1883, 90–112; RLipsius; HHoltzmann, Ntl. Theol. 2 II 1911, 99f; EGünther, StKr 73, 1900, 636–44; FBurkitt, JTS 5, 1904, 451–55; Jülicher; PFeine, Theol. d. NTs 6 ’34, 176 et al.; RSV text; NRSV mg.). A special consideration in favor of this interpretation is the status assigned to Christ in 1 Cor 15:25–28 and the probability that Paul is not likely to have violated the injunction in Dt 5:7.—If a comma is used in the same place, the reference is to Christ (so BWeiss; EBröse, NKZ 10, 1899, 645–57 et al.; NRSV text; RSV mg. S. also εἰμί 1.—Undecided: THaering.—The transposition by the Socinian scholar JSchlichting [died 1661] ὧν ὁ=‘to whom belongs’ was revived by JWeiss, D. Urchristentum 1917, 363; WWrede, Pls 1905, 82; CStrömman, ZNW 8, 1907, 319f). In 2 Pt 1:1 ; 1J 5:20 the interpretation is open to question (but cp. ISmyrna McCabe .0010, 100 ὁ θεὸς καὶ σωτὴρ Ἀντίοχος ). In any event, θ. certainly refers to Christ, as one who manifests primary characteristics of deity, in the foll. NT pass.: J 1:1b (w. ὁ θεός 1:1a, which refers to God in the monotheistic context of Israel’s tradition. On the problem raised by such attribution s. J 10:34 [cp. Ex 7:1; Ps 81:6]; on θεός w. and without

Dg Dg = Letter of Diognetus, attributed to an unidentifiable apologist; II A.D.—List 1 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts Sb Sb = Sammelbuch griechischer Urkunden aus Aegypten—Lists 3, 4 mng. mng. = meaning(s) pers. pers. = person(s) cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts pass. pass. = passive (either of grammatical form or of passive experience); also used in reference to literary portion=passage interpr. interpr. = interpreted, interpretation JBL JBL = Journal of Biblical Literature—List 6 StKr StKr = Theologische Studien und Kritiken—List 6 JTS JTS = Journal of Theological Studies—List 6 et al. et al. = et alii (and others) RSV RSV = The Revised Standard Version of the NT—List 6 NRSV NRSV = New Revised Standard Version of the NT—List 6 NKZ NKZ = Neue Kirchliche Zeitschrift—List 6 et al. et al. = et alii (and others) NRSV NRSV = New Revised Standard Version of the NT—List 6 RSV RSV = The Revised Standard Version of the NT—List 6 ZNW ZNW = Zeitschrift für die ntl. Wissenschaft—List 6 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts foll. foll. = followed, following NT NT = New Testament pass. pass. = passive (either of grammatical form or of passive experience); also used in reference to literary portion=passage w. w. = with cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts w. w. = with

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 21 the article, acc. to whether it means God or the Logos, s. Philo, Somn. 1, 229f; JGriffiths, ET 62, ’50/51, 314–16; BMetzger, ET 63, ’51/52, 125f), 18b. ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου my Lord and my God! (nom. w. art.=voc.; s. beg. of this entry.—On a resurrection as proof of divinity cp. Diog. L. 8, 41, who quotes Hermippus: Pythagoras returns from a journey to Hades and appears among his followers [ εἰσέρχεσθαι εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ], and they consider him θεῖόν τινα ) J 20:28 (on the combination of κύριος and θεός s. 3c below). Tit 2:13 (μέγας θ.). Hb 1:8, 9 (in a quot. fr. Ps 44:7, ). S. TGlasson, NTS 12, ’66, 270–72. Jd 5 P72 . But above all Ignatius calls Christ θεός in many pass.: θεὸς Ἰησοῦς Χριστός ITr 7:1; Χριστὸς θεός ISm 10:1. ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν IEph ins; 15:3; 18:2; IRo ins (twice); 3:3; IPol 8:3; τὸ πάθος τοῦ θεοῦ μου IRo 6:3. ἐν αἵματι θεοῦ IEph 1:1. ἐν σαρκὶ γενόμενος θεός 7:2. θεὸς ἀνθρωπίνως φανερούμενος 19:3. θεὸς ὁ οὕτως ὑμᾶς σοφίσας ISm 1:1.—Hdb. exc. 193f; MRackl, Die Christologie d. hl. Ign. v. Ant. 1914. ὁ θεός μου Χριστὲ Ἰησοῦ AcPl Ha 3, 10; Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς ὁ θ[εός ] 6, 24; cp. ln. 34 (also cp. Just., A I, 63, 15, D. 63, 5 al.; Tat. 13, 3; Ath. 24, 1; Mel., P. 4, 28

acc. to acc. to = according to Philo Philo = P. of Alexandria, I B.C.–I A.D.—List 5 ET ET = Expository Times—List 6 ET ET = Expository Times—List 6 w. w. = with art. art. = article voc. voc. = vocative beg. beg. = beginning cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts Diog. L. Diog. L. = Diogenes Laertius, III A.D.—List 5 quot. quot. = quotation fr. fr. = from NTS NTS = New Testament Studies—List 6 pass. pass. = passive (either of grammatical form or of passive experience); also used in reference to literary portion=passage ITr ITr = Ignatius to the Trallians—List 1 ISm ISm = Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, I–II A.D.—List 1 IEph IEph = Ignatius to the Ephesians—List 1 ins Ins, ins = Inscription, Inschrift, inscription(s). Without a period, esp. in lists, as at the beginning of entries; the capitalized form is used in titles. In conjunction with literary works this abbr. refers to the title or description of contents. IRo IRo = Ignatius to the Romans—List 1 ins Ins, ins = Inscription, Inschrift, inscription(s). Without a period, esp. in lists, as at the beginning of entries; the capitalized form is used in titles. In conjunction with literary works this abbr. refers to the title or description of contents. IPol IPol = Ignatius to Polycarp—List 1 IRo IRo = Ignatius to the Romans—List 1 IEph IEph = Ignatius to the Ephesians—List 1 ISm ISm = Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, I–II A.D.—List 1 Hdb. Hdb. = Handbuch (in connection with a specific NT book, the ref. is to a commentary in the series Handbuch zum Neuen Testament, founded by HLietzmann)—List 6 exc. exc. = except Ign. Ign. = Ignatius; always simply I. when cited with one of his epistles AcPl Ha AcPl Ha = Acts of Paul, PHamb—List 1 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts ln. ln. = line cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5 D D = Didache, except that in a list of manuscripts or as textual variant D refers to Codex Bezae—List 1 al. al. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others) Tat Tat , II A.D.—List 5 Ath. Ath. = Athenagoras, II A.D.—List 5 Mel. Mel. = Melito of Sardis, II A.D.—List 5

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 22 al.).—SLösch, Deitas Jesu u. antike Apotheose ’33. Cp. AWlosk, Römischer Kaiserkult ’78. ③ God in Israelite/Christian monotheistic perspective, God the predom. use, somet. with, somet. without the art. ⓐ ὁ θεός Mt 1:23 ; 3:9 ; 5:8, 34 ; Mk 2:12 ; 10:18 ; 13:19 (cp. TestJob 37:4); Lk 2:13 ; J 3:2b ; Ac 2:22b ; Gal 2:6 al. With prep. εἰς τὸν θ. Ac 24:15. ἐκ τοῦ θ. J 8:42b, 47 ; 1J 3:9f ; 4:1ff, 6f ; 5:1, 4 ; 2 Cor 3:5 ; 5:18 al.; ἐν τῷ θ. Ro 5:11 ; Col 3:3 (Ath. 21, 1). ἔναντι τοῦ θ. Lk 1:8 ; ἐπὶ τὸν θ. Ac 15:19 ; 26:18, 20 (Just., D. 101, 1); ἐπὶ τῷ θ. Lk 1:47 (Just., D. 8, 2); παρὰ τοῦ θ. J 8:40 (Ar. 4, 2; Just., A I, 33, 6 al.; without art. Just., D. 69, 6 al.). παρὰ τῷ θ. Ro 2:13 ; 9:14 (Just., A I, 28, 3; Tat. 7, 1; Ath. 31, 2 al.); πρὸς τὸν θ. J 1:2 ; Ac 24:16 ; AcPl Ha 3, 8 (Just., D. 39, 1 al.; Mel., HE 4, 26, 13 al.); τὰ πρὸς τὸν θ. Hb 2:17 ; 5:1 ; Ro 15:17 is acc. of respect: with respect to one’s relation to God or the things pert. to God, in God’s cause (s. B-D-F §160; Rob. 486. For τὰ πρὸς τ. θ. s. Soph., Phil. 1441; X., De Rep. Lac. 13, 11; Aristot., Pol. 1314b, 39; Lucian, Pro Imag. 8; Mitt-Wilck. I/2, 109, 3 [III B.C.] εὐσεβὴς τὰ πρὸς θεούς ; Ex 4:16;

al. al. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others) Israelite/Christian Israelite/Christian = Israelite or Christian or both in contrast to Gr-Rom predom. predom. = predominant(ly) somet. somet. = sometimes somet. somet. = sometimes art. art. = article cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts TestJob TestJob = Testament of Job—List 2 al. al. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others) prep. prep. = preposition(al) al. al. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others) Ath. Ath. = Athenagoras, II A.D.—List 5 Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5 D D = Didache, except that in a list of manuscripts or as textual variant D refers to Codex Bezae—List 1 Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5 D D = Didache, except that in a list of manuscripts or as textual variant D refers to Codex Bezae—List 1 Ar. Ar. = Aristides, apologist, II A.D.—List 5 Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5 al. al. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others) art. art. = article Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5 D D = Didache, except that in a list of manuscripts or as textual variant D refers to Codex Bezae—List 1 al. al. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others) Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5 Tat Tat , II A.D.—List 5 Ath. Ath. = Athenagoras, II A.D.—List 5 al. al. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others) AcPl Ha AcPl Ha = Acts of Paul, PHamb—List 1 Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5 D D = Didache, except that in a list of manuscripts or as textual variant D refers to Codex Bezae—List 1 al. al. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others) Mel. Mel. = Melito of Sardis, II A.D.—List 5 al. al. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others) acc. acc. = accusative pert. pert. = pertaining (to) B-D-F B-D-F = FBlass, ADebrunner, RFunk, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature—List 6 Rob. Rob. = ATRobertson, A Grammar of the Greek NT in the Light of Historical Research—List 6 Soph Soph , V B.C.—List 5 X. X. = Xenophon, V–IV B.C.—List 5 Aristot Aristot , various works, IV B.C.—List 5 Pol Pol = Polycarp to the Philippians—List 1 Lucian Lucian , II A.D.—List 5 Mitt-Wilck. Mitt-Wilck. = LMitteis/UWilcken, Grundzüge und Chrestomathie der Papyruskunde—Lists 4, 6

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 23 18:19; Jos., Ant. 9, 236 εὐσεβὴς τὰ πρὸς τ. θεόν ). τὰ πρὸς τ[ὸν] θεὸν ἐτήρουσαν , when they were observant of matters pert. to God AcPl Ha 8, 13 (= τα π̣ρος θ̣̄ν̄| ἐτήρουσαν Ox 1602, 10f=BMM recto 16 restored after the preceding). ⓑ without the art. Mt 6:24 ; Lk 2:14 ; 20:38 ; J 1:18a ; Ro 8:8, 33b ; 2 Cor 1:21 ; 5:19 ; Gal 2:19 ; 4:8f ; 2 Th 1:8 ; Tit 1:16 ; 3:8 ; Hb 3:4 ; AcPl Ha 8, 20=BMM recto 25 (s. also HSanders’ rev. of Ox 1602, 26, in HTR 31, ’38, 79, n. 2, Ghent 62 verso, 6); AcPlCor 1:15; 2:19, 26. W. prep. ἀπὸ θεοῦ J 3:2a ; 16:30 (Just., A II, 13, 4 τὸν … ἀπὸ ἀγεννήτου … θεοῦ λόγον ). εἰς θεόν IPhld 1:2. ἐκ θεοῦ (Pind., O. 11, 10, P. 1, 41; Jos., Ant. 2, 164; Just., A I, 22, 2; Mel., P. 55, 404) Ac 5:39 ; 2 Cor 5:1 ; Phil 3:9. ἐν θεῷ J 8:21 ; Ro 2:17 ; Jd 1 ; AcPl Ha 1, 15; 2, 35. ἐπὶ θεόν AcPl Ha 2, 29 (cp. πρὸς θεόν Just., D. 138, 2). κατὰ θεόν acc. to God’s will (Appian, Iber. 19 §73; 23 §88; 26 §101, Liby. 6 §25, Bell. Civ. 4, 86 §364) Ro 8:27 ; 2 Cor 7:9ff ; IEph 2:1. ἡ κατὰ θ. ἀγάπη godly love IMg 1:1; cp. 13:1; ITr 1:2. παρὰ θεῷ (Jos., Bell. 1, 635) Mt 19:26 ; Lk 2:52. ⓒ w. gen. foll. or w. ἴδιος to denote a special relationship: ὁ θ. Ἀβραάμ Mt 22:32 ; Mk 12:26 ; Lk 20:37 ; Ac 3:13 ; 7:32 (all Ex 3:6). ὁ θ. ( τοῦ) Ἰσραήλ (Ezk 44:2; JosAs 7:5) Mt 15:31 ; Lk 1:68 ; cp. Ac 13:17 ; 2 Cor 6:16 ; Hb 11:16. ὁ θ. μου Ro 1:8 ; 1 Cor 1:4 ; 2 Cor 12:21 ; Phil 1:3 ; 4:19 ; Phlm 4. OT κύριος ὁ θ. σου ( ἡμῶν, ὑμῶν, αὐτῶν) Mt 4:7 (Dt 6:16); 22:37 (Dt

Jos. Jos. = Josephus. This abbr. used when follow by title; I A.D.—Lists 5 pert. pert. = pertaining (to) AcPl Ha AcPl Ha = Acts of Paul, PHamb—List 1 Ox Ox = POxy, but refers to fragments of documents esp. relating to the lexical data base—List 1 art. art. = article AcPl Ha AcPl Ha = Acts of Paul, PHamb—List 1 rev. rev. = review Ox Ox = POxy, but refers to fragments of documents esp. relating to the lexical data base—List 1 HTR HTR = Harvard Theological Review—List 6 AcPlCor AcPlCor = Acts of Paul: correspondence with Corinthians (a.k.a. Third Corinthians), text according to PBodmer X—List 1 prep. prep. = preposition(al) Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5 IPhld IPhld = Ignatius to the Philadelphians—List 1 Pind Pind , V B.C.—List 5 Jos. Jos. = Josephus. This abbr. used when follow by title; I A.D.—Lists 5 Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5 Mel. Mel. = Melito of Sardis, II A.D.—List 5 AcPl Ha AcPl Ha = Acts of Paul, PHamb—List 1 AcPl Ha AcPl Ha = Acts of Paul, PHamb—List 1 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5 D D = Didache, except that in a list of manuscripts or as textual variant D refers to Codex Bezae—List 1 acc. to acc. to = according to Appian Appian , I–II A.D.—List 5 IEph IEph = Ignatius to the Ephesians—List 1 IMg IMg = Ignatius to the Magnesians—List 1 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts ITr ITr = Ignatius to the Trallians—List 1 Jos. Jos. = Josephus. This abbr. used when follow by title; I A.D.—Lists 5 w. w. = with gen. gen. = genitive foll. foll. = followed, following w. w. = with JosAs JosAs = Joseph and Aseneth—Lists 2, 5 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts OT OT = Old Testament

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 24 6:5); Mk 12:29 (Dt 6:4); Lk 1:16 ; 4:8 (Dt 6:13); 10:27 (Dt 6:5); Ac 2:39. ὁ κύριος καὶ ὁ θ. ἡμῶν Rv 4:11 (Just., D. 12, 3; the combination of κύριος and θεός is freq. in the OT: 2 Km 7:28; 3 Km 18:39; Jer 38:18; Zech 13:9; Ps 29:3; 34:23; 85:15; 87:2; TestAbr A 3 p. 79, 19 [Stone p. 6]; JosAs 3:4; 12:2 κύριε ὁ θ. τῶν αἰώνων . But s. also Epict. 2, 16, 13 κύριε ὁ θεός [GBreithaupt, Her. 62, 1927, 253–55], Herm. Wr.: Cat. Cod. Astr. VIII/2, p. 172, 6 κύριε ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, the PGM ref. at the beg. of this entry, and the sacral uses τ. θεῷ κ. κυρίῳ Σοκνοπαίῳ [OGI 655, 3f—24 B.C.]; PTebt 284, 6; τῷ κυρίῳ θεῷ Ἀσκληπίῳ [Sb 159, 2]; deo domino Saturno [ins fr. imperial times fr. Thala in the prov. of Africa: BPhW 21, 1901, 475], also Suetonius, Domit. 13 dominus et deus noster [for the formulation s. 4a: PMich 209]; Ar. 15, 10; Just., D. 60, 3 al.) τὸν ἴδιον θ. AcPl Ha 3, 22.—ὁ θ. τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰ. Χ. Eph 1:17. ⓓ used w. πατήρ (s. πατήρ 6a) ὁ θ. καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Ro 15:6 ; 2 Cor 1:3 ; Eph 1:3 ; Col 1:3 ; 1 Pt 1:3. ὁ θ. καὶ πατὴρ ἡμῶν Gal 1:4 ; Phil 4:20 ; 1 Th 1:3 ; 3:11, 13. ὁ θ. καὶ πατήρ 1 Cor 15:24 ; Eph 5:20 ; Js 1:27. θ. πατήρ Phil 2:11 ; 1 Pt 1:2 ; cp. 1 Cor 8:6. ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ro 1:7b ; 1 Cor 1:3 ; 2 Cor 1:2 ; Gal 1:3 ; Eph 1:2 ; Phil 1:2 ; Col 1:2 ; Phlm 3 ; ἀπὸ θ. π. Gal 1:3 v.l.; Eph 6:23 ; 2 Th 1:2 ; 2 Ti 1:2 ; Tit 1:4 ; παρὰ θεοῦ π. 2 Pt 1:17 ; 2J 3. ⓔ w. gen. of what God brings about, in accordance w. the divine nature: ὁ θ. τῆς εἰρήνης Ro 15:33 ; 1 Th 5:23. τῆς ἐλπίδος the God fr. whom hope

Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5 D D = Didache, except that in a list of manuscripts or as textual variant D refers to Codex Bezae—List 1 freq. freq. = frequent(ly) OT OT = Old Testament TestAbr TestAbr = Testament of Abraham, with some interpolations; I B.C./I A.D.—Lists 2, 5 JosAs JosAs = Joseph and Aseneth—Lists 2, 5 Epict Epict , various works, I–II A.D.—List 5 Her Her = Hermes, Zeitschrift für klassische Philologie—List 6 Herm. Wr. Herm. Wr. = Hermetic Writings—List 5 PGM PGM = Papyri Graecae Magicae—List 4 ref. ref. = reference(s) beg. beg. = beginning OGI OGI = Orientis Graeci Inscriptiones Selectae—List 3 PTebt PTebt = The Tebtunis Papyri—List 4 Sb Sb = Sammelbuch griechischer Urkunden aus Aegypten—Lists 3, 4 ins Ins, ins = Inscription, Inschrift, inscription(s). Without a period, esp. in lists, as at the beginning of entries; the capitalized form is used in titles. In conjunction with literary works this abbr. refers to the title or description of contents. fr. fr. = from fr. fr. = from prov. prov. = proverbial(ly) BPhW BPhW = Berliner Philologische Wochenschrift—List 6 PMich PMich = Michigan Papyri—List 4 Ar. Ar. = Aristides, apologist, II A.D.—List 5 Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5 D D = Didache, except that in a list of manuscripts or as textual variant D refers to Codex Bezae—List 1 al. al. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others) AcPl Ha AcPl Ha = Acts of Paul, PHamb—List 1 w. w. = with cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts v.l. v.l. = varia lectio (variant reading) w. w. = with gen. gen. = genitive w. w. = with fr. fr. = from

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 25 comes Ro 15:13. πάσης παρακλήσεως 2 Cor 1:3b. ὁ θ. τῆς ἀγάπης 13:11. ὁ θ. πάσης χάριτος 1 Pt 5:10. In οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἀκαταστασίας ὁ θεός 1 Cor 14:33, θεός is to be supplied before ἀκατ .: for God is not a God of disorder. ⓕ The gen. (τοῦ) θεοῦ is α. subj. gen., extremely freq. depending on words like βασιλεία , δόξα , θέλημα , ἐντολή , εὐαγγέλιον , λόγος , ναός , οἶκος , πνεῦμα , υἱός , υἱοί , τέκνα and many others. Here prob. (s. β) belongs τὸ μωρὸν τ. θ. the (seeming) foolishness of G. 1 Cor 1:25 (s. B-D-F §263, 2). β. obj. gen. ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θ. love for God Lk 11:42 ; J 5:42 ; ἡ προσευχὴ τοῦ θ. prayer to God Lk 6:12. πίστις θεοῦ faith in God Mk 11:22. φόβος θεοῦ fear of, reverence for God Ro 3:18 al. (s. φόβος 2b α) If 1 Cor 1:25 is to be placed here (s. α above), τὸ μωρὸν τ. θ. refers to apostolic allegiance to God, which is viewed by outsiders as folly. γ. τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ the things, ways, thoughts, or secret purposes of God 1 Cor 2:11. φρονεῖν τὰ τ. θ. Mt 16:23 ; Mk 8:33 s. φρονέω 2b ( ἀτιμάζοντας τὰ τοῦ θ. Just., D. 78, 10 al.). ἀποδιδόναι τὰ τ. θ. τῷ θεῷ give God what belongs to God Mt 22:21 ; Mk 12:17 ; Lk 20:25. δ. Almost as a substitute for the adj. divine IMg 6:1f; 15 (cp. Ath. 21, 4 οὐδὲν ἔχων θεοῦ [of Zeus]). ⓖ The dat. τῷ θεῷ (s. B-D-F §188, 2; 192; Rob. 538f; WHavers, Untersuchungen z. Kasussyntax d. indogerm. Sprachen 1911, 162ff) is α. dat. of advantage (cp. e.g. Ath. 26, 3 ὡς ἐπηκόῳ θεῷ) for God 2 Cor 5:13. Perh. (s. β) ὅπλα δυνατὰ τῷ θ. 10:4. The dat. of Ro 6:10f rather expresses the possessor. β. ethical dat. in the sight of God, hence w. superl. force (s. Beginn. IV, 75, on Ac 7:20 ) very: μεγάλοι τῷ θ. B 8:4 (cp. Jon 3:3). ἀστεῖος τῷ θ. Ac 7:20. Perh. (s. α) gen. gen. = genitive subj. subj. = subjunctive; subject gen. gen. = genitive freq. freq. = frequent(ly) prob. prob. = probable, probably B-D-F B-D-F = FBlass, ADebrunner, RFunk, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature—List 6 obj. obj. = object, objective gen. gen. = genitive al. al. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others) Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5 D D = Didache, except that in a list of manuscripts or as textual variant D refers to Codex Bezae—List 1 al. al. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others) adj. adj. = adjective IMg IMg = Ignatius to the Magnesians—List 1 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts Ath. Ath. = Athenagoras, II A.D.—List 5 dat. dat. = dative B-D-F B-D-F = FBlass, ADebrunner, RFunk, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature—List 6 Rob. Rob. = ATRobertson, A Grammar of the Greek NT in the Light of Historical Research—List 6 dat. dat. = dative cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts e.g. e.g. = exempli gratia (for example) Ath. Ath. = Athenagoras, II A.D.—List 5 dat. dat. = dative dat. dat. = dative w. w. = with superl. superl. = superlative Beginn. Beginn. = The Beginnings of Christianity, ed. FJFoakesJackson and KLake—List 6 B B = Barnabas (the Letter of), II A.D., except in series of uncial witnesses, in which case B refers to Codex Vaticanus (s. also Vat.). When the abbrv. B would ambiguous, Vat. is used for the codex.—List 1 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 26 ὅπλα δυνατὰ τ. θ. weapons powerful in the sight of God 2 Cor 10:4. This idea is usu. expressed by ἐνώπιον τοῦ θ. ⓗ ὁ θ. is used as a vocative Mk 15:34 (Ps 21:2. θεός twice at the beginning of the invocation of a prayer: Ael. Dion. θ, 8; Paus. Attic. θ, 7 ‘ θεὸς θεός ’ ταῖς ἀρχαῖς ἐπέλεγον ἐπιφημιζόμενοι ); Lk 18:11 ; Hb 1:8 (Ps 44:7; MHarris, TynBull 36, ’85, 129–62); 10:7 (Ps 39:9); AcPl Ha 3, 10; 5, 12; 31. S. also 2 and 3c and the beg. of this entry. ⓘ θ. τῶν αἰώνων s. αἰών 3 and 4; θ. αἰώνιος s. αἰώνιος 2; θ. ἀληθινός s. ἀληθινός 3b; εἷς ὁ θεός s. εἷς 2b; (ὁ) θ. ( ὁ) ζῶν s. [ ζάω ] 1a ε.—ὁ μόνος θεός the only God (4 Km 19:15, 19; Ps 85:10; Is 37:20; Da 3:45; Philo, Leg. All. 2, 1f; s. Norden, Agn. Th. 145) J 5:44 (some mss. lack τοῦ μόνου ); 1 Ti 1:17. —ὁ μόνος ἀληθινὸς θ. (Demochares: 75 Fgm. 2 p. 135, 7 Jac. [in Athen. 6, 62, 253c] μόνος θ. ἀληθινός ) J 17:3. cp. the sim. combinations w. μόνος θ. Ro 16:27 ; Jd 25. μόνος ὁ θεὸς μένει AcPl Ha 2, 27.—θ. σωτήρ s. σωτήρ 1.—OHoltzmann, D. chr. Gottesglaube, s. Vorgesch. u. Urgesch.1905; EvDobschütz, Rationales u. irrat. Denken über Gott im Urchristent.: StKr 95, 1924, 235–55; RHoffmann, D. Gottesbild Jesu ’34; PAlthaus, D. Bild Gottes b. Pls: ThBl 20, ’41, 81–92; Dodd 3–8; KRahner, Theos im NT: Bijdragen (Maastricht) 11, ’50, 212–36; 12, ’51, 24–52. ④ that which is nontranscendent but considered worthy of special reverence or respect, god (Artem. 2, 69 p. 161, 17: γονεῖς and διδάσκαλοι are like gods; Simplicius in Epict. p. 85, 27 acc. to ancient Roman custom children had to call their parents θεοί ; s. 2 above and note on σέβομαι ). ⓐ of humans θεοί (as ) J 10:34f (Ps 81:6; humans are called θ. in the OT also Ex 7:1; 22:27; cp. Philo, Det. Pot. Insid. 161f, Somn. 1, 229, Mut. Nom. 128, Omn. Prob. Lib. 43, Mos. 1, 158, Decal. 120, Leg. All. 1, 40, Migr. Abr. 84). θ. γίνεται

usu. usu. = usually Ael. Dion. Ael. Dion. = Aelius Dionysius, II A.D.—List 5 Paus Paus , perieg., II A.D.—List 5 AcPl Ha AcPl Ha = Acts of Paul, PHamb—List 1 beg. beg. = beginning Philo Philo = P. of Alexandria, I B.C.–I A.D.—List 5 Norden, Agn. Th. Norden, Agn. Th. = EN., Agnostos Theos—List 6 Demochares Demochares , IV–III B.C.—List 5 Fgm. Fgm. = fragment, fragmentary Jac. Jac. = Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker, ed. FJacoby—Lists 5, 6 Athen Athen , III A.D.—List 5 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts sim. sim. = similarly w. w. = with AcPl Ha AcPl Ha = Acts of Paul, PHamb—List 1 StKr StKr = Theologische Studien und Kritiken—List 6 ThBl ThBl , s. TBl—List 6 Dodd Dodd = CD., The Bible and the Greeks—List 6 NT NT = New Testament Artem Artem , onir., II A.D.—List 5 Simplicius Simplicius , VI A.D.—List 5 Epict Epict , various works, I–II A.D.—List 5 acc. to acc. to = according to OT OT = Old Testament cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts Philo Philo = P. of Alexandria, I B.C.–I A.D.—List 5

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 27 τῶν λαμβανόντων (a benefactor) proves to be a god to recipients Dg 10:6 (cp. Pliny, NH 2, 7, 18; s. 2 above, beg.—Aristot., Pol. 3, 8, 1, 1284a of the superior pers. as a god among humans; Arcesilaus [III B.C.] describes Crates and Polemo as θεοί τινες =‘a kind of gods’ [Diog. L. 4, 22]; Antiphanes says of the iambic poet Philoxenus: θεὸς ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἦν [Athen. 14, 50, 643d]; Diod S 1, 4, 7 and 5, 21, 2 of Caesar; for honors accorded Demetrius, s. IKertész, Bemerkungen zum Kult des Demetrios Poliorketes: Oikumene 2, ’78, 163–75 [lit.]; Dio Chrys. 30 [47], 5 Πυθαγόρας ἐτιμᾶτο ὡς θεός ; Heliod. 4, 7, 8 σωτὴρ κ. θεός , addressed to a physician; BGU 1197, 1 [4 B.C.] a high official, and 1201, 1 [2 B.C.] a priest θεός and κύριος ; PMich 209, 11f [II/III A.D.] οἶδας ἄδελφε , ὅτει οὐ μόνον ὧς ἀδελφόν σε ἔχω , ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς πατέρα κ. κύριον κ. θεόν ; Just., A I, 26, 2 [ Σίμων ] θεὸς ἐνομίσθη καὶ … ὡς θεὸς τετίμηται ; Tat. 3, 2 μὴ θεὸς ὤν [Empedocles]; Ath. 30, 2 Ἀντίνους … ἔτυχε νομίζεσθαι θεός of benefactors in gener. AcJ 27 [Aa II/1, 166, 4]).—JEmerton, JTS 11, ’60, 329–32. ⓑ of the belly (=appetite) as the god of certain people Phil 3:19 (cp. Athen. 3, 97c γάστρων καὶ κοιλιοδαίμων . Also Eupolis Com. [V B.C.] Fgm. 172 K. [in Athen. 3, 100b]; on the use of θ. in ref. to impersonal entities [e.g. Eur., Cyclops 316 of wealth as a god] s. DDD 693f). ⑤ of the devil ὁ θ. τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου 2 Cor 4:4 (s. αἰών 2a and WMüllensiefen, StKr

Dg Dg = Letter of Diognetus, attributed to an unidentifiable apologist; II A.D.—List 1 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts beg. beg. = beginning Aristot Aristot , various works, IV B.C.—List 5 Pol Pol = Polycarp to the Philippians—List 1 pers. pers. = person(s) Crates Crates , letters attributed to the poet-philosopher C.; date uncertain—List 5 Diog. L. Diog. L. = Diogenes Laertius, III A.D.—List 5 Athen Athen , III A.D.—List 5 Diod S Diod S , I B.C.—List 5 lit. lit. = literal(ly); literature (refererences to [scholarly] literature) Dio Chrys Dio Chrys , I–II A.D.—List 5 Heliod Heliod , III? A.D.—List 5 BGU BGU = Aegyptische Urkunden aus den Museen zu Berlin: Griechische Urkunden—List 4 PMich PMich = Michigan Papyri—List 4 Just. Just(in) , II A.D.—List 5 Tat Tat , II A.D.—List 5 Empedocles Empedocles , V B.C.—List 5 Ath. Ath. = Athenagoras, II A.D.—List 5 gener. gener. = generally AcJ AcJ = Acts of John—List 5 Aa Aa = Acta apostolorum apocrypha—List 5 JTS JTS = Journal of Theological Studies—List 6 cp. cp. = compare, freq. in ref. to citation fr. ancient texts Athen Athen , III A.D.—List 5 Eupolis Com Eupolis Com , V B.C.—List 5 Fgm. Fgm. = fragment, fragmentary Athen Athen , III A.D.—List 5 ref. ref. = reference(s) e.g. e.g. = exempli gratia (for example) Eur Eur , V B.C.—List 5 DDD DDD = Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible—List 6 StKr StKr = Theologische Studien und Kritiken—List 6

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 28 95, 1924, 295–99).—668–99. RAC XI 1202–78; XII 81–154; B. 1464. LfgrE s.v. θεός col. 1001 (lit.). Schmidt, Syn. IV 1–21. DELG. M-M. TW. Sv. 30 In 1 Thessalonians 1:1, the noun theos refers to the Father which is indicated by the fact that it is modified by the noun pat ēr, “Father.” The articular construction of this noun theos is monadic which is indicated by the word’s adjunct which we noted is the noun pat ēr, “Father.” In fact, the words are expressing a monadic notion. Therefore, this monadic use of the article is expressing the idea that the member of the Trinity who identifies Himself as the Father is one of a kind. He is in a class by Himself. The Son is not the Father and neither is the Spirit. The noun theos , “God” is the object of the preposition en , which is a marker of close personal association and means, “in union and fellowship with” expressing the idea that the church composed of Thessalonians was “in union with” and “in fellowship with” God the Father. Pat ēr basically denotes a “father” in classical Greek and is used of: (1) Literal father 31 . (2) The patriarch of the family 32 . The word is used in the plural of forefathers and ancestors generally. 33 In a figurative sense the word is used as a title of honor for, or a respectful means of addressing, a venerable old man, 34 and also to indicate spiritual or intellectual fatherhood. Thus a philosopher may be called the “father” of his followers, 35 and in the mystery religions the one who conducts the ceremony of initiation can be described as “father” of the newly initiated. 36 In ordinary Greek use pater means first the father of a family and occasionally the grandfather, who is usually pappos 37 can be called pat ēr,38 also the great- grandfather (Hb. 7:10). This use is possible because pater even in the singular can reach further back and be used for “forefather, progenitor.”

RAC RAC = Reallexikon für Antike u. Christentum—List 6 B. B. = CDBuck, A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms—List 6 LfgrE LfgrE = Lexicon des frühgriechischen Epos—List 6 s.v. s.v. = sub voce (under the word, look up the word) col. col. = column lit. lit. = literal(ly); literature (refererences to [scholarly] literature) Schmidt, Syn. Schmidt, Syn. = JS., Synonymik—List 6 DELG DELG = PChantraine, Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque—List 6 M-M M-M = JMoulton/GMilligan, Vocabulary of Greek Testament—Lists 4, 6 TW TW = Theologisches Wörterbuch zum NT; tr. GBromiley, Theological Dictionary of the NT—List 6 Sv Sv (at the end of entries)=HSieben, Voces—List 6 30 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., pp. 450–452). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 31 Homer, Odyssey, 1, 94 32 Josephus Antiquities 14, 255 33 Homer Iliad 6, 209 34 Homer, Iliad, 24, 362 35 Epictetus, Dissertationes, 3, 22, 81 f. 36 Apuleius, Metamorphoses, 11, 25, 7 37 Josephus Antiquities 7, 180 38 Philo Som. I, 166

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 29 Forefather can then be taken spiritually as the initiator of an occupation, trend, or group, Gn. 4:20 f. pat ēr, then, does not have to denote blood relationship and its projection into the past. The word can also be used of the representative of a stage of life: “the old or honorable man.” He can be called “father” because he reminds us of our physical father, 39 whose contemporary he is, Ps.-Phocylides V, 221, thus pater is a term of respect in addressing the aged and honorable. 40 The word was used of the following: (1) Literal father as head of the house (2) Of Zeus (3) Respectful term for addressing elders (4) Metaphorically of a father, author (5) Title of a grade in the mysteries of Mithras (6) In plural, forefathers, parents, parent-nation (7) Of teachers (8) Of God as Creator (9) In Plato, of good (10) Of the fatherhood of God. Both the concept and standing of the father are part of the patriarchal structure of antiquity and are oriented toward the idea of household, family and dominion. The father is the protector, nourisher, and helper. From the time of Homer the biological father, forefather, and ancestor of a race are called pat ēr,41 though both the teacher in one’s philosophical education 42 and the mystagogue within a cult 43 can be called “father.” As a metaphor pat ēr is used of the king and of God. The use of the name father for God in the religions of the ancient orient and classical Greece and Rome is always based upon mythical ideas of an original act of begetting and the natural, physical descent of all men from God. Thus, the god El of Ugarit is called “father of mankind”, the Babylonian moon-god Sin is “father and begetter of gods and men”, and in Greece Zeus (from Homer onwards) is called “father of men and gods”. In Egypt the Pharaoh is regarded in a special way as the son of God in a physical sense. The name of father expresses above all God’s absolute authority, demanding obedience but at the same time his merciful love, goodness and care. The appropriate attitude of man should be recognition of total and absolute dependence on God and childlike trust and love towards God. The idea of the fatherhood of God is given a philosophical interpretation in Plato and the Stoics. Plato, in his cosmological elaboration of the father idea, emphasizes the creator relationship of God, the “universal father”, to the entire cosmos. 44 According to Stoic teaching, God’s authority as father pervades the cosmos. He is creator, father and sustainer of mankind, who are his children, related to him. 45

39 Homer, Iliad, 24, 503 f. 40 Homer, Odyssey, 7, 28; Iliad 24, 362 41 Iliad, 6, 209 42 Epictectus, Diss. 3, 22, 81 ff. 43 Apuleius Met. 11, 25, 7 44 Tim. 28c, 41a 45 Epictetus, Dissertationes, 1, 9, 7

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 30 In the ancient mystery cults the regeneration and deification of the initiate is seen as an act of begetting by the deity; hence the latter is invoked in prayer as “Father”. The Gnostics describe the supreme God as the father, or first father but yet there is no personal relationship between God and man. The Old Testament uses the word father predominately in a secular sense (1180 times), and occasionally in a religious sense (15 times). Pat ēr is used for the Hebrew term ` ah . As in the case of the Old Testament, so in the literature of ancient Palestinian Judaism, we may note a marked reserve in the use of the word in a religious sense. Not until the literature of Diaspora Judaism do we find more frequent use of the name “Father” in reference to God. God is only rarely recognized as Father in the Old Testament. Physical fatherhood is the gift and command of the Creator (Gn. 1:28). The father is head of the family, his house (cf. Jos. 24:15b), and an authority, which must be respected under all circumstances (Ex. 20:12; 21:15, 17; Prov. 23:22). He is to feed, protect and educate his family. He is the family priest (Ex. 12:3 f.) and teacher (Ex. 12:26 f.; 13:14 ff.; Dt. 6:7, 20 ff.; 32:7, 46; Is. 38:19. The father is responsible for seeing that family life is in accordance with the covenant, and that the children receive doctrinal teaching. Earlier generations of Israel are called “the fathers” (Ps. 22:4; 106:7), as are outstanding men of God of previous ages (Sir. 44:1 ff.), and particularly the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the bearers and mediators of the covenant promises of God (Jos. 24:3; 1 Ch. 29:18). Father is used as a title of honor for a priest (Jdg. 17:10; 18:19), and for a prophet (2 Kg. 6:21; 13:14). It also expresses a spiritual relationship (2 Kg. 2:12). The term was used of the respected scribes. The metaphor of father and child is occasionally applied to the relationship between a teacher of the Torah and his pupil. Pat ēr in the Greek New Testament appears 414 times. It occurs regularly in the normal literal understanding (Lk. 1:59; Mk. 9:24). The plural form of the word also stands as a semi technical term for the ancestors of the Jews (Lk. 6:26; Acts 3:13; 5:30; Rm. 15:8; Heb. 3:9). The range of meaning of pat ēr, father, in the New Testament corresponds to that of ` ab and pat ēr in the Old Testament. In contrast to the Old Testament, which uses the name of Father only very occasionally for God, the number of examples of pater in the religious sense in the New Testament (245 times) far exceeds the number of those in a secular sense (157 times). In the New Testament pat ēr can designate the following: (1) Of the immediate (male) ancestor (2) Forefather, ancestor, progenitor: of Abraham (3) Of spiritual fatherhood (4) An honorary title or a form of respectful address (5) As a designation of the older male members of a church (6) Generation (s) of deceased Christians (7) Visible heroes in the OT (8) The prototype of a group or the founder

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 31 of a class of persons (9) As the originator and ruler (10) A title for the 1st Person of the Trinity (11) Of the devil as father of (unregenerate) Jews (12) Members of the Sanhedrin. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains (volume 2): (1) One’s biological or adoptive male parent – ‘father’ 46 (2) (Always in the plural): biological or legal parents – ‘parents’ 47 (3) A person several preceding generations removed from the reference person – ‘ancestor, forefather’ 48 (4) (A Greek transliteration of an Aramaic word meaning ‘father’): (titles for God, literally ‘father’) one who combines aspects of supernatural authority and care for his people – ‘Father’ 49 (5) A title for a person of high rank – ‘father, the honorable, excellency’ 50 (6) A member of a well-defined socio-religious entity and representing an older age group than the so-called reference person – ‘father, elder’ 51 (7) An archetype anticipating a later reality and suggesting a derivative relationship – ‘archetype, father, spiritual father, mother, spiritual mother’ 52 (8) One who is responsible for having guided another into faith or into a particular pattern of behavior – ‘spiritual father, leader in the faith’ 53 . A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature-Third Edition: (1) the immediate biological ancestor, parent (2) one from whom one is descended and generally at least several generations removed, forefather, ancestor, progenitor, forebear (3) one who provides moral and intellectual upbringing, father (4) a title of respectful address, father (5) revered deceased persons with whom one shares beliefs or traditions, fathers, ancestors (6) the supreme deity, who is responsible for the origin and care of all that exists, Father, Parent. 54 The command to honor father and mother appears throughout the New Testament (Mt. 15:4; Mk. 7:10; Eph. 6:2). The patriarch Abraham was called in Judaism “Father, Abraham.” He was also revered and honored in the Christian church as a model of faith and is used as an example of one who took God at His Word and trusted in His promises (Lk. 16:24, 30; Acts 7:2; Jam. 2:21; cf. Jn. 8:39, 53, 56; Rm. 4; Heb. 11).

46 10.14 47 10.18 48 10.20 49 12.12 50 87.48 51 11.26 52 58.64 53 36.8 54 Pages 787-788

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 32 Abraham acquired the righteousness of God by trusting in God at the moment of justification and after salvation he persevered and trusted in the promises of God even though he failed many times. The noun pater appears primarily in the Greek New Testament in reference to the first Person of the Trinity. The humanity of Christ always addressed God as Abba an intimate term for “ Father .” The Jews never called addressed God as Father thus making our Lord’s ministry totally different and unique from the Pharisees. In 1 Thessalonians 1:1, the noun pat ēr means “Father” referring of course to the first member of the Trinity and is functioning as a dative in simple apposition meaning that the word stands in apposition to the substantive use of the genitive form of the noun theos , “God.” This indicates that both words have the same referent. Thus, pat ēr is giving a different description of God. In relation to Paul, Silvanus, Timothy and the Thessalonian Christian community, God is their Father through faith alone in Christ alone. This word is clarifying for the Thessalonian Christian community who God is in relation to Paul, Timothy and them. Therefore, the noun pat ēr functions as a dative in simple apposition identifying the Father as the member of the Trinity they are all in union with and experiencing fellowship with. Once again, we have the adjunctive use of the conjunction kai which is indicating that in addition to the Father, Paul, Silvanus, Timothy and the Thessalonian Christian community were also in union with and in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. The noun kurios appears 2,088 times in classical literature and was originally an adjective, which meant, “to have power, authority, possessing legal power, lawful, valid, authorized, competent, empowered;” also “important, decisive, principal.” The term first occurs as a noun with a precise sense in the first half of the fourth century B.C. and it began to have two fixed meanings: (1) “lord” as the lawful owner of a slave. (2) the lord of subject peoples, the master of the house, or in the sense of one who “is there for something,” who “is put in charge of certain things” and has them “under him.” It is attested from Pindar on. The word always contains the idea of legality and authority. Kurios is often used beside despotes , which means especially an owner (with overtones of high-handedness). It is the one who can dispose of something or someone, despotes the one who owns something or someone. Later anyone occupying a superior position was referred to quite generally as kurios and addressed as kurie (fem. kuria ). From here it penetrated as a loan word into the Hebrew of the Talmud and Midrash, and also into Aramaic to denote God. It is used as an adjective from the classical to the New Testament period but does not occur as such in the New Testament or later Jewish literature. This must be

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 33 connected with the fact that the Hebrew-Aramaic equivalent for the noun ho kurios has no corresponding adjective. In classical Greek of the early period of kurios was not used as a divine title. Although the term was applied to the gods (e.g. Pindar, Isth. 5, 53; Plato, Leg. 12, 13), there was no general belief in a personal creator god. The gods were not creators and lords of fate, but were like men subject to fate. In effect, gods and men belonged to the same sphere of reality. The Greek of this period did not understand his position as that of a doulos , “slave,” dependent on a god. Nor did he feel himself in any way personally responsible to the gods. Only in so far the gods ruled over particular individual spheres in the world could they be called kurioi . In this respect the situation was different in the East. Kurios is never used of gods or rulers prior to the first century B.C. It is first used of Isis in Egypt and was used for gods, rulers and high government officials. The phrase kurios basileus , Lord and King, is found frequently between 64 and 50 B.C. In 12 B.C. the emperor Augustus was called theos kai kurios , God and Lord, in Egypt. The title was also used of: (1) Upper Egypt Queen Candace, he kuria basilissa , Mistress and Queen. (2) Herod the Great (73-74 B.C.). (3) Agrippa (10 B.C.-A.D. 44). (4) Agrippa II (A.D. 27-100). The Roman emperors Augustus (31B.C.-A.D. 14) and Tiberius (A.D. 14-37), generally rejected the eastern form of monarchy and with it all that was bound up in the title kurios . But Caligula (A.D. 37-41) found the title of kurios attractive. From Nero (A.D. 54-68) on, who was described in an inscription as ho tou pantos kosmou kurios , Lord of all the world, the title kurios occurs more and more frequently. The title kurios was brought into disrepute again by Domitian (A.D. 81- 96), who had himself called in official letters dominus et deus noster , our Lord and God. After Domitian’s death this title was detested along with his memory but nevertheless it prevailed again later. In and of itself the title kurios does not call the emperor god; but when he is worshipped as divine, the title Lord also counts as a divine predicate. Moisés Silva writes “The term κύριος is in the first instance an adj. (prob. derived from the noun κῦρος , “authority”) meaning “having authority or control [over someone or something]” (the word group is attested no later than the 6th cent. BC). As early as Pindar, however, κύριος occurs as a subst. meaning “lord, master” (e.g., Isthm. 5.53: Ζεὺς ὁ πάντων κύριος , “Zeus, the master of all”). The term was often applied to the head of a household (sim. the fem. κυρία , “lady of adj. adjectival prob. probable, probably cent. century BC before Christ subst. substantive, substantival(ly) e.g. exempli gratia (for example) sim. similar(ly)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 34 the house”) and to guardians. Later it could be used more generally of someone occupying a superior position. The derived vb. κυριεύω means “to be lord of, gain control of.” 2 In the early class. period, the gods were not regarded as creators and lords of fate but rather belonged to the same sphere of reality as human beings and thus, like them, were subject to fate (cf. the beginning of Pindar’s Ode to Alcimidas ). Accordingly, Gk. individuals did not view themselves as slaves dependent on a god, nor did they feel themselves in any way personally responsible to the deities. The situation was different in the East. “For the Orientals the gods are the lords of reality. Destiny is in their hands” (W. Foerster in TDNT 3:1048). The gods created humans who were in turn personally answerable to them. They could intervene in the lives of individuals to save, punish, or judge. They also established justice and law, which they communicated, e.g., through the king. Therefore they were often called lords in a way that was not characteristic of native Gk. speakers prior to the Hel. period. Instances of the use of κύριος as a formal title with ref. to gods or rulers do not occur until the 1st cent. BC (cf. TDNT 3:1049). The combined title κύριος βασιλεύς (“Lord-King”) is found freq. between 64 and 50 BC (see βασιλεύς G995). In Egypt the emperor Augustus was called θεὸς καὶ κύριος (“God and Lord”; see BGU 4:1197.15, c. 5 BC). The title κύριος was also used of Herod the Great, Agrippa I, and Agrippa II. Apart from rulers, high officials (e.g., Ptolemaic governors) could also receive this title. In Syria the term κύριος was used of the gods as the transl. of underlying Semitic equivalents, which normally bore a personal suffix and were placed in front of the name of a god (“My/Our Lord X”). The persons using such language were viewed as servants who stood in a personal relationship of responsibility toward the god, who on his part exercised personal authority. Individual gods were worshiped as lords of their cultic communities and of the separate members of the fellowship. The worship of other deities was not excluded, for none of them was visualized or worshiped as fem. feminine vb. verb class. classical cf. confer (compare) Gk. Greek TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament , ed. G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, transl. G. W. Bromiley, 10 vols. (1964–76) e.g. exempli gratia (for example) Gk. Greek Hel. Hellenistic ref. reference cent. century BC before Christ cf. confer (compare) TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament , ed. G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, transl. G. W. Bromiley, 10 vols. (1964–76) freq. frequent(ly) BC before Christ BGU Aegyptische Urkunden aus den Königlichen/Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin, Griechische Urkunden (1895–1937) c. circa (about, around) BC before Christ e.g. exempli gratia (for example) transl. translate(d), translation

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 35 universal lord. (See further TDNT 3:1049–54.) 3 The Roman emperors Augustus (31 BC–AD 14) and Tiberius (AD 14–37), in accordance with Roman feeling for justice, rejected the eastern form of monarchy and with it all that was bound up in the title κύριος . But Caligula (AD 37–41) found the title attractive. And beginning with Nero (AD 54–68), who was described in an inscription as ὁ τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου κύριος (“Lord of all the world,” SIG 814.31), the term occurs with ref. to emperors more and more freq. (one of the oldest instances is Acts 25:26). Domitian (81–96) was viewed as esp. arrogant by using the title dominus et deus noster (“Our Lord and God”) in his official letters (Suetonius Dom. 13.2). The term κύριος as such does not ascribe deity to the emperor; but when he is worshiped as a god, the title counts as a divine predicate. It was against such a religious claim, which demanded so much of the burdened conscience, that the Christians turned and rejected the totalitarian attitudes of the state.”55 Kurios appears 8,293 times in the Septuagint (LXX). The word kurios , ‘lord,’ as a name for God in the LXX is a strict translation only in cases where it is used for adhon . As a rule, however, it is used as a expository equivalent for the divine name Yahweh . It is thus meant to express what the name, or the use of the name, signifies in the original. That it does not altogether succeed in this may be seen at once from the switching of the name to the general concept and also from the fact that in the Bible, as in common usage, kurios cannot be restricted to the one function of being a term for God. The term is also employed for the following Hebrew and Aramaic terms: (1) adhon , “Lord, master (Gen. 33:13 ff., 1 Chron. 21:23, Mal. 1:6). (2) ` el , “God” (Jb. 8:3, 27:11, Is. 40:18). (3) ` elahh , “God” (Dn. 2:18ff., 23, 3:28-Aramaic). (4) `elohim , “God” (Gen. 21:6, 2 Chron. 36:19, Is. 61:10). (5) ` eloahh , “God” (Jb. 5:17, 19:21, 31:6). (6) ba`al , “Be a husband” (Is. 54:5); “owner” (Ex. 21:28, 22:11f.); “archer” (Gen. 49:23). (7) gevir , “Lord” (Gen. 27:29, 37). (8) yahh , “the Lord” (Ps. 68:4 [67:4], 77:11 [76:11], 118:14 [117:14]). (9) Yehwah , “the Lord” (Ex. 12:27 ff., 1 Sm. 3:18 ff., Zep. 2:3). (10) mare , “Lord” (Dn. 2:47-Aramaic). (11) tsur , “Rock” (Is. 17:10). (12) shadday , “Almighty” (Jb. 6:14, 22:3, 31:35). (13) shallit , “the Most High” (Dn. 4:17 [4:14]-Aramaic).

TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament , ed. G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, transl. G. W. Bromiley, 10 vols. (1964–76) BC before Christ AD Anno Domini AD Anno Domini AD Anno Domini AD Anno Domini SIG Sylloge inscriptionum graecarum , ed. W. Dittenberger, 3rd ed., 4 vols. (1915–24) ref. reference freq. frequent(ly) esp. especially 55 Silva, M. (Ed.). (2014). New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Second Edition, Vol. 2, pp. 768–769). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 36 First and foremost, kurios denotes God’s name as is depicted in the sacred Tetragrammaton YHWH. Yahweh is the personal name of God and His most frequent designation in Scripture occurring 5321 times in the Old Testament. In the post-biblical period, reverence for the ineffable name ‘ Yahweh ’ caused it to be supplanted in synagogue reading (but not in writing) with the noun ` adonay , ‘my master,’ or Lord. Next, when medieval Jewish scholars (Masoretes) began to insert vowels to accompany the consonantal Old Testament text, they added to YHWH the Massoretic vowel points for ` adonay ; and the actual writing became impossible YaHoWaH, “Jehovah.” God’s name identifies His nature, so that a request for His ‘name’ is equivalent to asking about His character or reputation or integrity (Ex. 3:13; Hos. 12:5). Critical speculation about the origin and meaning of “ Yahweh ” seems endless but the Bible’s own explanation in Exodus 3:14 is that it represents the simple Qal imperfect of hawa , “to be,’ I am what I am. The precise name Yahweh results when others speak of Him in the third person (jussive), Yahweh “He is.” Moisés Silva writes “In the LXX κύριος occurs well over 8,000×, esp. in Psalms (c. 820×), Jeremiah (c. 605×), and Deuteronomy (c. 560×), almost always as a noun (rarely as an adj., e.g., 1 Macc 8:30). It is used to render a large number יה וה ,of terms (most of them only once or twice), but esp. the tetragrammaton H123, which is the most common Heb. word for אָ דוֹן H3378 (over 6120×), and ‘lord’ (c. 530×). The latter term is often applied to human beings who are perceived to be in a superior social position, incl. fathers, husbands, strangers (as a sign of respect), masters of slaves, prophets, kings. More freq. it is applied to God, H151, which functions as a name (c. 425×; this is a pl. form אֲדֹנָי esp. in the form with what appears to be a 1st-pers. pronoun, but it does not really mean “my lords”). The fem. κυρία occurs 8× (e.g., of Sarah as Hagar’s “mistress,” Gen 16:4, H1485). The vb. κυριεύω is used c. 60× to render a variety of גְּבִ יָרה .for Heb ,9–8

LXX Septuagint esp. especially c. circa (about, around) c. circa (about, around) c. circa (about, around) adj. adjectival e.g. exempli gratia (for example) esp. especially Heb. Hebrew c. circa (about, around) incl. include(d)/including freq. frequent(ly) esp. especially c. circa (about, around) pl. plural pers. person(al) fem. feminine e.g. exempli gratia (for example) Heb. Hebrew

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 37 II H5440 (e.g., 3:16), sometimes with the negative מָשַׁ ל .Heb. terms, esp. the vb sense ‘to lord it over [someone]’ (e.g., 37:8). The compound κατακυριεύω , not attested prior to the LXX, occurs 16× (e.g., 1:28), in some cases with a clearly intensive force (e.g., Num 32:22, “and the land will be subdued [ or conquered]”). The noun κυριεία , ‘authority,’ also unattested prior to the LXX (and used only once or twice subsequently), occurs 8× (incl. 5× in Daniel [Th.], e.g., Dan 11:3–5). 2 The orig. and meaning of the divine name Yahweh has been the subject of considerable discussion. (a) Some scholars derive it from a primitive form Yah, which they regard as an interjection associated with the moon cult (cf. G. R. Driver, “The Original Form of the Name ‘Yahweh’: Evidence and Conclusions,” ZAW 46 [1928]: 7–25, esp. 24; for the view that the interjection goes back to the phrase Ya-huwa , meaning “O he,” cf. M. Buber, Moses [1946], 49–50; S. Mowinckel, “The Name of the God of Moses,” HUCA 32 [1961]: 121–33). But this proposal has been rejected on the grounds that to regard the name as an interjection makes it difficult to account for the religious content and revelatory value that faith has always found in the name (cf. E. Jacob, Theology of the Old Testament , 3rd ed. [1964], 48). It is more likely that the name is connected with the H2118, meaning “to be” (cf. R. de Vaux, “The הָיָה .reflected in the vb , הוי root Revelation of the Divine Name YHWH,” in Proclamation and Presence: Old Testament Essays in Honour of Gwynne Henton Davies , ed. J. I. Durham and J. R. Porter [1970], 48–75, esp. 59–63). (b) The only interpretation of the name Yahweh given in the OT is at the theophany of the burning bush (Exod 3:13–15, attributed to the E source or tradition). ‘But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites vb. verb c. circa (about, around) Heb. Hebrew esp. especially vb. verb e.g. exempli gratia (for example) e.g. exempli gratia (for example) LXX Septuagint e.g. exempli gratia (for example) e.g. exempli gratia (for example) LXX Septuagint incl. include(d)/including Th. Theodotion’s Greek version of the OT e.g. exempli gratia (for example) orig. origin, original(ly) cf. confer (compare) ZAW Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft esp. especially cf. confer (compare) HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual cf. confer (compare) ed. edition(s) vb. verb cf. confer (compare) ed. edited by esp. especially OT Old Testament E east (or Elohistic source)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 38 and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM ”.[ אֶהְ יֶה אֲשֶׁ ר אֶהְ יֶה .Heb] has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the [ אֶהְ יֶה] the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the ,[ יהוה] Israelites, ‘The LORD God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, H2352, ‘memorial’] for all generations’” (NRSV). Some have זֵכֶר ] and this my title speculated that the name Yahweh existed outside Israel prior to Moses, but there is no clear evidence (cf. de Vaux, “Revelation,” 49–56). In any case, this passage appears to give the explanation of a name that was known already but is now specifically identified as that of the saving God of Israel. There has been much which can also be , אֶהְ יֶה אֲשֶׁ ר אֶהְ יֶה debate as to the transl. and meaning of the words rendered, ‘I am what I am’ or ‘I will be what I will be.’ Some have thought that the reply is intentionally evasive, because it is God’s nature to remain hidden, or because to know God’s name might give human beings power over him; but against this is the fact that the name is in fact revealed to Moses in Exod 3:15. Among poss. meanings are the following: ‘I am the eternally existent one’; ‘I am because I am’ (suggesting that there is no cause for God’s existence outside himself); ‘I will be what I intend to be’; ‘I am the one who is’ (i.e., who alone has real existence). (See further J. P. Hyatt, Commentary on Exodus [1971], 75ff.; B. in Exodus 3:14,” in Words and אהיה אשׁר אהיה Albrektson, “On the Syntax of Meanings: Essays Presented to David Winton Thomas , ed. P. R. Ackroyd and B. Lindars [1968], 15–28.) R. de Vaux (“Revelation,” 71) holds that the best rendering of the formula is ‘I am he who exists.’ Although Israel did not work out a metaphysical doctrine of time, this idea is paralleled by numerous other statements about God’s continuing existence (Exod 30:8; Ps 90:1 [LXX 89:1]; 102:26–27 [101:27–28]; Isa 41:4; 48:12; Hab 1:2). Yahweh is the God whom Israel must recognize as the one who truly ‘is.’ This notion is not presented as part of a metaphysic of being (cf. Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae I, Q. 2 art. 3). In the context of Exodus the revelation of the divine name is a proclamation to Israel of the one with whom they have to do. God is calling his people out of Egypt and promises to be with Moses for that purpose (Exod 3:10–12; 4:12, 15, 22–23; 6:2–3;

Heb. Hebrew NRSV New Revised Standard Version cf. confer (compare) transl. translate(d), translation poss. possible, possibly i.e. id est (that is) ff. and following ed. edited by LXX Septuagint cf. confer (compare) art. article

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 39 cf. J. A. Motyer, The Revelation of the Divine Name [1959]). The proclamation of the Decalogue begins with the words: “I am the LORD [Yahweh]” (Exod 20:2; cf. Deut 6:5). The first commandment requires exclusive worship and service (Exod 20:3, cf. v. 5). When Moses sought God’s presence, he was not permitted to see God’s face but nevertheless received the reply: ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD , in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion’ (33:19). The God who thus reveals himself to Moses and to Israel is distinct from the deities of Egypt and Canaan. He remains a mystery, and yet he is graciously active in the history of his people. (c) The compounded II H7372, “army”), traditionally rendered ‘LORD צָבָא name YHWH Sabaoth (from of hosts,’ occurs over 240× (in this construction the LXX often transliterates the second term as σαβαωθ [cf. Rom 9:29 = Isa 1:9; Jas 5:4], but more typically renders it with παντοκράτωρ G4120, ‘Almighty,’ an approach followed by the NIV and other versions; see κράτος G3197). The phrase is absent from the Pentateuch, Joshua, and Judges, but it occurs occasionally in the other historical books and is freq. in the Prophets, esp. Jeremiah (over 79×), Isaiah (almost 60×, incl. almost 50× in chs. 1–31), Zechariah (c. 50×, incl. 44× in chs. 1–8), Malachi (23×), and Haggai (14×). The ‘hosts’ in question have been variously interpreted as the earthly armies of Israel, the armies of the stars, and the celestial armies of spirits and angels. E. Jacob ( Theology of the Old Testament , 55) relates this title to the ark of the covenant, which accompanied the armies of Israel in battle (1 Sam 17:45; 2 Sam 6:2, 18; 7:2, 8, 26–27; 1 Chr 17:7). He notes that it is found most freq. among those prophets for whom Yahweh was above all a warrior God. It is not simply a case of the prophets transferring the hosts from the terrestrial to the celestial plane. The term refers to the totality of forces over which Yahweh rules. But poss. the term also had polemical overtones, directed against the cult of the stars and spirits, claiming by its use that Yahweh also controlled them. (d) The name Yahweh was combined with various terms to form proper names, such as Azariah (Heb. form

cf. confer (compare) cf. confer (compare) cf. confer (compare) v. verse LXX Septuagint cf. confer (compare) NIV New International Version (2011 ed., unless othewisde indicated) freq. frequent(ly) esp. especially incl. include(d)/including chs. chapter(s) c. circa (about, around) incl. include(d)/including chs. chapter(s) freq. frequent(ly) poss. possible, possibly Heb. Hebrew

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 40 H6468, “to help”) and Jonathan ﬠָזַר H6482, “Yahweh has helped,” from ﬠֲזַרְ יָהוּ H5989, “to give”). Possibly נָתַ ן H3387, “Yahweh has given [a child],” from יְהוֹנָתָ ן) either from the , יְהוֹשֻׁﬠַ ) the oldest theophoric name containing Yahweh is Joshua ,H3828 יָשַׁ ע .I H8780, “Yahweh is help [ or salvation],” or from the vb שׁוּﬠַ noun .(I H3800 יֵשׁוּﬠַ Yahweh saves [ or helps]”; postexilic writings use the short form“ M. H. Segal ( The Pentateuch [1967], 4) sees in its early existence evidence that the name Yahweh was known prior to the revelation to Moses. The LXX translators transliterated this name as Ἰησοῦς G2652, which was used by the NT writers; thus the Eng. form Jesus. (e) The name Jehovah in Eng. (and comparable terms in other modern languages) is a hybrid form that prob. arose out of a misunderstanding. Because Jewish tradition does not allow the pronunciation of the name YHWH , in ,H123 אָ דוֹן public reading it is regularly substituted with ’Adon āy, “my Lord” (from “lord”). As a reminder, Heb. copies of the Bible preserve the consonants of YHWH , but insert the vowels of ’Adon āy, thus Yĕhow āh (the first vowel being a shewa, pronounced as a short a or e, depending on the consonant). The LXX reflects the Jewish reluctance to pronounce the divine name and puts the word κύριος , ‘lord,’ יהוה in its place (a few old mss. of the Gk. Bible, instead of using κύριος , insert with paleo-Heb. letters, and some have argued that this was the orig. technique of the translators). Many Eng. versions reflect the LXX practice (as well as that of the NT writers when they quote the OT) by representing YHWH with LORD , but using small capital letters (a sim. custom is followed in other modern-language versions). Because some pre-Christian Gk. mss. of the LXX use the Heb. tetragrammaton itself (or at least represent it with Gk. letters), some scholars have argued that this was in fact what the orig. translators did. There is good reason to believe, however, .with κύριος goes back to the orig. LXX texts (see A יהוה that the representation of vb. verb LXX Septuagint NT New Testament Eng. English Eng. English prob. probable, probably Heb. Hebrew LXX Septuagint mss. manuscript(s) Gk. Greek Heb. Hebrew orig. origin, original(ly) Eng. English LXX Septuagint NT New Testament OT Old Testament sim. similar(ly) Gk. Greek mss. manuscript(s) LXX Septuagint Heb. Hebrew Gk. Greek orig. origin, original(ly) orig. origin, original(ly) LXX Septuagint

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 41 Pietersma, “Kyrios or Tetragram: A Renewed Quest for the Original LXX,” in De Septuaginta: Studies in Honour of John William Wevers on His Sixty-fifth Birthday , ed. A. Pietersma and C. Cox [1984], 85–101). This choice prob. reflected (and in turn strengthened) the tendency to avoid the utterance of the name of God. At some stage in early Jud. it became common, in the public reading of Scripture, It is likely that this reading . יהוה where the text had אֲדֹנָי to pronounce the name custom lies behind the LXX use of κύριος to represent the tetragrammaton. Some for the proper name Yahweh was a result אֲדֹנָי have argued that the substitution of of Israel’s development from a national religion in the preexilic period to an international one in the period of Alexander the Great (late 4th cent. BC). Whereas orig. God’s saving act in the exodus was the theological focal point, after the exile the emphasis fell on the creation of the world. If so, then where κύριος stands for it may be יהוה there has been genuine translation, but where it stands for אֲדֹנָי or אָ דוֹן viewed as an interpretative circumlocution for all that the Heb. text implied by the use of the divine name: Yahweh is Creator and Lord of human beings and the whole universe, Lord of life and death. Above all he is the God of Israel, his covenant people. The title κύριος may have called attention also to the idea of legal authority. Because Yahweh saved his people from Egypt and chose them as his possession, he is the legitimate Lord of Israel. And as Creator he is also the legitimate Lord of the entire universe, with unlimited control over it. 3 In post-OT Gk. Jewish lit. κύριος freq. appears as a term for God (e.g., c. 200× in Sirach). Some have thought that Philo was not aware that this term stood for the tetragrammaton, for he uses θεός to indicate the gracious power of God, while κύριος for him describes God’s kingly power (e.g., Somn. 1.163). The nonbiblical was used partic. as an invocation in אֲדֹנָי texts from Qumran make it clear that prayers and therefore predominantly in liturgical contexts (e.g., 1QM XII, 8; 1QH a מָרֵ א my lord’ (from‘ , מרי passim). In the Genesis Apocryphon the Aram. form

LXX Septuagint ed. edited by prob. probable, probably Jud. Judaism LXX Septuagint cent. century BC before Christ orig. origin, original(ly) Heb. Hebrew OT Old Testament Gk. Greek lit. literal(ly), literature freq. frequent(ly) e.g. exempli gratia (for example) c. circa (about, around) e.g. exempli gratia (for example) partic. particular(ly) e.g. exempli gratia (for example) Aram. Aramaic

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 42 H10437), is used in addressing both human beings and God (e.g., 1QapGen II, 9; XX, 12; cf. also M. Black, “The Christological Use of the Old Testament in the New Testament,” NTS 18 [1971–72]: 1–14, esp. 10). In addition, Gk. κύριος penetrated as a loanword into rabb. Heb. and Aram. (e.g., Tg. Ket. Job 5:2).” 56 Kurios appears 717 times in the New Testament. The majority of the passages are found in the writings of Luke (210) and the apostle Paul (275). The reason for this is that Luke wrote for, and Paul to, people who lived in areas dominated by Greek culture and language. On the other hand, the Gospel of Mark, more firmly based in Jewish Christian tradition, uses the kurios -title only 18 times, and these mostly in quotations. The remaining occurrences of kurios are spread over the other New Testament books: (1) Matthew: 80 (2) John: 52 (3) Hebrews: 16 (4) James: 14 (5) 1 Peter: 8 (6) 2 Peter: 14 (7) Jude: 7 (8) Revelation: 23. The fact that kurios is one of the most frequently used words in the Old Testament is in accordance with its varied use in the LXX. The word has a secular usage where it means an owner of possessions (Mark 12:9; Luke 19:33; Matt. 15:27; Gal. 4:1). It was used to designate an employer (Luke 16:3, 5). The husband in marriage was identified as kurios (1 Pet. 3:6; cf. Gen. 18:12 LXX). Kurios was used as a form of address emphasizing the power of a superior over an inferior, but it can also be simply politeness (Matt. 18:21 f.; 25:20 ff.; 27:63; Luke 13:8; John 12:21; 20:15; Acts 16:30). It is also used to address angels (Acts 10:4; Rev. 7:14). Paul used the word to address the risen Christ at his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:5; 22:8, 10; 26:15). A twice repeated kurios corresponds to Palestinian usage (Matt. 7:12; 25:11; Luke 6:46). The use of the nominative with the article instead of the vocative (John 20:28; Rev. 4:11) is also Semitic as is the addition of a noun in the genitive in place of an adjective (1 Cor. 2:8; 2 Thess. 3:16). In accordance with the usage of the Hellenistic synagogues God is frequently called kurios , especially in the numerous quotations from the Old Testament in which kurios stands for Yahweh , corresponding to the custom of pronouncing the title kurios instead of the Tetragrammaton in public reading: (1) “angel of the Lord” (Matt. 1:20, 24; 2:13, 19; 28:2; Luke 1:11; 2:9; Acts 5:19; 8:26; 12:7, e.g. exempli gratia (for example) cf. confer (compare) NTS New Testament Studies esp. especially Gk. Greek rabb. rabbinic Heb. Hebrew Aram. Aramaic e.g. exempli gratia (for example) Tg. Targum 56 Silva, M. (Ed.). (2014). New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Second Edition, Vol. 2, pp. 769–773). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 43 23). (2) “the way of the Lord” (Acts 18:25; cf. 13:10). (3) “the word of the Lord” (Acts 8:25; 12:24; 13:48-49; 15:35-36; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess. 4:15; 2 Thess. 3:1). (4) “the day of the Lord” (1 Cor. 5:5; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:10). (5) “the name of the Lord” (James 5:10). (6) “the hand of the Lord” (Acts 11:21). Kurios is used in expressions which refer to the communion table: (1) “table of the kurios ” (1 Cor. 10:21). (2) “the death of the kurios ” (1 Cor. 11:26). (3) “the cup of the kurios ” (1 Cor. 10:21; 11:27). (4) “provoke the kurios to jealousy” (1 Cor. 10:22). (5) “not to love the kurios ” (1 Cor. 16:22). (6) “the Lord’s supper” (1 Cor. 11:20). (7) “to be judged by the kurios ” (1 Cor. 11:27). (8) “to be guilty of the body and blood of the kurios ” (1 Cor. 11:27). Kurios is found in epistolary greetings. The word is used to describe Jesus Christ’s relationship to the church which He purchased at the cross with His voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross: (1) He exercises authority (Rm. 14:10; 2 Co. 5:10-11; Eph. 1:22; 5:23-24; Col. 1:18; 3:24- 25; 4:1; 1 Th. 4:3-6; 2 Tim. 4:8, 14; Heb. 3:5-4:16; 12:14-29; 1 Pet. 3:8-12; Rev. 1:12-20; 2-3). (2) He causes the church to grow (1 Thess. 3:12). (3) He bestows authority to the apostles (2 Cor. 10:8; 13:10). (4) He bestows different spiritual gifts to members of His body (1 Cor. 3:5; 7:17; 12:5). (5) He gave visions and revelations during the pre-canon period of the church age (2 Cor. 12:1). (6) The spiritual life of the church depends on Him (Rom. 14:8). (7) He gives a measure of doctrine to each believer (1 Cor. 3:5; 7:17; Eph. 4:7). (8) He is prosperity and gives prosperity to the believer’s soul (2 Thess. 3:16). (9) He gives mercy (2 Tim. 1:16). (10) He gives spiritual insight (2 Tim. 2:7). The word appears in the following formulas: (1) dia kurios (2) en kurios . Kurios is used in statements about the rapture (1 Cor. 4:5; Phil. 4:5; 1 Thess. 4:17; 6:16; James 5:7). It is found in the following expressions regarding the resurrection, i.e., the rapture: (1) “the day of the kurios ” (1 Cor. 1:8; 5:5; 2 Cor. 1:14; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:2): (2) “the revealing ( apokalupsis ) of the kurios ” (1 Cor. 1:7). (3) “the coming ( parousia ) of our kurios ” (2 Thess. 2:1). (4) “appearing ( epiphaneia ) of the kurios ” (1 Tim. 6:14). The term is applied to the Father (Matt. 11:25; Luke 2:26; 10:21; 20:42) and the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17). Kurios is most frequently applied to Jesus of Nazareth who is the Christ, the God-Man. The title is often applied to the victorious resurrected incarnate Son of God. It was awarded to Him by God the Father because of His voluntary substitutionary spiritual death on the cross, which provided salvation, and defeated Satan in the angelic conflict. The term denotes the absolute sovereign authority that the resurrected humanity of Christ in hypostatic union now possesses and exercises over all of creation and every creature whether angelic or human (Eph. 1:10; Col. 1:20). The entire cosmos and every creature are now in subjection

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 44 to the victorious resurrected incarnate Son of God as a result of His voluntary substitutionary spiritual death on the cross. The Old Testament witness to God as YHWH is consistently applied to the humanity of Christ in the New Testament. The New Testament uses the term kurios to denote the fact that the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth is the second member of the Trinity and thus possesses the divine essence. All judgment and evaluation belongs to the victorious resurrected incarnate Son of God because of His work on the cross. His present session in heaven identifies Him as the authoritative arm of God and is Lord in the ultimate sense of the word. The term is used to express the resurrected incarnate Son of God’s equality with God and His absolute authority as sovereign ruler of the cosmos. It expresses His superiority over every creature in the cosmos whether angelic or human. The word also expresses His victory over Satan and the kingdom of darkness at the cross. J.A. Fitzmyer commenting on the usage of kurios in the New Testament, writes, “In a religious sense is also used of Jesus of Nazareth. It occurs as a title for Him in all books except Titus and 1-3 John. Normally it is used of the risen Christ. It may have been applied to Him originally as a title most apt for His coming at the parousia , as the Greek form of Aramaic marana ta (1 Cor. 16:22) suggests (see also 11:26, where the title is retrojected from the parousia to His death). Used absolutely, it forms the climax to the pre-Pauline (probably Jewish) Christian hymn to Christ in Phil. 2:6-11, where it is ‘the name that is above every name,’ is applied to the exalted Jesus, and gives the reason that He is entitled to the same adoration that Isa. 45:23 accords to Yahweh Himself.” 57 Werner Foerster makes the following comment regarding the word’s usage in the New Testament, he writes, “Further light is shed by the well-known and inexhaustible passage in Phil. 2:6-11 (vv. 9 ff.): dio kai ho theos auton huperupsosen kai echarisato auto to onoma to huper pan onoma hina en to onomati Iesou pan gonu kampse epouranion kai epigeion kai katachthonion kai pasa glossa exhomologesetai hoti kurios Iesous Christos eis doxan theou patros. The name, which is characterized as a very specific one by the repetition of the article, can only be the name kurios . It is thus given to Jesus as the divine answer (dio ) to His suffering of death in obedience. At the name which Jesus, who took the form of a servant, has received, i.e., before the historical Jesus who is now exalted, all the world bows the knee. Rev. (5:12) says similarly of the arnion hos esphgmenon that it is worthy to receive the book which contains the denouement of world history and thus to take dunamis , doxa , and eulogia . The name of kurios implies a position equal to that of God. Bowing the knee and acclaiming the kurios

57 Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament volume 2, page 330

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 45 Iesous Christos are related actions, while it is true that Phil. does not quote Is. 45:23 f. expressly, since the kurios Iesous Christos can hardly allude either to the exhomologesesis of the LXX or to the Mas., nevertheless the en to onomati Iesou takes the place of the emoi (sc. kampsei pan gonu ) on the lips of God. And the fact that this Jesus is confessed as kurios is to the glory of God. The name kurios thus designates the position of the Risen Lord. It is hardly possible to decide whether the huper in huperupsesen refers to the en morphe theou huparchon or simply means ‘beyond all measure.’ If kurios Iesous here takes the form of an acclamation, this is no argument against its high material significance. That the risen Jesus is kurios is stated throughout the NT. In R. 10:9 Paul rightly connects the confession of Jesus’ lordship with the lips and the faith of the heart that God has raised Him from the dead. In Acts 2:36, at the close of Peter’s Pentecost sermon, Lk. quotes him as saying: asphalos oun ginosketo pas oikos Israel hoti kai kurion auton kai Christon epoiesen ho theos touton ton Iesoun hon humeis estaurosate . The greater Luke’s contribution to the formulation of this passage, the more clearly it shows that for him the resurrection and the kuriotes of Jesus were related. Even when the word kurios is particularly prominent, the connection between the suffering, resurrection and divine position of Jesus finds varied expression. Thus in Heb. 2:6 ff. the quotation of Psa. 8:4 ff. is followed by proof in v. 8 that it cannot apply to man generally but refers specifically to Jesus, who because He suffered death is crowned with doxa and time. Hence, even though the author does not expressly says that the panta huptaxas hupokato ton podon autou is also fulfilled in Him, the lordship of Jesus is plainly indicated. The same relationship between the resurrection and lordship is to be seen at Mat. 28:18 in the saying of the Risen Lord: edothe moi pasa exousia en ourano kai epi ges : he who as exousia is kurios . But it is brought especially in the use of Psa. 110:1. There is no other reference. In this psalm, however, session is linked with lordship, and specifically with being David’s lord. With an oun ac. 2:36 causes Peter to draw from this verse the deduction concerning Jesus. Session at the right hand of God means joint rule. It thus implies divine dignity, as does the very fact of sitting in God’s presence.” 58 The great German New Testament Greek scholar Adolph Deissmann makes the following comment regarding the word’s usage in the days that Paul wrote his epistles which was during the reign of Nero, he writes, “For Nero ‘the lord,’ i.e. in the time of the most important of St. Paul’s letters, the number of examples suddenly rushes up tremendously. For a long while I was unable to account for this uprush, but now I think it possible that it is connected with the proclamation of Nero as Agathus Daemon in Egypt on his accession. At any rate the statistics are

58 Theological Dictionary of the New Testament volume 3, pages 1088-1089

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 46 quite striking; everywhere, down to the remotest village, the officials called Nero Kurios . Wilcken’s book alone contains 27 ostraca dated after Nero ‘the lord,’ among them one of 4 August 63 which is facsimiled above. My own collection also contains 8 Neronian Kurios -ostraca, among them one with ‘Nero Kurios ’ quite in the manner of a formula (without article, like the ‘ Kurios Jesus’ in 1 Cor. 12:3). We find the title ‘lord’ applied to Nero also in papyrus documents, of which a good example is the letter of Harmiysis, 24 July 66, of which a picture is given above. The officials who sign the document use the title three times. It is a very important fact that under Nero we first find the Kurios -title in an inscription in Greece. The marble tablet of Acraephiae in Boeotia which has yielded such an extraordinary rich harvest, and which immortalizes, among other things, a speech made by Nero at Corinth in November 67, contains a decree of honour in which the Boeotian town calls him once ‘lord of the whole world,’ and then, what is in my opinion more important, simply ‘the lord Augustus,’ divine honors being awarded him by the decree. This important inscription shows how far the East had already penetrated on its march of conquest into the West. A living illustration of the inscription and the forebodings it arouses is supplied by the journey undertaken a year before (66 A.D.) by the Persian king Tiridates to do homage to the Emperor. Tiridates came from the East to Italy and did homage to Nero at Naples as ‘the lord’ and in Rome as ‘the god.’” 59 A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature-Third Edition: (1) one who is in charge by virtue of possession, owner (2) one who is in a position of authority, lord, master. 60 Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains: (1) (A title for God and for Christ) one who exercises supernatural authority over mankind – ‘Lord, Ruler, On who commands’ 61 (2) one who owns and controls property, including especially servants and slaves, with important supplementary semantic components of high status and respect – ‘owner, master, lord’ 62 (3) One who rules or exercise authority over others – ‘ruler, master, lord’ 63 (4) A title of respect used in addressing or speaking of a man – ‘sir, mister’ 64 . Paul uses kurios of Jesus in three basic ways: (1) absolutely, of the risen “Lord” (Rom. 10:9; 14:8a, b; 1 Cor. 2:8 [followed by tes doxes ]; 4:4-5; 6:13a, b, 14, 17; 7:10, 2, 22, 25a, b, 32a, b, 34, 35; 9:1b, 5, 14; 10:9, 21a, b, 22; 11:23a, 26, 27a, b, 29, 32; 12:3, 5; 14:37; 15:58; 16:7; 2 Cor. 3:16, 17a, b, 18a, b; 4:14; 5:6, 8, 11; 8:5; 10:8; 11:17; 12:1, 8; 13:10; Gal. 1:19; 6:17; Eph. 4:5; 5:10, 17, 19, 22, 29; 6:4, 7,

59 Light From The Ancient East pages 353-354 60 A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature-Third Edition Pages 576-578 61 12.9 62 57.12 63 37.51 64 87.53

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 47 8, 9; Phil. 2:11; 4:5; Col. 1:10; 3:13, 16, 22b, 23, 24; 4:1b; 1 Thess. 1:6; 3:12; 4:6, 15b, 16, 17a, b; 5:27; 2 Thess. 1:9; 2:13; 3:3, 5, 16a [ tes eirenes ]. (2) in the prepositional phrase en kurio (Rom. 16:2, 8, 11, 12a, b, 13, 22; 1 Cor. 4:17; 7:22, 39; 9:2; 11:11; 16:19; 2 Cor. 2:12; Gal. 5:10; Eph. 2:21; 4:1, 17; 5:8; 6:1, 10, 21; Phil. 1:14; 2:19, 24, 29; 3:1; 4:1, 2, 4, 10; Col. 3:18, 20; 4:7, 17; 1 Thess. 3:8; 4:1; 5:12; 2 Thess. 3:4; Phlm. 16:20a, often in exhortations and greetings or to express the union of the Christian with Christ. (3) Paul often joins to the title the names Jesus and/or Christ: Kurios Iesous /Christos (Rom. 1:4, 7; 4:24; 5:1, 11, 21; 6:11, 23; 7:25; 8:39; 12:11; 14:14; 15:6, 30; 16:18, 20, 24; 1 Cor. 1:2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10; 5:4a, b, 5; 6:11; 8:6; 9:1a; 11:23b; 15:31, 57; 16:23; 2 Cor. 1:2, 3, 14; 4:5, 10; 8:9; 1:31; 13:13; Gal. 1:3; 6:14, 18; Eph. 1:2, 3, 15, 17; 3:11, 14; 5:20; 6:23, 24; Phil. 1:2; 2:19; 3:8, 20; 4:23; Col. 1:2, 3; 2:6; 3:17, 24; 1 Thess. 1:1a, b, 3; 2:15, 19; 3:11, 13; 4:2; 5:9, 23, 28; 2 Thess. 1:1, 2, 7, 8, 12a, b; 2:1, 8, 14, 16; 3:6, 12; Phlm. 3, 5, 25), especially at the beginnings of letters. In 1 Thessalonian 1:1, the noun kurios emphasizes that Jesus Christ is the sovereign ruler over all of creation and every creature. It also signifies the victory that He accomplished over sin and Satan through His spiritual and physical deaths and resurrection. The noun kurios is also the object of the preposition en , which as we noted is a marker of close personal association and means, “in union and fellowship with” expressing the idea that the Thessalonian Christian community was “in union with” and “in fellowship with” the Lord Jesus Christ. The proper name Iēsous is the Greek spelling of the Hebrew word Jehoshua , “Jehovah saves,” and refers to the human nature of the incarnate Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth. The word functions as a “dative of simple apposition” meaning that it stands in apposition to the dative form of the noun kurios , “ Lord ” and simply clarifies who is Lord here, namely Jesus of Nazareth since there were many lords that the pagans worshipped in the first century A.D. The proper name Christos in classical Greek identifies that which has been thus smeared or anointed. In the Greek New Testament, it is used only as a noun, either as an appellative (“the Anointed One, the Christ”) or a personal name (“Jesus Christ” or “Christ”). It corresponds to the Hebrew mashiach and denotes someone who has been ceremonially anointed for an office. In the Old Testament, three office bearers are expressly described as mashiach i.e. as anointed with oil: (1) Prophet (2) High priest (3) King. Therefore, the noun Christos signifies the three- fold offices held by our Lord: (1) Prophet (2) Priest (3) King. The anointing of oil on the individual assigned by God to one of these offices signified that he was empowered by the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, oil signified the presence and power of God the Holy Spirit, thus the Messiah or Christ

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 48 was One Who was totally and completely guided and empowered by God the Holy Spirit. The Messiah is characterized by permanent possession of the Spirit, which enables or empowers Him as the Messianic Ruler to reign with integrity and wisdom. Therefore, the word Christos denotes the Messiahship of Jesus of Nazareth, thus He is the Deliverer of the human race in three areas through His death, resurrection, ascension and session: (1) Satan (2) Cosmic System (3) Old Sin Nature. The Lord’s Messiahship has a four-fold significance: (1) Separation unto God. (2) Authorization from God. (3) Divine enablement. (4) The coming Deliverer. It also signifies the uniqueness of Jesus of Nazareth who is the God-Man. Christos signifies that Jesus of Nazareth served God the Father exclusively and this was manifested by His execution of the Father’s salvation plan which was accomplished by His voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the Cross. The word signifies that Jesus of Nazareth has been given authority by God the Father to forgive sins, give eternal life, and authority over all creation and every creature as a result of His execution of the Father’s salvation plan. It denotes that Jesus of Nazareth was perpetually guided and empowered by God the Holy Spirit during His First Advent. Lastly, Christos signifies that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised deliverer of the human race from the bondage of Satan, his cosmic system and the old Adamic sin nature. In 1 Thessalonians 1:1, the noun Christos emphasizes that Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnate Son of God delivered the believer from the sin nature, personal sins, the devil and his cosmic system, spiritual and physical death and eternal condemnation through His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths and resurrection. This word also functions as a “dative of simple apposition” meaning that it stands in apposition to the dative form of the noun Iesous , “ Jesus ” and simply clarifies who is Jesus here, namely He is the Christ since there were many in the first century who made the claim.

Greeting

1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. (ESV) “Grace and peace to you ” is composed of the following: (1) nominative feminine singular form of the noun charis (χάρις ), “ grace ” (2) dative second personal plural form of the personal pronoun su (σύ ), “ to you ” (3) conjunction kai

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 49 (καί ), “ and ” (4) nominative feminine singular form of the noun eir ēnē (εἰρήνη ), “peace .” In classical literature, the noun charis appears 3,766 times. Archbishop Trench writes of charis , “It refers to the heart or essence of the Greek mind... charis also referred to the presence of grace or beauty, which were the most joy-inspiring of all qualities for the Greek”. 65 Charis is first of all that property that produces joy in its hearers or beholders. It also referred to the presence of grace or beauty, which were the most joy inspiring of all qualities for the Greek. Over a period of time, charis came to refer to grace that embodied and expressed itself in gracious actions toward objects, not to favor in the sense of beauty. The usage of the word evolved over a period of time in Greek. The noun charis in classical Greek initially referred to grace and beauty as qualities and then to gracious persons or actions, beautiful thoughts or speeches. It referred to grace, which expressed itself in gracious actions toward people or things such as favors. Charis in the objective sense meant “outward grace or favor, beauty of persons.” In the subjective sense, the word meant “grace or favor felt, whether on the part of the doer or the receiver.” For the doer, charis meant, “grace, kindness for or towards someone,” and for the receiver, it meant “a sense of favor received, thankfulness, gratitude.” The word was also used for a favor done or returned and it was also used of women who gave sexual favors to men and also referred to “gratification and delight” in or from a thing. Charis not only designated both the attitude of the gods but also that of men such as a rulers favor. In classical literature, charis is the favor of the gods in Aeschylus’s works. 66 Trench states “ charis implied a favor that was freely done without claim or expectation of return.” 67 The Greeks used the word in reference to a favor done by one Greek to another out of sheer generosity and with no expectation of payment in return or no expectation of reward. Charis referred to giving with no strings attached. Aristotle uses charis in this same manner, he writes, “Let charis be that quality by which he who has it is said to render favor ( charin ) to one who is in need, not in return for anything, nor that anything be given to him who renders it, but that something be given to that one in need”. 68 Therefore, the basic fundamental definition of charis in classical Greek includes the ideas of “grace, an undeserved favor, kindness, goodness, beauty, gratitude, thankfulness, delight, and pleasure.”

65 Synonyms of the New Testament, page 181 66 Agamemnon 182, 581 67 Synonyms of the New Testament, page 181 and 182 68 Rhetorica 2.7

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 50 In the Hellenistic period, charis was a term for demonstrations of a ruler's favor. The word was mainly used in the plural for “gifts.” In Hellenism, to show charis to people came to suggest favoritism. It was also used for the showing of grace in court. Euripides used it for the power of love. 69 Charis also referred to supernatural power, which flowed from the gods above. It referred to a spell or demonic force that affects human life with supernatural influences. The Greek noun charis occurs 160 times in the LXX and is used to translate the following Hebrew words in the Septuagint: (1) gedhullah , “greatness, dignity; chalaq , “flattering”; (2) chesedh , “kindness, steadfast love, mercy, grace”; (3) racham , “compassion, mercy”; (4) ratson , “what is acceptable, favor.” The most frequent equivalent used in the Septuagint is the noun chen , “grace, favor, inclination,” which is employed 61 times. Chen and chesedh are the most important of these words. Chen means “favor, delight, grace.” It was particularly employed when favor was shown or asked without conditions or stipulations (Genesis 6:8). The noun chesedh is used often to describe the Lord (Ex.15:13; 20:6; 34:6-7; Num. 14:18-19; Deut. 5:10; 7:9, 12; 2 Chron 20:21; Ezra 3:11; Ps. 100:3; 106:1; 118:2-3). The word denotes “kindness, goodness, favor, mercy, grace” and is connected to the Lord's faithfulness in His covenant relationship with His people Israel. The terms grace and covenant are related in the Old Testament. Chesedh refers to the grace policy of God towards His covenant relationship with Israel. In this relationship, He exercises faithfulness, mercy and compassion towards sinners through the forgiveness of sins based upon the Lord Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, which was yet future in the Old Testament and was portrayed in the Levitical animal sacrifices. Chesedh describes God’s attitude towards His covenant people Israel. God’s faithfulness is manifested in His gracious, merciful acts towards His people who have been apostasy. His deliverance of His people demonstrates that God’s grace is inherent in the covenant relationship. Girdlestone discusses grace in the Old Testament, he writes, “Grace is the free bestowal of kindness on one who has neither claim on our bounty, nor adequate compensation to make for it...An act done with any expectation of a return from the object on which it is wrought, or one that is meted out as a matter of justice, recompense, or reward, is not an act of grace...In the great proportion of passages in which the word grace is found in the New Testament, it signifies the unmerited operation of God in the heart of man, effected through the agency of the Holy Spirit. We have gradually come to speak of grace as an inherent quality in man, just as we talk of gifts; whereas it is in reality the communication of Divine

69 Hipp. 527

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 51 goodness by the inworking of the Spirit and through the medium of Him who is ‘full of grace and truth.’” 70 Grace is expressed through mercy and compassion. The Hebrew term racham , “compassion, mercy” denotes grace, whose basis rests upon a close relationship between the giver and the recipient of grace. Exodus 33:19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion (racham ) on whom I will show compassion.” (NASB95) Psalm 116:5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate (racham ). (NASB95) God’s grace is the main theme of the Greek New Testament. Charis is found approximately 155 times in the New Testament. It is found mostly in the Pauline corpus where it occurs approximately 100 times. The word occupies a special place in the salutations in the Greek New Testament and final greetings. The word does not occur in Mark, Matthew, first and third John and is used in the salutations of 1 Thessalonians and Philemon. Charis plays a crucial role in the New Testament’s presentation of God’s relationship to mankind. The word does not always refer specifically to the doctrine of grace for it can mean “thanks, thank-offering, to enjoy with thanks.” In the Greek New Testament, it was elevated from referring to an earthly benefit to referring to a heavenly one, from signifying the favor, grace and goodness of man to man, to signifying the favor, grace and goodness of God to man. In New Testament usage charis denotes the grace of the worthy to the unworthy, of the holy to the sinful. It had never had this meaning before, even in the Septuagint, where the Hebrew word that approximate the meaning of charis in the New Testament chesedh , which is not translated by charis (except in Esther 2:9) but usually be eleos . The essence of charis in the Greek New Testament is that it is unearned and unmerited. The concept of charis in the Greek New Testament is consistently defined in terms of God’s gracious act of redemption that is found in the Person and Finished Work of Christ on the Cross, which establishes the believer’s eternal relationship with God. It is also defined in terms of God providing everything the believer needs to experience and enjoy fellowship with Him. Incorporated into the meaning of charis in the Greek New Testament is that the believer is beneficiary of the love of each member of the Trinity. They are the beneficiaries of the love of God before salvation in that the Trinity loved the entire

70 Girdlestone’s Synonyms of the Old Testament, pages 125-126

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 52 human race self-sacrificially and impersonally in that sinful mankind was obnoxious to a holy God. The believer after salvation is the object of the love of God since they possess the life and righteousness of God through imputation at the moment of justification. God the Father’s divine provision for salvation is the impeccable unique Person and finished work of Christ on the Cross and after salvation it is His Word and His provision of the Spirit as the believer’s true teacher and mentor. Therefore, the grace of God is God’s provision for salvation and a post-conversion relationship with Him. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature-Third Edition: (1) a winning quality or attractiveness that invites a favorable reaction, graciousness, attractiveness, charm, winsomness (2) a beneficent disposition towards someone, favor, grace, gracious care/help, goodwill (3) practical application of goodwill, (a sign of) favor, gracious deed/gift, benefaction (4) exceptional effect produced by generosity, favor (5) response to generosity or beneficence, thanks, gratitude. 71 Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains: (1) To show kindness to someone, with the implication of graciousness on the part of the one showing such kindness – ‘to show kindness, to manifest graciousness toward, kindness, graciousness, grace’ 72 (2) That which is given freely and generously – ‘gift, gracious gift’ 73 (3) An expression of thankfulness – ‘thanks’ 74 (4) A favorable attitude toward someone or something – ‘favor, good will’ 75 . Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament lists the following meanings: (1) as a quality that adds delight or pleasure graciousness, attractiveness, charm (LU 4.22); (2) as a favorable attitude; (a) active, of what is felt toward another goodwill, favor (AC 2.47); (b) as a religious technical term for God’s attitude toward human beings kindness, grace, favor, helpfulness (JN 1.16, 17; EP 2.8); (3) concretely; (a) of exceptional effects produced by God’s favor ability, power, enabling (RO 12.6; 1C 15.10); (b) of practical proofs of goodwill from one person to another kind deed, benefit, favor (AC 24.27; 2C 1.15); collection for the poor, generous gift (1C 16.3); (4) as an experience or state resulting from God’s favor state of grace, favored position (RO 5.2); (5) as a verbal thank offering to God gratitude, thanks (1C 15.57; 2C 9.15); (6) as contained in formulas that express greetings or farewell in letters goodwill, favor, blessing (RO 1.7; 16.20). 76

71 A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature-Third Edition Pages 1079-1080 72 88.66 73 57.103 74 33.350 75 25.89 76 Friberg, T., Friberg, B., & Miller, N. F.; 2000; Vol. 4: Analytical lexicon of the Greek New Testament, page 407; Baker's Greek New Testament library. Grand Rapids, Mich.; Baker Books

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 53 In 1 Thessalonians 1:1, the noun charis , “ grace ” refers to the means by which grace might be received, namely through the mind and thinking of Christ, the Word of God, which is inspired by the Spirit of God. The Spirit, through the communication of the Word of God to the believer reveals God the Father’s grace policy to the believer. In 1 Thessalonians 1:1, we have a figure of speech with this word charis which is called metonymy meaning the effect is put for the cause or in other words, the thing effected for the instrument which effects it. Here grace is put for the Word of God which effects grace. Therefore, the Spirit of God speaking through the communication of the Word of God to the believer’s human spirit regarding the will of the Father is the means by which grace is received by the believer. The noun charis , “ grace ” is a nominative absolute, which is a nominative that does not appear in a sentence but only in salutations, titles and other introductory phrases. This word is a nominative absolute since it does not function in a sentence but rather in a salutation. The dative second personal plural form of the personal pronoun su refers to the Thessalonian Christian community as a corporate unit and is used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions expressing Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s concern for each and every member of this community. This word is a dative of recipient, which is a dative that appears in verbless constructions such as salutations and titles and here in 1 Thessalonians 1:1. This indicates that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community are the recipients of Paul’s Spirit inspired desire that they would respond to his teaching in this epistle regarding the will of the Father for them. The conjunction kai means “resulting in” since it functions as a marker of result expressing the idea that the Thessalonians would experience the peace of God in and among themselves as a result of appropriating by the grace of God by faith as its communicated to them by the Spirit through the teaching of the Word of God. In classical Greek, the noun eir ēnē appears 1,645 times and meant the state of peace in contrast to war, state of rest, contentment, inner peace and tranquility of soul, peace of mind. To the Greeks this word did not primarily denote a relationship between people or an attitude, but a state, such as a “time of peace” or a “state of peace.” It was originally conceived as an interlude in the everlasting state or condition of war and denoted the state or condition of peace in contrast to war. The Greeks considered peace as the absence of war and as the foundation for national and personal welfare and prosperity. In the Greek mind, eir ēnē denotes the concept of the state of rest and also denoted the opposite of disturbance such as

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 54 laughing. It can also signify in the Greek literature a peaceful attitude. The Stoics used the word to indicate “inner peace, tranquility, peace of mind.” It denoted soul prosperity and contentment of soul. The word occurs 274 times in the Septuagint (LXX) which uses eir ēnē to translate shalom , “peace as the antithesis to war, health prosperity, soul prosperity, overt prosperity, a state of well-being, contentment of soul.” When the LXX translators adopted the term eir ēnē, it was an inadequate equivalent to the Hebrew shalom . Shalom served purposes and had more diversity of meaning than the limited term eir ēnē. To have shalom in the Old Testament period meant not only to have “peace” as it is understood today, but it also meant to feel “healthy” or to be “whole.” “Peace” was a state of well-being in the Old Testament period and was always viewed in relation to God. Shalom was a very broad Hebrew term, which ultimately finds its source in Jehovah and was the gift of Yahweh (Gen. 28:21; 41:16; Lev. 26:6; Jdg. 18:6; 1 Chron. 22:9). Whenever shalom is used as the gift of Yahweh, His presence is implied. The noun eir ēnē is found 92 times in the New Testament and is used often in the greetings of Paul’s letters to the churches (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3; Eph. 1:2; Col. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:2; 1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2; Titus 1:4; Philemon 1:3). The salutation “ grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ ” appears in Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians 1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2 and Philemon 3. A derivative of this salutation “ grace to you and peace from God our Father ” appears in Colossians 1:2, “ grace to you and peace ” in 1 Thessalonians 1:1, and “grace to you and peace from Him (Christ)” appears in Revelation 1:4. Notice the word order, grace precedes peace, which is significant since we cannot experience peace until we comprehend and then appropriate grace that is extended to every believer through the person, work and life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Charis , “ grace ” always precedes eir ēnē, “ peace ” in his greetings to the churches because God’s grace is the ultimate source of true peace and true prosperity, thus the believer must appropriate the grace of God if he is to experience the peace of God in his soul. Now, in 1 Thessalonians 1:1, the noun eir ēnē refers to the peace of God that is produced by the Spirit within the soul of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community as well as the peace of God produced by the Spirit among the individuals members of this community. The Spirit would do this when Thessalonians obey the commands and prohibitions that He guides Paul in issuing them in this epistle.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 55 The eirene , “ peace ” is also a nominative absolute, which is a nominative that does not appear in a sentence but only in salutations, titles and other introductory phrases. This word is a nominative absolute since it does not function in a sentence but rather in a salutation. NET Bible has the following note, they write “The majority of witnesses, A [D] I 33 bo), have ἀπὸ θεοῦ א ) including several early and important ones πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυριοῦ Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ (apo theou patros h ēmōn kai kuriou I ēsou Christou , 'from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”) at the end of 1 Thessalonians 1:1. The more abrupt reading (“Grace and peace to you”) without this addition is supported by B F G Ψ 0278 629 1739 1881 pc lat sa. Apart from a desire to omit the redundancy of the mention of God and Christ in this verse, there is no good reason why scribes would have omitted the characteristically Pauline greeting. (Further, if this were the case, why did these same scribes overlook such an opportunity in 2 Thess 1:1–2?) On the other hand, since 1 Thessalonians is one of Paul’s earliest letters, what would become characteristic of his greetings seems to have been still in embryonic form (e.g., he does not yet call his audience ‘saints’ [which will first be used in his address to the Corinthians], nor does he use ἐν (en ) plus the dative to refer to the location of the church). Thus, the internal evidence is overwhelming in support of the shorter reading, for scribes would have been strongly motivated to rework this salutation in light of Paul’s style elsewhere. And the external evidence, though not overwhelming, is supportive of this shorter reading, found as it is in some of the best witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western texttypes.”77 Wiema writes “After the opening greeting ‘Grace and peace,’ several MSS, including some important ancient ones, add the prepositional phrase ‘from God our ,A [D] I vg mss sy h** bo). Nevertheless א Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’ (so the short reading enjoys textual support from both Alexandrian and Western text types (B F G Ψ 0278 629 1739 1881 pc lat sy p sa). Furthermore, there would be no compelling reason why copyists would delete the longer reading if it were original. Instead, the longer reading is almost certainly a later addition that attempts to make this brief greeting conform to the lengthier greeting found in Paul’s other letters (so B. Metzger 1994: 561).”78 Metzger writes “Representatives of the Alexandrian and the Western types of text unite in supporting the shorter reading (B G Ψ 1739 it ar, b, f, g, o, r vg syr p, pal syr p, pal me cop sa, fay ). Other witnesses expand the salutation by adding phrases familiar

pc Abbreviation for pauci , “a few (others),” referring to manuscripts 77 Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible . Biblical Studies Press. MSS manuscripts majority text 78 Weima, J. A. D. (2014). Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2 Thessalonians . (R. W. Yarbrough & R. H. Stein, Eds.) (p. 72). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 56 from the salutations in other Pauline letters. If any one of these expansions had been original, there is no reason why it would have been deleted.”79

Translation of 1 Thessalonians 1:1

1 Thessalonians 1:1 From Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the Thessalonian congregation in union and fellowship with God the Father as well as the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to each and every one of you resulting in peace. (Author’s translation)

Expanded translation of 1 Thessalonians 1:1

1 Thessalonians 1:1 From Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the congregation composed of Thessalonians in union and fellowship with God, who is the Father as well as the Lord, who is Jesus who is the Christ: Grace to each and every one of you resulting in peace. (Author’s translation)

Exposition of 1 Thessalonians 1:1

1 Thessalonians 1:1 identifies the author of this epistle and its recipients. It also contains a description of the recipients of this epistle and a greeting from the author. As we will note, though Paul, Silvanus and Timothy are identified as the authors, Paul is actually the sole author. The recipients are identified as a congregation composed of individuals who lived in the largest city of the Roman province of Asia in the first century A.D., namely Thessalonica. They are described as being in union and fellowship with God the Father as well as the Lord Jesus Christ. The greeting from the author expresses his Spirit inspired desire that the Thessalonians would appropriate by faith the grace which would be imparted to them in this epistle. This grace refers to the contents of this epistle which were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Exercising faith in this Spirit inspired communication would result in obedience to the commands and prohibitions contained in this epistle. Consequently, the Thessalonians would experience the peace of God as individuals and when interacting with each other or in other words, they would experience this peace amongst themselves. First Thessalonians follows the correct chronological order of a first century letter’s introduction: (1) The author(s) are identified first (verse 1) (2) Then the recipients of the letter are identified (verse 1) (3) Then the author(s) give a greeting (verses 2-10).

79 Metzger, B. M., United Bible Societies. (1994). A textual commentary on the Greek New Testament, second edition a companion volume to the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament (4th rev. ed.) (p. 561). London; New York: United Bible Societies.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 57 Wanamaker writes “1 Thessalonians begins with the shortest and simplest prescript of any of the extant Pauline letters and conforms closely to the unelaborated salutations of contemporary Greek letters, with one significant modification, as we shall see.”80 Fee writes “Although the Thessalonians themselves would not have been privy to our broader knowledge of Paul as a letter-writer, the most convenient way for us to enter into the significance of this salutation is by comparison with the other letters in the corpus. In such a comparison, two matters stand out: its comparative brevity and the unusual designation of the church as ‘in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’” 81 Since Silvanus and Timothy are listed here with Paul in the greeting of the epistle in 1 Thessalonians 1:1, many expositors and scholars have surmised that Silvanus and Timothy took part in the writing of this epistle and were thus co- senders. However, others dissent asserting that Paul is the sole author of this epistle and that the plurals in this epistle should be interpreted as being used “literarily” rather than “literally.” This raises two questions: (1) What role, if any, did Silvanus and Timothy play in the writing of this letter? (2) If Paul is the true author of the letter, why did he present Silvanus and Timothy as cosenders? It is the view of this author that Silvanus and Timothy are not co-senders and that Paul is the true author of this epistle, which is indicated by the fact that three times in 1 Thessalonians, the text shifts significantly to the first-person singular. This would strongly suggest that the first-person plurals in the letter ought to be taken not literally but literarily . This is also called an “editorial we” or a “epistolary plural.” Thus, it would not be an “exclusive we” which would include Paul with his associates as distinct from the audience. The first instance where there is a shift to the first-person singular is 1 Thessalonians 2:18. 1 Thessalonians 2:18 But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. (ESV) The second instance in which Paul shifts to the first-person singular is found in 1 Thessalonians 3:5. 1 Thessalonians 3:1 Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, 3 that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 4 For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to

80 Wanamaker, C. A. (1990). The Epistles to the Thessalonians: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 67). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans. 81 Fee, G. D. (2009). The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians (p. 12). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 58 pass, and just as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain. (ESV) The time there is a shift to the first-person singular is 1 Thessalonians 5:27. 1 Thessalonians 5:27 I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. (ESV) These three verses strongly suggest that Paul is the true author of the epistle indicating that the plurals used throughout the correspondence ought to be taken as “editorial” or “epistolary plurals” despite the fact that he lists Silvanus and Timothy as cosenders. This leads us to the second question; namely why did Paul include Silvanus and Timothy as cosenders even though he is the real author of the epistle? It is the view of this author that these two men are included by Paul in the greeting as cosenders because they played a significant role in ministering to the Thessalonian Christian community. Acts 17:1-9 reveals that Silvanus played a key role in establishing this community with Paul. Acts 17:1 After they traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 17:2 Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed them from the scriptures, 17:3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead, saying, “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” 17:4 Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women. 17:5 But the Jews became jealous, and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. They attacked Jason’s house, trying to find Paul and Silas to bring them out to the assembly. 17:6 When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble throughout the world have come here too, 17:7 and Jason has welcomed them as guests! They are all acting against Caesar’s decrees, saying there is another king named Jesus!” 17:8 They caused confusion among the crowd and the city officials who heard these things. 17:9 After the city officials had received bail from Jason and the others, they released them. (NET) Timothy is identified as a cosender here in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 because 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5 reveals that he was instrumental in strengthening the Thessalonian Christian community. 1 Thessalonians 3:1 So when we could bear it no longer, we decided to stay on in Athens alone. 3:2 We sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen you and encourage you about your

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 59 faith, 3:3 so that no one would be shaken by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 3:4 For in fact when we were with you, we were telling you in advance that we would suffer affliction, and so it has happened, as you well know. 3:5 So when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter somehow tempted you and our toil had proven useless. (NET) This author’s interpretation regarding Paul’s inclusion of Timothy and Silvanus as cosenders is shared by many commentators. Commenting on the identification of Timothy and Silvanus, Gordon Fee writes “Even though the practice is extremely rare among the extant Greco-Roman letters, Paul frequently includes his present companions with himself in his salutations. 82 But this is the only place where he includes two such companions, and along with 2 Thessalonians it is the only place where there is no further identifying designation beyond the names. 83 ”84 …On the other hand, Paul’s shift in 2:18 to the first person singular as personal identification indicates that the letter is ultimately from him (Paul), or at least that he was the one doing the actual dictation. 85 Indeed, it seems altogether likely that he actually penned the letter at Paul’s dictation.”86 Also, commenting on the identification of Timothy and Silvanus, J.A.D. Weima writes “Although not a common epistolary practice in the letters of that day, Paul includes here, as he typically does, the names of cosenders: Silvanus and Timothy. The mention of these two individuals raises two related questions: First, what role, if any, did the cosenders play in the writing of this letter? Second, if Paul emerges as the ultimate or real author of the letter, what is the significance of his including the names of Silvanus and Timothy as cosenders? With regard to the first question, the widespread use of the first-person plural ‘we’ in the rest of the letter has caused many to conclude that Silvanus and Timothy played an active role in the composition of the letter. The situation is likened to that of a group project in which all three individuals contribute to the subject matter, organizational structure, and perhaps even the vocabulary of the letter. Against this scenario, however, are three instances in the letter where the text shifts significantly to the first-person singular, suggesting that the first-person plurals in the letter ought to

82 He does so in seven letters in the corpus: 1 and 2 Thessalonians (Timothy and Silas), 1 Corinthians (Sosthenes), 2 Corinthians (Timothy), Colossians (Timothy), Philemon (Timothy), and Philippians (Timothy). There are no known examples outside the Pauline corpus. The only known reference to co-authorship is in Cicero, Att. 11.15.1: “For my part I have gathered from your letters—both that which you wrote in conjunction with others and the one you wrote in your own name …” (LCL 2:363). See the discussion in G. J. Bahr, “Paul and Letter Writing in the First Century,” CBQ 28 (1966), 465–77. 83 Otherwise he designates himself an “apostle” or “prisoner” (Philemon); he includes his companion (Timothy) in the designation only once (Philippians), where he calls the two of them “servants of Christ Jesus.” 84 Fee, G. D. (2009). The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians (pp. 12–13). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 85 On this issue for these two letters see, further, S. Byrskog, “Co-senders, Co-authors and Paul’s Use of the First Person Plural,” ZNW 87 (1996), 230–50. Cf. also J. C. M. Laurent, “Der Pluralis maiestaticus in den Thessalonicherbriefen,” STK 41 (1868), 159–66; and W. F. Lofthouse, “ ‘I’ and ‘We’ in the Pauline Letters,” BT 6 (1955), 72–80. 86 Fee, G. D. (2009). The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians (p. 13). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 60 be read not literally but literarily . The first instance is 2:18, where Paul’s desire to revisit the Thessalonians is originally expressed in the plural (“We wanted to come to you”) but then clarified with a personal interjection in the singular (“In fact, I, Paul, wanted to do so more than once”). The second occurrence is the inclusio formed between 3:1–2 and 3:5: the plural expression ‘Because we could no longer contain it, … we sent Timothy … in order to comfort you concerning your faith’ is replaced by the singular expression ‘Because I could no longer contain it, I sent [Timothy] in order to learn about your faith.’ The third occasion is 5:27, where the letter closes with a strong exhortation given in the singular: ‘I cause you to swear an oath in the name of the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers.’ These three texts (see also 2 Thess. 2:5 and 3:17) suggest that, though the names of Silvanus and Timothy are included as cosenders, Paul is the real author of the letter, so that the plurals used throughout the correspondence ought to be taken literarily rather than literally. This conclusion raises the second question: since Paul is the real author of the letter, why has he included Silvanus and Timothy as cosenders? That Paul’s epistolary practices are never accidental but relate in some way to his persuasive strategy suggests that the mention of cosenders involves something more than mere courtesy (contra Williams 1992: 21). According to Doty (1973: 30), secular letters of that day often mentioned the name of the letter carrier to ‘guarantee that what he had to say in interpreting the letter was authorized by the writer’; thus Silvanus and Timothy may have been mentioned in the letter opening for this reason (see also Wanamaker 1990: 68). The mention or recommendation of a letter carrier, however, typically occurred not in the opening but in the closing section of the letter (C. Kim 1972), and this appears to be Paul’s practice elsewhere (Rom. 16:1–2; Eph. 6:21–22; Col. 4:7–9). A more likely reason for including the names of Silvanus and Timothy is that both have played a key role in the Thessalonian congregation: Silvanus in the establishing of the church (Acts 17:1–10), and Timothy in the subsequent strengthening of the church (1 Thess. 3:1–5). The inclusion of these two men as cosenders, therefore, gives further weight or authority to Paul’s letter; it not only shows the Thessalonians that the apostle is well informed about the current situation in their congregation but also that there is agreement between Paul and these other leaders about the response expected from the recipients in their present circumstances (Wanamaker 1990: 68).”87 C.A. Wanamaker writes “1 Thessalonians, like 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and 2 Thessalonians, purports to have been sent by Paul and one or more of his coworkers. The senders of 1 Thessalonians, as in the case of 2 Thessalonians, identify themselves as Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. To what extent

87 Weima, J. A. D. (2014). Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2 Thessalonians . (R. W. Yarbrough & R. H. Stein, Eds.) (pp. 66–67). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 61 Silvanus and Timothy actively participated in the composition of the letter is impossible to say, but in conformity with the prescript, the first person plural is used throughout the letter with very few exceptions. Three passages in particular, however, suggest that the letter should be read primarily as an embodiment of Paul’s thought. In 2:18 the first person plural is replaced by the first person singular in the second part of the verse where Paul specifically identifies himself: διότι ἠθελήσαμεν ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἐγὼ μὲν Παῦλος καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δίς (“wherefore we wished to come to you, I Paul, once and again”). A few verses later, in 3:5, the first person singular occurs again. Given Paul’s self-assertion in 2:18, we must assume that κἀγὼ … ἔπεμψα (“and I … sent”) in 3:5 also refers to Paul himself. This impression is further confirmed by the fact that the passage in question concerns an occasion when Timothy was sent as a substitute for the person who stands behind the “I.” From other letters of Paul we know that this is precisely how Paul employed Timothy (cf. 1 Cor. 4:17; 16:10; Phil. 2:19). The other text in which the first person singular occurs is 5:27, where the author of the letter ‘adjures’ his readers to ensure that the letter is read to ‘all the brothers.’ The sheer authoritativeness of this injunction implies an author of the stature of Paul who could impose such a demand on his readers (see R. F. Collins, “Paul,” 351–353 for further discussion of the “I” passages). If in fact Paul is the real author of 1 Thessalonians, why has he included the names of his fellow workers Silvanus and Timothy in the salutation? Two answers may be given. In the first place, Silvanus and Timothy shared in the missionary work at Thessalonica, and therefore as Paul’s colleagues they had a stake in the development of the church there. Their inclusion as co-senders of the letter thus strengthens the authority of the document by implying unanimity among Paul and his coworkers regarding the situation of the Thessalonians. Doty ( Letters, 30) has suggested a second reason. In Hellenistic letters the carrier who was to deliver the letter was often mentioned in order to link him with the writer and thereby guarantee that what he had to say in interpreting the letter was authorized by the writer. Since Paul used various colleagues in this way, including Timothy, this may help explain the inclusion of Silvanus and Timothy in the prescript if one or both of them was to deliver the letter (see 3:1–5 on the use of Timothy as an emissary and substitute for Paul’s apostolic parousia or presence).”88 Interestingly, notice in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 that Paul does not employ the nominative masculine singular form of the noun apostolos (ἀπόστολος ), “ an apostle ” to describe himself as he does in several of his epistles (cf. Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1). However, it doesn’t appear in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Philippians and Philemon.

88 Wanamaker, C. A. (1990). The Epistles to the Thessalonians: a commentary on the Greek text (pp. 67–68). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 62 Paul uses the word to establish that his authority is from the Lord Himself (Romans 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1) He uses it when his authority or teaching is being questioned or rejected by those to whom he is writing (1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians). The Thessalonians and Philippians were faithful to Paul’s teaching and had a great friendship with Paul. Philemon was a personal note, thus there was no need of Paul to establish his authority with these churches and Philemon. Vincent writes “Paul’s official title ‘Apostle’ is omitted in the addresses of both Epistles, although in 1 Th. 2:6 he uses ἀπόστολοι apostles , including Silvanus and Timothy under that title. The title appears in all the other Epistles except Philippians and Philemon. The reason for its omission in every case appears to have been the intimate and affectionate character of his relations with the parties addressed, which rendered man appeal to his apostolic authority unnecessary. Paul does not confine the name of apostle to the twelve.”89 J.A.D. Weima writes “Contrary to the epistolary practice of our day but entirely in keeping with that of the Greco-Roman world, Paul lists his name as the first element of the letter opening. The only exception to this practice was in letters of petition when one was addressing a person of higher rank. Paul, however, writes to his readers as neither an inferior nor even an equal but as one having authority over them, as indicated by his normal addition of the title “apostle” (1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 1 Tim. 1:1; 2 Tim. 1:1; Titus 1:1). The absence of this title here in his letter to the Thessalonians is, therefore, striking. A likely explanation for this omission is that, in contrast to several other letters (esp. Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians), Paul’s apostleship was not an issue with the Thessalonian congregation, and so in the letter opening he has no need to assert his authoritative status. Thus Paul mentions his apostleship only once in his two Letters to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 2:7a), and this single instance serves not to stress his authority but to demonstrate the opposite point: that he did not, in a self- serving and heavy-handed manner, assert his right as an apostle to be supported financially by the Thessalonian congregation, but that he self-sacrificially worked with his hands to provide his own support rather than become a burden to them. Repeated challenges to his apostolic status in later years, however, caused Paul to become explicit in his letter openings not only about his own apostleship but also to distance his own authoritative status from that of various fellow workers included as cosenders (e.g., 1 Cor. 1:1, “Paul, an apostle , … and Sosthenes, the brother ”; see also 2 Cor. 1:1; Col. 1:1).”90

89 Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 4, p. 9). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. esp. especially e.g. exempli gratia , for example 90 Weima, J. A. D. (2014). Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2 Thessalonians . (R. W. Yarbrough & R. H. Stein, Eds.) (pp. 65–66). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 63 Wanamaker writes “In most of his letters Paul begins by identifying himself as an apostle (Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:1) or as the slave or prisoner of Christ (Phil. 1:1; Phm. 1). The absence of such a self-identification in 1 Thessalonians (and 2 Thessalonians) is therefore noticeable but can perhaps be explained in terms of the situation. In the case of Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Galatians, Paul’s status and authority were to some degree in question. In the case of Philippians and Philemon the self-description was intended to evoke respect and possibly sympathy from the recipients. Nothing in 1 Thessalonians indicates that Paul’s authority or status was in doubt among his readers, and Paul’s personal situation was certainly not as precarious at the time of writing as it was when Philippians and Philemon were written.”91

Paul

In 1 Thessalonians 1:1, the personal name Paulos , “ Paul ” is used by the author when writing to the Thessalonian Christian community rather than his Jewish name Saul since this community was predominately Gentile and Paulos was his name he used among the Gentiles. The Lord Jesus Christ authorized him to be the apostle to the Gentiles (cf. Acts 9:15; 22:21; Romans 11:13; 15:16; Galatians 1:15-16; 2:2, 7- 9). Paul was from the city of Tarsus. He was the most famous Jew of his day. Tarsus was the principal city of the Roman province of Cilicia in southeast Asia Minor, which is now Turkey (Acts 9:11; 22:3). Tarsus was located on the Tarsus River and 12 miles from the Mediterranean coast. The earliest historical reference of Tarsus is with the Assyrians under Sennacherib (705-681 B.C.) and some scholars believe that the Ionian Greeks also had connections with the city. It held great strategic importance in the ancient world because of its commanding location at the southern end of the Cilician Gates, which is the only major pass in the Taurus Range. The pass when properly defended militarily was virtually impregnable. The pass was so narrow in Alexander’s day that when he passed through with his army the pack animals had to be unloaded before they could pass through it. In 401 B.C., Xenophon, a soldier in the Greek army and an author, records the famous retreat of the Greek army through the Cilician Gates after rebelling against Persia and its puppet king, Syennesis. In 333 B.C., Alexander the Great came through the Cilician Gates on his way to his great victory at Issus. Alexander’s empire passed into the hands of 4 generals called the Seleucids after his death. Tarsus under the rule of the Seleucids brought an abundance of Greek culture. It

91 Wanamaker, C. A. (1990). The Epistles to the Thessalonians: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 68). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 64 rebelled against Antiochus Epiphanes in 175-164 B.C. Antiochus Epiphanes was a notorious persecutor of Jews in Palestine because of their rebellious attitude toward Hellenistic culture, which he wanted to establish. Tarsus embraced Hellenism and thus was not treated harshly for the rebellion. In fact, he made a major concession to the Jews in Tarsus and gave them their own quarter in the city for their toleration of Hellenistic ideas. Many Greeks and Jews arrived in the city during this period and more than likely Paul’s ancestors. With the decline of the Greeks, Tarsus soon came under the influence of the Roman Empire with temporary incursions of Mithridates VI of Pontus and Tigranes of Armenia before Pompey reorganized the East in 64 B.C. Many Jews at this particular time were major players in finance and commerce and were leading citizens. The Roman province of Cilicia was originally a sphere of duty rather than a territorial division, which intended first to suppress piracy and to secure the sea routes to the Levant. Cicero occasionally resided there when he was governor in 51 B.C. The city also welcomed Gaius Julius Caesar with open arms when he visited it in 47 B.C. After the assassination of Caesar, Antony gave Tarsus the status of a free city in 42 B.C. and it was also the scene of the famous meeting between Antony and Cleopatra. Its free city status meant that Roman citizenship was to be given to the leading citizens of the community, which of course meant many of the Jews. Paul’s ancestors at this time probably received their Roman citizenship at this particular time. Under the Roman Emperor Augustus, Tarsus came under the influence and rule of philosophers. Augustus sent his former tutor, the Stoic philosopher Athenodorus who was himself from Tarsus, to establish a new constitution in the city and rid it of the corrupt Boethus. Athenodorus was succeeded by the Academician Nestor. Tarsus soon became important in the Roman Empire as a university city. Tarsus was a center of Greek culture, ranking next to Athens and Alexandria. The people of Tarsus were known for the zeal for learning and philosophy surpassed only by Athens and Alexandria. Under the Athenodorus the city sponsored classes by qualified and approved lecturers. Tarsians who studied in their own city were known for completing their education abroad and then making their home in Rome or elsewhere rather than returning to Tarsus. Strabo lists many notable scholars from Tarsus (Geog. 14.5.14f) with the greatest being the apostle Paul. In Philippians 3:5-6, the apostle Paul gives a composite character sketch of himself prior to his conversion, which marked him out as the top young rising star in Judaism. His Jewish name was Saul and he was the most famous Jew of his day. Philippians 3:1 From now on, my brothers, all of you begin rejoicing and continue doing so because of the Lord: writing these same things for all of you

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 65 is in fact never bothersome for me but safe for all of you. 2 Beware of those dogs, beware of those evil workers, beware of the mutilation 3 because we are the circumcision, those who are serving (God the Father) by means of the Spirit of God, who are priding themselves in the nature and doctrine of Christ Jesus, who have no confidence in the flesh. 4 Although I myself having confidence in the flesh, if anyone of the same race (i.e., Jewish) claims to have confidence in the flesh and some claim to have confidence in the flesh, I more. 5 With respect to circumcision: eighth day, descended from the nation of Israel, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew (speaking Jew) from Hebrews (Hebrew speaking parents), legalistically: a Pharisee, 6 zealously persecuting the church, self-righteously religious: I conducted myself irreproachably! (Author’s translation) Philippians 3:5-6 is a pre-conversion character sketch or composite picture of the apostle Paul. He is in effect presenting his pre-conversion resume or credentials as a Jew. Paul lists seven pre- conversion credentials, which form this composite picture of himself before salvation: (1) Peritome oktaemeros , “ with respect to circumcision: eighth day .” (2) Ek genous Israel , “(descended) out from the nation of Israel .” (3) Phules Beniamin , “ a member of the tribe of Benjamin .” (4) Hebraios ex Hebraion , “ a Hebrew (speaking Jew) from Hebrews (Hebrew- speaking parents ).” (5) Kata nomon Pharisaios , “ legalistically, a Pharisee (an interpreter of the Mosaic Law ).” (6) Kata zelos diokon ten ekklesian , “ zealously persecuting the church .” (7) Kata dikaiosunen ten en nomo genomenos amemptos , “ self-righteously religious: I conducted myself irreproachably .” The apostle Paul goes to the trouble of stating his pre-conversion background in order to refute the Judaizers claims that the means of serving God or spirituality is based upon racial background and strictly adhering to oral traditions of the Pharisees, which were simply their own interpretations of the Law. He is in effect saying, “if you want to talk about racial background and conduct in relation to the oral traditions of the elders and the Mosaic Law, I am superior to all of the Judaizers, and this is my resume to prove it!” Philippians 3:4-6 is antithetical with Philippians 3:3 since before conversion Paul served God through strict adherence to the oral traditions of the Pharisees rather than through the filling of the Spirit. Before conversion to Christianity as a Pharisee he placed his confidence in the old sin nature rather than the new nature, i.e., the Christ-nature. He was religious and legalistic rather than grace oriented and spiritual. The first four pre-conversion distinctions were inherited by Paul through physical birth: (1) Peritome oktaemeros , “ with respect to circumcision: eighth day .” (2) Ek genous Israel , “(descended) out from the nation of Israel .” (3) Phules Beniamin , “ a member of the tribe of Benjamin .” (4) Hebraios ex

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 66 Hebraion , “ a Hebrew (speaking Jew) from Hebrews (Hebrew-speaking parents ).” The last three were the result of his own actions. The apostle Paul goes to the trouble of stating his pre-conversion background not in order to boast, but in order to refute the Judaizers claims that the means of serving God is based upon racial background and strictly adhering to oral traditions of the Pharisees, which were simply their own interpretations of the Law. He is in effect saying, “if you want to talk about racial background and conduct in relation to the oral traditions of the elders and the Mosaic Law, I am superior to all of the Judaizers, and this is my resume to prove it!” Paul is stating his superiority over the Judaizers in terms of birth and conduct but then here in Philippians 3:7 he gives us his post-conversion assessment regarding his pre-conversion distinctions. Before conversion he regarded these distinctions as kerde , “ assets ,” but then after salvation he adopts an antithetical attitude towards them and concludes that they are zemian , “ a liability .” Paul’s pre-conversion credentials or characteristics follow a definite progression and are arranged in ascending scale: The due performance of the rite of circumcision shows that his parents were neither heathens nor sons of Ishmael. But as this is consistent with their being proselytes, he specifies his direct Israelite descent. Again, his ancestors might have been descendants of Israel and yet have belonged to a renegade tribe; therefore to guard against this accusation he states that he is a member of the faithful tribe of Benjamin. Many of those, whose descent was unimpeachable and who inherited the faith of the Mosaic Law, yet as living among heathens adopted the language and conformed to the customs of the people around them, yet this was not the case with forefathers of Saul of Tarsus for they were all Hebrews from 1st to last. He also was a Pharisee, a leader of the people, an interpreter of the Mosaic Law, strictly adhering to the oral traditions of the Pharisees, which are now embodied in the Mishna. If that wasn’t enough he ignorantly assumed that zealously persecuted “the Way,” or those who followed Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, was a means of serving God. Lastly, he was thoroughly steeped in the traditions of men, self-righteously, legalistic, religious, a man-pleaser, a hypocrite, conducting himself irreproachably in the sight of men. Philippians 3:4 states that Paul was the most religious person of his day since he states that he was superior to all those who belong to the Judaizers who were in fact the most religious people of their day.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 67 Religion is antithetical to Biblical Christianity since the former seeks to gain the approbation of God by a system of ascetic taboos, rules and regulations not found in the canon of Scripture. Biblical Christianity acknowledges the fact that in order to have a relationship with God it must be through the Person and Work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and no one else. The Judaizers based their relationship with God upon their racial background and that in order to maintain that relationship one must strictly adhere to the many traditions and laws of the Pharisees. Biblical Christianity maintains that a relationship with God is achieved through faith alone in Christ alone and that once saved always saved. It also maintains that one’s relationship with God is maintained by God Himself through the Person and Work of Christ, Who is the Great Divine Provision for all mankind. Philippians 3:3 states that spirituality is based upon obedience to the Holy Spirit who speaks to the believer by means of the teaching of the Word of God. It states that the operational omnipotence of the Holy Spirit is the means of spirituality, which enables him to live the Christ-life or function in the new nature. The new nature is the same spiritual life that the impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union utilized during His Advent and that has been graciously passed down to the believer living in the dispensation of grace, the church age. Therefore, Philippians 3:4 presents a stark contrast with Philippians 3:3. It presents 2 opposing groups: (1) Those who choose to live independent from God. (2) Those who choose to be dependent upon God. Philippians 3:3 presents to us a group of individuals who rely upon the power of the Spirit and the new nature or new man, the Christ-life and Philippians 3:4 presents to us a group of individuals who rely upon the power of the old sin nature or the old Adamic nature. The apostle Paul identifies himself with the Judaizers in the concessive clause and acknowledges the fact that before salvation he was superior to his Jewish contemporaries in relation to racial background and conduct according to the traditions of the elders, the Pharisees. He does this in order to defeat their erroneously claims that in order to serve God one must be a Jew by race and adhere to the many oral traditions and laws of the Pharisees. He is setting the Judaizers up here in verse 4 and will present in verses 5 and 6, evidence that in fact he far exceeded his Jewish contemporaries in terms of racial background and conduct in relation to the oral traditions and laws of the Pharisees. Paul is saying in effect, “if you want to base serving God upon racial background and conduct in relation to the traditions of the elders, I far exceeded all of you and now I’m telling you that this is nothing but piles of human excrement (cf. Phlp. 3:8).” He is identifying with the Judaizers here in order to defeat their

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 68 claims that serving God is based upon being a Jew by race and adherence to the many oral traditions of the Jewish elders passed down through several 100 years. Paul is entering into retrospective exposition here in Philippians 3:4 and he will further expand upon his claim that he far exceeded his Jewish contemporaries in terms of racial background and adherence to the oral traditions of the elders in verses 5 and 6. The apostle Paul gave the Philippians in verse 2 a three-fold warning to be in a constant state of readiness or preparedness to respond appropriately to the Judaizers and gives the reason in verse 4 why they should be avoided since they do not depend upon God’s power but their own human power to serve God. God cannot only accept that which is His or that which is perfect; therefore He can only accept the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit and the Person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here in verse 4 Paul acknowledges the fact that before salvation he was himself a Judaizer, therefore he knows first hand the dangers of being involved with this group of religious, self-righteous, arrogant, hypocritical individuals. He is telling the Philippians that he knows through experience all about this group whose viewpoint originates from the cosmic system of Satan. The apostle doesn’t want them to become entangled in their system of thinking. Paul commands the Philippians to avoid the lie in verse 2 because they live in the truth, which is expressed in verse 3. Here he enters into retrospective exposition identifying and acknowledging the fact that before salvation he was a member of the Judaizers and he identifies with them here in order to defeat their arrogant claims that serving God is based upon a Jewish racial background and strict adherence to the many traditions of the elders, e.g., circumcision. Philippians 3:5 contains the first five pre-conversion credentials of the apostle Paul, aka, Saul of Tarsus. These pre-conversion credentials follow a definite progression and are arranged in ascending scale. Paul employs the figure of asyndeton in order that the Philippians will carefully consider each of these five pre-conversion credentials, which give a composite picture of the apostle before salvation. The first credential mentioned is “ with respect to circumcision: eighth day ” demonstrates that Paul’s parents were neither proselytes nor descendants of Ishmael. It refers to the literal ritual surgical procedure performed on a Jewish boy 8 days after his birth and signifies that Paul and his parents were members of the new racial species called the Jews. The second credential mentioned is “( descended) out from the nation of Israel ” demonstrates that Paul was a member of the 1st client nation to God, Israel. It emphasizes that he is a direct descendant of Jacob who was later given a new

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 69 name by the Lord, “Israel.” The phrase is a title of nobility and denotes Paul’s theocratic privileges as a citizen of the nation of Israel. The third credential mentioned “ a member of the tribe of Benjamin ” denotes the fact that Paul was a member of the one of the greatest warrior tribes from the nation of Israel. It also produced the first king of Israel, “Saul”. Benjamin was the first tribe to oppose the Philistines. It produced the first of the judges or dictators that emerged in Israel after the Canaan invasion whose name was Ehud. This tribe joined with Judah after the death of Solomon and the Exile. The fourth credential mentioned “ a Hebrew (speaking Jew) from Hebrews (Hebrew-speaking parents )” denotes the fact that Paul was an orthodox Jew. It denotes the fact that he spoke Hebrew and distinction to his fellow countrymen who were Hellenized and strictly spoke Greek. The phrase distinguishes Paul from his fellow Hellenized countryman and also denotes that his parents spoke Hebrew as well. The fifth pre-conversion credential mentioned “ legalistically, a Pharisee ” denotes the fact that Paul was an interpreter of the Mosaic Law. Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines the noun legalism, “strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit.” Paul’s pre-conversion experience as a Pharisee was one of strict adherence to the letter of the Law. He was Parash or a Rabbi and thus a mark of distinction among his countrymen. Philippians 3:5-6 is a pre-conversion composite picture of the apostle Paul or Saul of Tarsus, as he was known among his fellow Jewish countryman. Paul presents this composite picture in order to point out to the Philippians that not only did he share the same background with his opponents the Judaizers, “the mutilation,” but also it was in fact superior in every respect. It emphasizes the fact before his salvation Paul was a Jewish patriot, an orthodox Jew. Paul’s background or resume was superior to his opponents the Judaizers in every respect, meeting all the criteria of a national celebrity or hero. The Judaizers could not attack his background since it was superior to theirs. His resume refutes the accusations made by the Judaizers that he was a traitor and not a patriot. So Philippians 3:5 lists the first five of these pre-conversion credentials of the apostle Paul and here in Philippians he lists the last two. Before his conversion to Christianity through faith in Jesus Christ, Paul performed a meritorious, legalistic system of works, which he presumptuously thought gained the approbation of God and after salvation he functioned according to a non-meritorious system of perception called faith. This meritorious system of works is defined as legalism, whereas the non-meritorious system of perception faith is in accordance with grace.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 70 Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines the legalism, “strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit.” Paul’s pre-conversion experience as a Pharisee was that of strict adherence to the letter of the Law rather than the spirit of the Law. Grace and legalism are antithetical concepts. The former gives credit to the Creator and the latter to the creature. Satan is behind creature credit and God is behind Creator credit. Paul pursued a relationship with God through legalism because He did not know the Lord Jesus Christ Who is end of the Law for everyone who believes in Him (Rm. 10:4). He did not know the Lord Jesus Christ as His Savior; therefore, he was opened to the deception of the kingdom of darkness resulting in his zealous persecution of the church of Christ. The Law cannot justify an individual before God (Rm. 3:20-28; Gal. 2:16). It could not provide eternal salvation for men (Gal. 3:21-26). The Law could not solve the problems of the old sin nature (Rm. 8:2-3). Faith alone in Christ alone can only justify an individual before God because only Christ has merit before God. Faith alone in Christ alone is the only means of providing salvation for all men (John 3:16, 36; Acts 4:12; 16:31; Eph. 2:8-9). Only the new nature, the Christ-nature received at the moment of justification can provide an alternative to functioning in the old sin nature and thus solve the problems of the latter. The phrase kata zelos diokon ten ekklesian , “ zealously persecuting the church ” indicates before salvation Paul or Saul of Tarsus belonged to the strictest sect of the Jews, the Zealots and thus reveals his uncompromising patriotism. Before conversion as a Pharisee, Paul thought that the means of salvation and spirituality was based upon a meritorious system of works. Paul’s pre-conversion experience was based upon this meritorious system of works was a strict adherence to the oral traditions of the Pharisees, which were the interpretations of the Law, Torah. His post-conversion experience was based upon the non-meritorious system of perception called faith. Before getting saved, as a Pharisee Paul pursued a relationship with God through a system of legalism, whereas after conversion he pursued it through faith in Christ (cf. Rm. 9:31-32). He ignorantly and presumptuously thought that he could serve God by zealously persecuting the church of Jesus Christ (cf. John 16:2; Rm. 10:2-5). The legalism of the Judaizers is described in Scripture as “ leaven ” (Mt. 16:6, 11-12; Mk. 8:15; Lk. 12:1. Cf. 1 Co. 5:6-8; Gal. 5:9). It is also described as “hypocrisy ” (Mt. 23:13, 23, 25, 27; Lk. 12:1). Legalism is hypocrisy (Lk. 12:1). Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines hypocrisy, “a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not possess; a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 71 The hypocrisy of the Pharisees was based upon the fact that they were men- pleasers rather than God-pleasers. They loved the approbation of men and each other. Because they were men-pleasers rather than God-pleasers they therefore, lived according to a list of oral traditions rather than the Scripture itself! God- pleasers live according to the divinely inspired Scriptures, whereas men-pleasers live according to the traditions of men. In context the definite article tes plus the prepositional phrase en nomo denotes the fact that Paul was a religious person before salvation. This interpretation is further substantiated by the participial phrase genomenos amemptos , “ I conducted myself irreproachably (in the eyes of men ).” Before his conversion, the apostle Paul or Saul of Tarsus as he was known among his Jewish countryman was scrupulously faithful and conscientious in adhering to the oral traditions of the Pharisees. In Philippians 3:6, the apostle Paul acknowledges that prior to salvation he was a violent persecutor of the church. Philippians 3:6 zealously persecuting the church, self-righteously religious: I conducted myself irreproachably. (Author’s translation) Acts 7 presents Paul as a leading in the execution of Stephen, the first martyr of the church. Acts 8 records Paul heading to Damascus Syria with authority from the Jewish leaders to persecute Christians and imprison them. The phrase kata zelos diokon ten ekklesian , “ zealously persecuting the church ” indicates before salvation Paul or Saul of Tarsus belonged to the strictest sect of the Jews, the Zealots and thus reveals his uncompromising patriotism. Before his conversion as a Pharisee, Paul thought that the means of salvation and spirituality was based upon a meritorious system of works. Paul’s pre- conversion experience was based upon this meritorious system of works was a strict adherence to the oral traditions of the Pharisees, which were the interpretations of the Law, Torah. His post-conversion experience was based upon the non-meritorious system of perception called faith. Before salvation as a Pharisee Paul pursued a relationship with God through a system of legalism, whereas after salvation he pursued it through faith in Christ (cf. Rm. 9:31-32). He ignorantly and presumptuously thought that he could serve God by zealously persecuting the church of Jesus Christ (cf. John 16:2; Rm. 10:2-5). In First Timothy 1:13, Paul gives us more information about himself prior to his conversion. First Timothy 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. (NASB95)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 72 “Even though I was formerly a blasphemer ” is composed of the articular accusative singular neuter form of the adjective proteros (πρότερος ), “ formerly ” and the accusative masculine singular present active participle form of the verb eimi (εἰμί ), “ even though I was ” and the accusative masculine singular form of the adjective blasphemos (βλάσφημος ), “ a blasphemer .” The adjective blasphemous is used by Paul to describe himself prior to his conversion and is used as a substantive meaning “slanderer.” It describes Paul defaming Jesus Christ’s character and those who have faith in Him and are His disciples as a result of bitterness towards them. As a Pharisee, prior to his conversion to Christianity, Paul did not slander God knowingly. However, by slandering Jesus Christ, He was slandering the Father and the Holy Spirit in the sense that the former was His Son and the latter was testifying that Jesus was the Son of God through His miracles and words. The adjective proteros is used substantivally as indicated by the word’s articular construction. The word is modifying the verb eimi . The word functions as a temporal adverb and means “formerly.” It refers to Paul before his conversion to Christianity. “Persecutor ” is the accusative masculine singular form of the noun dioktes (διώκτης ), which does not appear in pre-Christian literature and only once in the New Testament. Although its cognate verb form, namely dioko occurs 21 times in Paul’s writings. This noun dioktes refers to a person who engages in persecuting others. It speaks of someone who is preoccupied with causing others to suffer. It is used here by Paul to describe himself prior to getting saved. He is thus describing himself as a persecutor of the church. The verb form of this noun, dioko is used by Paul in Philippians 3:6 to describe himself as engaged in the act of persecuting the church prior to his salvation. “Arrogant man ” is the accusative masculine singular form of the noun hubristes (ὑβριστής ), which is used by Paul to describe one of the sins that characterized himself prior to his conversion to Christianity. In this verse, the term means “a violent insolent person.” It describes the pre-conversion Paul as a self- centered and violently cruel and having no regard for others. It implies that he possessed an attitude of superiority, which results in mistreatment of and violent acts against others as a result of his own revolt against the Lord Jesus Christ. First Timothy 1:13a Even though I was characterized as being a slanderer as well as a persecutor and in addition, an insolent violent person. (Author’s translation) This verse is a concessive clause that is connected to Paul’s thought in verse 12, which records Paul stating that he continually possessed an attitude of gratitude to the one who empowered him, namely the Lord Jesus Christ. He states that this gratitude was because the Lord, in eternity past considered him as faithful which

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 73 manifested itself in time when the Lord appointed him as an apostle for the purpose of serving Him. Now, in verse 13a, Paul employs a concessive participle to teach his readers in Ephesus that the Lord considered him faithful in eternity past “in spite of” the fact that prior to his conversion he slandered the Lord, persecuting His church and was an insolent violent person towards the church. The first description describes Paul defaming Jesus Christ’s character and those who have faith in Him and are His disciples as a result of bitterness towards them. As a Pharisee, prior to his conversion to Christianity, Paul did not slander God knowingly as he says in the adversative clause of this verse he did so out of ignorance. However, nonetheless by slandering Jesus Christ unknowingly, He was slandering the Father and the Holy Spirit in the sense that the former was His Son and the latter was testifying that Jesus was the Son of God through His miracles and words. The second description of himself describes him as engaged in the act of persecuting the church prior to his salvation. The Lord tells Paul that his persecution of the church was in fact does against Him (Acts 9:4-5; 22:7-8; 26:14- 15). This persecution, like all persecution of God’s people in history, was inspired by Satan himself. The third and final description of Paul prior to his conversion indicates that he was a self-centered person who was violently cruel against the church. It says that he had no regard for others and specifically, no regard for the church or Jesus Christ. It implies that he possessed an attitude of superiority with regards to the church. This resulted in mistreatment of the church and violent acts against her as a result of his own revolt against the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul’s three fold description of himself in verse 13 serves a distinct purpose in that it magnifies God’s grace and mercy toward him. He is presenting testimony that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior of sinners and in fact, saved him, the worst of all sinners. This would refute those pastors in Ephesus who were emphasizing adherence to the Law and it would rebuke them. It would also serve to remind them that like Paul they too were saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and not by obedience to the Law. Paul was transformed by faith in the gospel, which centered upon the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Law did not transform him into a faithful servant of Christ but the Lord’s grace and mercy. Thus, Paul in verse 13 is setting up his readers and in particular those pastors who sought to be teachers of the Law that the proclamation of the Law does not have the power to transform the sinner into an obedient child of God. Rather, only the gospel could do such a thing and Paul could testify to this fact. It transformed him, the worst of all sinners. So he is in effect saying that only the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Only the

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 74 gospel could transform a wicked sinner like Paul into an obedient child of God and compel him to proclaim it to both Jew and Gentile and even suffer for it. “Because I acted ignorantly in unbelief ” is composed of the conjunction hoti (ὅτι ), “ because ” and the nominative masculine singular present active participle form of the verb agnoeo (ἀγνοέω ), “ ignorantly ” and the first person singular aorist active indicative form of the verb poieo (ποιέω ), “ I acted ” and the preposition en (ἐν), “ in ” and the dative feminine singular form of the noun apistia (ἀπιστία ), “unbelief .” The conjunction hoti is employed with the indicative mood of the verb poieo in order to form a dependent “causal” clause that presents the reason why Paul obtained grace from the Lord Jesus Christ. He obtained grace “because” being in a state of rejection of the gospel, he acted due to unbelief. In other words, he obtained grace because he was qualified for grace since grace is for those who have no merit with God whatsoever. Paul describes himself in the concessive clause as a terrible sinner who opposed the Lord Jesus Christ and persecuted His church violently. This hoti clause parallels the concessive clause since Paul’s unbelief was the reason for his deplorable conduct. So, this hoti clause is saying that Paul obtained grace from the Lord Jesus Christ because he was a terrible sinner with no merit with God whatsoever. The verb agnoeo does not mean “to be ignorant” but “to be in rejection” since Romans 10:3 makes clear that unregenerate Israel of which Paul was a part of, rejected the righteousness of God because they zealously sought to establish their own righteousness and thus never submitted to the righteousness from the Father, namely Jesus Christ. Romans 10:1 Spiritual brothers, indeed, the desire produced by my own heart and in addition my specific detailed request on behalf of them is always for their deliverance. 2 Because I testify concerning them that they possess a zeal for God, however by no means according to an experiential knowledge. 3 Because they have in the past rejected the righteousness originating from God the Father and continue to do so up to the present moment. In fact, because they have in the past zealously sought to establish their own and continue to do so up to the present moment, they never submitted to the righteousness originating from God the Father. (Author’s translation) In First Timothy 1:13, the verb agnoeo means “to be in a state of rejection” due to unbelief in Jesus Christ as Savior. It speaks of being in rejection of Jesus Christ as Savior due to unbelief. It thus means to be in rejection of the gospel since the gospel is about Jesus Christ. This is how it is used in Romans 10:3. Paul, like the rest of unregenerate Israel did not have an experiential knowledge of God in the sense that they did not personally encounter God through faith as He is revealed in the person and works of Jesus of Nazareth. They did not have an

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 75 experiential knowledge of God in the sense that they did not personally encounter God through faith as He is revealed in the pages of their own Old Testament Scriptures so as to be affected by this encounter with God. The word does not mean “to be ignorant” since the nation of Israel was exposed over and over again as to the manner in which God justified a sinner through their own Old Testament Scriptures, the teaching of Jesus Christ and the apostles. That Israel did indeed hear about the righteousness of God through the gospel and their own Old Testament Scriptures and rejected it is indicated by Paul’s statements in Romans 10:14-21. Romans 10:14 Therefore, how will they, themselves, call on Him in whom they never exercised absolute confidence in? Consequently, how will they exercise absolute confidence in Him whom they never heard of? Consequently, how will they hear apart from someone, as an eternal spiritual truth, publicly proclaiming as a herald in a dignified and authoritative manner to them? 15 Consequently, how will they publicly proclaim as heralds in a dignified and authoritative manner, if they are not commissioned? As it stands written for all of eternity, “How beautiful are the people, who themselves proclaim the good news, which is divine in quality and character.” 16 But on the contrary, by no means did everyone obey the gospel for Isaiah says, “Lord, who will exercise absolute confidence in our message?” 17 Therefore, faith (in Christ) is, as an eternal spiritual truth based on hearing the (the gospel) message as a source. Consequently, hearing the (the gospel) message is, as an eternal spiritual truth by means of the proclamation concerning Christ. 18 But on the contrary, I ask, have they never heard? Indeed, they have heard! “Their voice has gone out extending throughout all the earth, that is, their teachings extending throughout the ends of the inhabited world.” 19 But on the contrary, I ask, has Israel never understood? They have understood! First of all, Moses says, “I myself will provoke each and every one of you to jealousy by a non-nation. By a nation without insight, I will provoke each and every one of you to anger.” 20 In fact, Isaiah is even very bold, saying, “I was found by those who always existed in a state of not diligently seeking after Me. I permitted Myself to become accessible for the benefit of those who always existed in a state of not diligently inquiring about Me.” 21 However, concerning Israel, he says, “All day long I stretched out My hands to an unbelieving and obstinate people.” (Author’s translation) Paul like the rest of unregenerate Israel “rejected” God’s righteousness in the sense that they refused to recognize that the righteousness of God can never be attained by obedience to the Law but rather is received from God as a gift and imputed by means of faith in Jesus Christ, which results in justification. Thus by

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 76 implication they rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ since this is the content of the gospel for those sinners who seek to be justified by God. Paul like the rest of unregenerate Israel was in rejection of the gospel about Jesus Christ due to unbelief since they zealously sought to establish their own righteousness and thus never submitted to the righteousness of God in that they did not obey the gospel and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior so as to receive this righteousness. In First Timothy 1:13, the noun apistia means “unbelief” and is used of Paul’s rejection of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It speaks of his unwillingness to trust in Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah and his Savior. This was due to the fact that like the rest of unregenerate Israel, he zealously sought to establish his own righteousness through obedience to the Law. This word is the object of the preposition en , which functions as a marker of cause indicating that Paul obtained grace from the Lord because being in a state of rejection (of the gospel), he acted “because of” or “due to” unbelief. Paul’s zealous pursuit of righteousness through obedience to the Law caused him to reject the gospel and as a result to not exercise faith in Jesus of Nazareth as Savior. He didn’t see his need for Jesus because he was looking to himself to get right with God. First Timothy 1:12 I continually possess gratitude to the One who empowered me, namely Christ, who is Jesus, our Lord because He considered me for Himself as faithful by appointing me for Himself for the purpose of service. 13 Even though I was characterized as being a slanderer as well as a persecutor and in addition, an insolent violent person. But in direct contrast to this, I obtained grace because being in a state of rejection, I acted due to unbelief. (Author’s translation) “But in direct contrast to this, I obtained grace because being in a state of rejection, I acted due to unbelief ” is a strong adversative clause that presents a strong contrast with the previous concessive clause “even though I was characterized as being a slanderer as well as a persecutor and in addition, an insolent violent person .” The latter describes Paul’s pre-conversion sinful character and the former describes the Lord’s gracious character. Therefore, Paul is contrasting God’s gracious character with that of Paul’s sinful character before his conversion. The causal clause “ because being in a state of rejection, I acted due to unbelief ” presents the reason why Paul obtained grace from the Lord. Therefore, the clause is saying that Paul obtained grace from the Lord because being in a state of rejection, Paul acted due to unbelief. This unbelief is why he was a slanderer, a persecutor and a violent insolent person. He was in a state of rejecting the gospel and thus acted in unbelief prior to his conversion. He was in a state of rejecting the gospel resulting in unbelief because

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 77 like the rest of unregenerate Israel Paul zealously pursued righteousness through obedience to the Law. His attempt to justify himself through obedience to the Law caused him to reject the gospel and as a result to not exercise faith in Jesus of Nazareth as Savior. He didn’t see his need for Jesus because he was looking to himself to get right with God. Paul loved God but not on God’s terms but on his own. This rejection and unbelief that led to his being a slanderer, persecutor and a violent insolent person qualified him to receive grace, which is for sinners with no merit whatsoever with a holy God. Grace is for the unworthy and undeserving who have no merit with God whatsoever. This is what Paul is saying in verse 13. Therefore, Paul’s statements in verse 13 magnify God’s grace policy. Thus, those pastors in Ephesus who sought to be teachers of the Law and did not understand the three-fold purpose of the Law would be rebuked since God’s grace saved a terrible sinner like Paul and transformed him into an obedient child of God and not his obedience to the Law. In fact, his attempt to get right with God by obedience to the Law blinded him to his need for Jesus Christ as Savior! The Law did not have the power to save the sinner but only to condemn him. However, the gospel which expressed God’s grace policy could since its message is about Jesus Christ and that His death and resurrection has delivered sinful humanity from sin, Satan and his cosmic system. Through faith in Him, which is based on God’s grace policy, the sinner like Paul can be transformed into an obedient child of God. Therefore, when Paul says that he obtained grace because being in a state of rejection, he acted due to unbelief he wants to emphasize the Lord’s grace policy towards him. Thus, he is not attempting with this statement to deny his unbelief was sinful since his sinful behavior was the direct result of his unbelief in the gospel. Rather, Paul’s statement in verse 13 demonstrates to his readers that the gospel has the power to save even a person like himself who was violently opposed to Jesus Christ and His disciples in contrast to the Law, which can’t. If you notice, Paul’s unbelief is the reason for his deplorable conduct. They go hand in hand thus, when he says that he obtained grace because being in a state of rejection, he acted due to unbelief he is in effect saying I obtained grace because of my sinful character since his sinful character was the direct result of his unbelief. Paul wants not only to magnify God’s grace but also His power, the power that is in the gospel message. Thus, those pastors in Ephesus who taught false doctrine and sought to be teachers of the Law were failing to appropriate the power of God by rejecting the gospel. They were also hurting their flocks since the gospel presents how they can be delivered from the power of the sin nature. No wonder the conduct of these pastors was appalling since only the power of the gospel could

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 78 transform them and their congregations into obedient children of God in contrast to the Law, which can’t. Paul’s conversion to Christianity took place on the road to Damascus. He had letters of extradition signed by the high priest and was bent on arresting Jewish Christians and taking them back for trial and punishment. He thought he was serving God by persecuting Christians (1 Tim. 1:14). His plans to go to Damascus to persecute Christians were upset when he encountered the risen Jesus (Acts 9:1- 16). He was called as an apostle to the Gentiles by the Lord Himself and not the other apostles (Acts 9:15; 22:21; Rom. 1:1; Gal. 1:16). He knew the other apostles (Gal. 1:17) and knew Peter and John by name (Gal. 2:9). He knew our Lord’s brother, James (Gal. 1:19). He saw the risen Christ on the road to Damascus therefore qualifying him to be an apostle. He was blinded by the Lord for 3 days and Ananias took him into his home. Paul recovered his sight and spent several days with the disciples in Damascus (Acts 9:18-19). He immediately began preaching Jesus in the synagogue that He is the Son of God (Acts 9:22). The Jews then plotted to kill him and he had to be let down in a basket outside the walls of the city so that the Jews would not see him leaving (Acts 9:23:25). In Jerusalem, he tried to associate with the disciples there but they were afraid of him because of his reputation as a violent persecutor the church (Acts 9:26). Barnabas finally acted as a mediator and brought him to the disciples (Acts 9:27). He did not go to the other apostles to receive instruction upon his conversion but went to Arabia where he studied the Scriptures (Gal. 1:16-17). He received direct revelation from the Lord Himself (Gal. 1:12). Paul wrote half the New Testament. He is the principle expounder in the Greek New Testament of the mystery doctrine for the church age. His evangelistic ministry is responsible for numerous churches rising up throughout the Roman Empire. Paul is greatly responsible for a great Pivot being established in Asia or what is now known as Turkey. The great churches of Asia such as Ephesus and Colossae along with the churches in Philippi in Macedonia contained a tremendous Pivot of mature believers, which sustained the Roman Empire for generations to come. He studied more than the other apostles and thus knew the mind of Christ better than any of them (1 Cor. 15:10). He suffered more for Christ than any of the apostles (1 Cor. 11:24-33). He was persecuted more than any of the apostles. He was the greatest apostle. Paul was caught up to the third heaven and saw things that no human being has ever been privileged to see (1 Cor. 12:1-10). Because he received such tremendous revelation from God there was a demon assigned to him to protect him from arrogance (1 Cor. 12:7-10). The apostle who never walked with the Lord turned out to be the greatest. Paul’s excellent education in Tarsus and in Jerusalem coupled with his tremendous study habits and genius IQ made him a great scholar. He was fluent in

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 79 Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek and Latin. His genius can be deduced from his tremendous vocabulary, which he displays in his epistles along with a complete command of the Greek in all its dialects. Paul communicated in: Doric Greek, Ionic Greek, Aeolic Greek, Attic Greek, Hellenistic Greek, and the Koine Greek. His epistles also display Hebraicism’s and Latinism’s. He was a classical Greek scholar as witnessed to the fact that he quotes 2 minor Greek poets in Acts 17:28 and a Cretan poet in Titus 1:12. Quoting Plato or Homer was not significant but quoting minor poets reveals a comprehensive knowledge of Greek literature. His hometown of Tarsus was known for its great universities and scholars during the period of the Roman Empire. It was a center of Greek culture and philosophy ranking next only to Athens and Alexandria. Paul was also a Hebrew scholar. He studied alongside the greatest Rabbi in Israel in his day, Gamaliel, who taught in the famous Hillel school. Paul was the greatest Roman citizen of all time with Gaius Julius Caesar coming in second. Paul’s spiritual impact made him greater than Caesar. Paul was the only apostle who was a Roman citizen thus our Lord sent him to the Gentiles. He was born a Roman citizen so therefore; his father was a Roman citizen. His father probably acquired his Roman citizenship through his trade as a tentmaker. Quite possibly his father or grandfather was granted Roman citizenship by one of the Roman generals, namely Pompey or Antony. A skenopoioi , “tentmaker” was very useful to a Roman general such as Pompey or Antony. Paul’s native Cilicia fell within the province of both Pompey and Antony during the first Century B.C. Both these generals were invested with imperium by Roman law and could grant Roman citizenship to whom they desired to give it to. Thus, we can deduce that this probably was the case with Paul’s father or grandfather. His Roman citizenship was quite useful in his ministry and he appeals to his rights as a Roman citizen on more than one occasion during his ministry. Because Paul was born a Roman citizen, his father would make a declaration in the appropriate record office that his child was a Roman citizen. This was called civem Romanum esse professus est in the Latin.

Silvanus

Silas or Silvanus appears to have been an early convert since he appears in Acts 15:22 among the early converts at the council of Jerusalem which was convened in AD 49. He evidently was already a leader since he was said to have “risked his life” for the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 15:22, 26). He is called a prophet (Acts 15:32) and a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37).

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 80 J. W. Bass writes “Silas first appears in the history of the church as a leader among the brothers at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:22). This council was convened in AD 49. As Silas was already a leader and one who ‘risked his life’ for the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 15:22, 26), he probably converted very early. He is called a prophet (Acts 15:32) and a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37). In 1 Thessalonians 2:6, Paul may also call him an apostle, though this passage probably refers a missionary apostle (“sent one,” see Rom 1:5) rather than an eyewitness to the resurrected Christ (1 Cor 9:1; Acts 1:21–23). Paul chose Silas to accompany him on his second missionary journey (Acts 15:40). Paul may have chosen Silas because of his Roman citizenship, which would greatly aid their missionary efforts throughout the empire. Paul may have also been impressed by Silas’ prophetic character and his powerful preaching ability, witnessed in Antioch (Acts 15:30– 33). Silas became a missionary with Paul throughout Acts 15:40–18:5, accompanying Paul through Syria, Asia Minor, Macedonia, Thessalonica, and Corinth After Timothy’s arrival, Silas and Timothy are paired together as ministry partners (Acts 16:1; 17:14, 15; 18:5; 2 Cor 1:19; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1). When Paul left for Athens, Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. They later joined Paul in Corinth between AD 50–52 (Acts 18:5; 2 Cor 1:19; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1). The next mention of occurs when he is with Peter in Rome ( AD 64–65; 1 Pet 5:12). Silas is listed as a co-contributor of three letters of the New Testament and the letter from the Jerusalem Council (1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1; 1 Pet 5:12; Acts 15:22–23). First Peter 5:12 states: ‘By Silvanus […] I have written briefly to you.’ The extent of Silas’ involvement in the creation of 1 Peter is debated: • He may have acted as amanuensis, or secretary (Achtemeier, 1 Peter , 350). • He may have been the author (Selwyn, The First Epistle , 241; Bigg, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary , 195). 1 Peter contains many Paul-like characteristics (1 Pet 2:2; 3:9). If Peter gave Silas freedom in writing his letter, these characteristics would be explained. • Richards argues that Silas acted as letter carrier only (Goppelt, A Commentary on 1 Peter , 369). Peter’s involvement of Silas may also have been motivated by his desire to gain further credibility among the Pauline communities he was writing to (1 Pet 1:1). Achtemeier suggest that Silas is a bridge from Acts, to Paul, and now to Peter (see Achtemeier, 1 Peter , 351).”92 Gordon Fee writes “The Latin name Silvanus, which belongs to the man who is mentioned second, is undoubtedly the Silas who first appears in the narrative of Acts as one of the two men entrusted with the letter from the Jerusalem Council to the Gentile churches in Antioch and beyond (Acts 15:22–32), and who subsequently became Paul’s companion on his second missionary tour (Acts

92 Bass, J. W. (2016). Silas the Apostle . In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary . Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 81 15:40–18:5). 93 He and Paul together had been hustled out of Thessalonica during the fateful night recounted in Acts 17:5–10. According to the Acts account, Silas then stayed on in Berea with Timothy when Paul headed south to Athens, and eventually to Corinth, the city where the three of them were reunited (Acts 18:5), at which point he is not further mentioned by name in Luke’s account. 94 ”95 J.A.D. Weima writes “Silvanus (Silas) first appears on the biblical scene after the meeting of the Jerusalem Council, when he and Judas Barsabbas, both of them ‘leading men among the brothers’ (Acts 15:22), are sent to the Antiochian church to convey in person the council’s decision. After splitting with Barnabas following the first missionary journey, Paul chose Silvanus (Silas) to join him for the second missionary journey, during which time the two missionaries, along with Timothy, established the church in Thessalonica. Later in the second missionary journey, Silvanus (Silas) is sent from Athens to somewhere in Macedonia, perhaps Philippi, after which he rejoins Paul, who by this time is in Corinth (for a more detailed account of the movements of both Silvanus and Timothy during this time, see comments on 1 Thess. 3:1). Sometime after his ministry in Corinth, Silvanus (Silas) served as Peter’s associate in Rome. That the name of Silvanus is listed before that of Timothy as a cosender of 1 Thessalonians likely reflects the role that each one played in Paul’s ministry. Silvanus took Barnabas’s place as Paul’s senior associate on his second missionary journey (Acts 15:36–41; note also how Acts 17:1–10 describes Silas’s role in the mission-founding work at Thessalonica but says nothing about Timothy’s involvement), and Timothy similarly replaced John Mark as Paul’s junior associate (G. F. Hawthorne, ISBE 4:858).”96

Timothy

On his second missionary journey Paul met Timothy at Lystra (Acts 16:1-5). Timothy, who may have been converted as the result of Paul’s first visit to Lystra, was highly regarded by the royal family at Lystra and Iconium. His Jewish mother had become a believer with his grandmother (2 Tm. 1:5) but yet his father is described as a Greek (Acts 16:1) and thus would have belonged to the small elite class of Lystra who had been educated in the Greek language and culture.

93 In one of the truly idiosyncratic moments in NT scholarship, M. D. Goulder (“Silas in Thessalonica,” JSNT 48 [1992], 87–106) suggests that Silas actually became Paul’s opponent and is responsible for the “false teachings” circulating in Thessalonica. 94 Although one cannot be certain, he is very likely the Silvanus/Silas who was responsible for the actual writing of 1 Peter (1 Pet 5:12; lit. “ through Silvanus I have written briefly”), which was written from Rome. 95 Fee, G. D. (2009). The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians (p. 13). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. ISBE International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, edited by G. W. Bromiley, fully revised, 4 vols. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979–88) 96 Weima, J. A. D. (2014). Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2 Thessalonians . (R. W. Yarbrough & R. H. Stein, Eds.) (p. 67). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 82 Acts 16 indicates that Timothy’s mother was a Jewish woman who was a believer. She had married a Greek whose name is unknown. There is no reference to his father being a believer hence he would have been considered a heathen by both Jews and Christians. This mixed marriage would have been viewed by Jewish law as illegal and would have been opposed by the Christian church (cf. 2 Cor. 6:14). The marriage thus took place while his mother was not strictly observing Judaism and before she became a Christian. This “mixed” marriage between a Jew and a Gentile would place their offspring (Timothy) on all but the lowest step in the Jewish scale of precedence, yet this was not uncommon in the later periods of Jewish history. Even though Timothy’s mother married a Gentile he was considered a Jew by the Jews and was therefore liable to be circumcised. In Jewish law, a child takes the religion of its mother; so Timothy should have been circumcised and raised a Jew. But in Greek law the father dominates the home. Apparently, the Jewish community at Lystra was too weak or lax to interfere with Greek custom. The absence of any personal allusion to the father in Acts or the Epistles suggests the inference that he must have died or disappeared during his son’s infancy. The care of the boy thus devolved upon his mother Eunice and her grandmother Lois (2 Tm. 1:5). The fact that he had not been circumcised implies either that his mother was not a practicing Jew or that his Gentile father had refused to allow the sign of the covenant to be performed on his son. Under the training of Eunice and Lois, Timothy’s education was emphatically Jewish. 2 Timothy 1:5 speaks of the sincere Jewish faith of Timothy’s grandmother Lois and of his mother Eunice, and 2 Timothy 3:15 speaks of Timothy’s early instruction in the Hebrew Scriptures. His mother Eunice is identified as a Jewess as well as a Christian believer in Acts 16:1 who had probably believed on the Lord Jesus Christ during Paul and Barnabas’ first visit to Lystra (Acts 14:20-23). Likewise, from Paul’s reference to Timothy in 1 Corinthians 4:17 as his son, we may assume that Timothy’s conversion to Christ also dates from the proclamation of the gospel on that first missionary journey. Timothy became an associate and traveling companion of the apostle Paul. 1 Timothy 1:18 strongly suggests that some prophetic utterances about Timothy had first pointed him out to Paul and had encouraged Paul to enlist him as a fellow- soldier of Christ. He is called a “disciple” or “student” ( mathetes ) in Acts 16:1. Paul was at least indirectly responsible for Timothy’s conversion and since he had such a close working relationship with him, he could justly call him his gnesio tekno en pistei , “true child in the faith” (1 Tm. 1:2; Phlp. 2:22). Paul calls him his mou teknon agapeton kai piston en kurio , “my beloved and faithful student in the Lord” (1 Cor. 4:17). These two statements indicate that Paul was indeed Timothy’s spiritual father and mentor.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 83 Paul had Timothy circumcised after he asked him to become his co-worker (Acts 16:3). According to the text Paul did this not out of deference to Timothy’s mother but on account of local unregenerate Jews who knew Timothy had not been circumcised. Timothy’s thoughts about the matter are not mentioned but evidently he willingly complied with Paul’s request. Paul’s refusal to have Titus, a Gentile by birth, circumcised (Gal. 2:1-5) is not inconsistent with his decision to have Timothy, a Jew by birth, circumcised; both decisions accord with his theology and missionary strategy. Paul considered circumcision per se as nothing, and the same was true of uncircumcision (Gal. 5:6; 6:15). If someone insisted that circumcision was necessary for salvation, Paul fought against this as false doctrine and refused to permit the uncircumcised person to be circumcised. But in Timothy’s case circumcision was simply a matter of expediency; and since Paul himself was prepared to become all things to all people so as to win some (1 Cor. 9:19-23), he did not hesitate to ask the same of Timothy. Paul would not risk impeding the gospel’s progress among the Jews by having an uncircumcised Jewish-Christian as his associate. Had he obstinately done so, he would have alienated his audience immediately and forever. Therefore, Paul regarded Timothy’s circumcision not as a means of salvation but as a legal act to remove a serious obstacle to the presentation of the gospel to unregenerate Jews. Some time after Timothy had been ordained with the laying on of hands by the pastor-teachers at Lystra (1 Tm. 4:14), he became a nearly constant companion of Paul. This long association began some time during Paul’s second missionary journey. Timothy is probably the best known of all of Paul’s co-workers, although Acts mentions his name infrequently and does not record all of his movements. But presumably Timothy traveled with Paul from the time of his calling at Lystra onward, until his second and final Roman imprisonment. Paul links Timothy’s name with his own in saluting the churches in: (1) Corinth (2 Cor. 1:1). (2) Philippi (Phlp. 1:1). (3) Colossae (Col. 1:1). (4) Thessalonica (1 Th. 1:1; 2 Th. 1:1). This indicates either that Timothy served with Paul in each of these churches, or that he had been sent there by the apostle, or that he had come to be known by them because of his close association with Paul (cf. Rm. 16:21). As Silas took Barnabas’s place as Paul’s senior associate on his second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-41), so Timothy replaced Mark as Paul’s junior associate. Timothy was diligent student of Paul’s as well as becoming a trusted and invaluable colleague. Paul describes him as: (1) “My fellow-worker” (Rm. 16:21). (2) “God’s fellow- worker” (1 Th. 3:2). (3) “My beloved and faithful student in the Lord” (1 Cor. 4:17). (4) “True child in the faith” (1 Tm. 1:2; Phlp. 2:22). (5) “A Christian gentleman of proven worth” (Phlp. 2:22). (6) “Brother” (2 Cor. 1:1; Col. 1:1). (7)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 84 “My son” (1 Tm. 1:18; cf. v. 1; 1 Cor. 4:14). (8) “I have no one like-minded” (Phlp. 2:20). (9) “Slave of Christ Jesus” (Phlp. 1:1). (10) “Seeks the things of Jesus Christ” (Phlp. 2:21). (11) “Loyal” (2 Tm. 3:10). (12) “Doing the Lord’s work” (1 Cor. 16:10). Apparently, the apostle Paul derived special comfort from Timothy’s presence (Phlp. 2:20-22). Paul’s request for Timothy to leave Ephesus and come to him at Rome during his second and last Roman imprisonment demonstrates once again Paul’s deep and lasting affection for Timothy and his need for Timothy’s sympathy and care, especially at the end of his life (2 Tm. 4:9). Evidently, Timothy was a young man with exceptional leadership qualities since Paul authorized him to appoint pastor-teachers and to establish order in the churches throughout the Roman Empire. On occasion Paul left Timothy behind while he went on ahead, in order that Timothy might accomplish some unnamed task (Acts 17:14) or, perhaps, act as a decoy, allowing Paul to escape danger (vv. 13f.). On other occasions Paul enlisted Timothy as an emissary to do what he himself could not do such as when the Macedonian Christians were suffering persecution Paul sent him to Thessalonica to encourage them and teach them doctrine (1 Th. 3:1-3). Later Paul sent him from Ephesus to other Macedonian churches with perhaps the same mission (Acts 19:22). Paul sent him to Corinth (1 Cor. 4:17-21) and Philippi (Phlp. 2:19). On at least one return journey Timothy brought with him a monetary gift, which seems to have freed Paul from the need to work with his hands (cf. Acts 18:5; Phlp. 4:15). Timothy accompanied Paul on his last recorded journey to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4) and was at his side during his first Roman imprisonment (Phlp. 1:1; Phlp. 2:19). The Scriptures indicate that Timothy was the pastor-teacher at Ephesus (1 Tm. 1:3). He was frequently ill (1 Tm. 5:23), timid (2 Tm. 1:7), and even despised because of his youthfulness (1 Tm. 4:12; 1 Cor. 16:10), yet he was loyal (1 Cor. 16:10; Phlp. 2:19ff. 2 Tm. 3:10ff.). Paul had to command him to be diligent in his studies as a pastor-teacher (2 Tm. 3:16) as well as to persevere in his own spiritual life (1 Tm. 4:12-16; 2 Tm. 1:6; 3:14 f.). He needed instruction on how to: (1) Behave toward various groups of people (1 Tm. 5) (2) Control his own inclinations (2 Tm. 2:22 f.) (3) Respond to persons in error (3:1-8). Paul also reminded him to set an example for his congregation by his conduct (1 Tm. 4:12) through the execution of his own spiritual life. He was commanded by Paul to fight the noble fight of doctrine (1 Tm. 1:18), to guard the doctrine in his soul (1:19), and to protect his soul from the cosmic system and non-essentials (1:4; 4:7). The last reference of Timothy in the Scriptures is Hebrews 13:23 which indicates that Timothy was well-known to the readers of this epistle. Timothy was still young when Paul was put to death in A.D. 68 and was probably not more than

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 85 35 years old. Church history dates Timothy’s martyrdom as after the date of Revelation in A.D. 96.

Thessalonians

The term ekkl ēsia , “ congregation ” in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 describes the Thessalonian Christian community as a totally unique group of believers who were declared justified by the Father through faith in His Son Jesus Christ as Savior. Consequently, they were identified with His Son in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at His right hand. The term speaks of those individuals who had entered into an eternal relationship and fellowship with the Trinity through faith in Jesus Christ. The recipients of First Thessalonians were new converts to Christianity who lived in the city of Thessalonica (cf. 1 Thess. 1:1). Acts 17:1-10 records Paul establishing the church in this city. This passage reveals that Paul taught in the Jewish synagogue in Thessalonica. Consequently, “some of the Jews” and a “large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women” were converted. This passage teaches that eventually Paul and Silas had to leave Thessalonica because the Jews were jealous and incited the populace to turn against them. This text would indicate that the church in Thessalonica was primarily Jewish. However, this passage does not tell the entire story. Undoubtedly, as the text says, the Jews were jealous of this response by their fellow Jews to Paul’s gospel. However, 1 Thessalonians 2:14 would indicate that they were also jealous of the Gentiles in this city trusting Jesus Christ as their Savior. This verse records Paul telling the Thessalonians that they became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. Then, he says that they suffered the same things from their own countrymen as the saved Jews in Judea did from their own countrymen! Notice the distinction Paul makes between the Thessalonians suffering persecution at the hands of their own countrymen and the Jewish believers suffering at the hands of their fellow Jewish countrymen. This makes clear that the Thessalonians were primarily Gentile. Thus, the Jews in Thessalonica would have also been jealous of the Gentiles in this city responding favorably to Paul’s gospel. Indeed, Paul teaches in Romans 11:13-14 that he magnifies his ministry to the Gentiles in order to make his fellow Jewish countrymen jealous and thus save some of them. Therefore, Paul must have had a ministry. Another clear indication that Thessalonian Christian community was in fact primarily Gentile rather than Jewish is Paul’s statement in 1 Thessalonians 1:9, which records Paul asserting that the Thessalonians turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. The Jewish people were no longer practicing

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 86 idolatry upon their return from Babylon in the fifth century B.C. The gospels make clear that the practice of idolatry was no longer found among the Jewish people. However, the pagan Gentiles living in the first century A.D. were totally and completely immersed in the practice of idolatry. Therefore, this statement in 1 Thessalonians 1:9 is a reference to the fact that Paul was writing to Gentile Christians. Wanamaker writes “The theological importance of the name and nature of the church at Thessalonica should not cause us to lose sight of the fact that the Christian ἐκκλησία was first and foremost a community, a social institution, without which Christianity would never have succeeded in becoming the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. This was the cardinal advantage that it enjoyed over its religious competitors in the Roman world, which, with the exception of Judaism, did not generally organize adherents into religious communities (see Gager, Kingdom and Community, 140). The communal character of Christianity provided the context in which converts were resocialized from the pagan or exclusively Jewish worlds to the new Christian world with its distinctive sets of beliefs and values. (See the Introduction, pp. 14f. above, for a further discussion of religious conversion as a socialization process.) It was also the basis for separating those who professed faith in the one God and Father and in the one Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 8:6) from the rest of humanity by reinforcing the new Christian social identity. In other words the Christian community or church helped to establish group boundaries between saved and unsaved humanity. This was essential for sustaining its identity and that of its members in a hostile world (see Meeks, “ ‘Since then …,’ ” 4–29; First Urban Christians, 84–106 on group boundaries in Pauline Christianity).” 97 Richard Mayue writes “The Apostle’s intimate correspondence to the church, which he dearly loved, reveals the basic fibre of the Thessalonian assembly. These letters let one look below the surface, examine the very heart of the flock, and identify twelve important hallmarks. 1. Committed Church To each of the seven churches of Asia, Christ remarked, ‘I know your works’. Just as Jesus commended the church at Ephesus for her ‘deeds’, ‘toil’, and ‘perseverance’, Paul commends the Thessalonians for their work, labor, and steadfastness (1 Thess 1:2–3). The same three Greek words are used in both instances to describe these two churches. ‘Faith’ in Christ had produced works, just as God had designed the outcome of salvation: ‘For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them’ (Eph 2:10). As newly redeemed bondservants, they gladly worked on behalf of their Lord Jesus. ‘Love’ for Christ took their works to a deeper level called labor or toil. Because of

97 Wanamaker, C. A. (1990). The Epistles to the Thessalonians: a commentary on the Greek text (pp. 70–71). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 87 Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf, they now sacrificed on His behalf. They spared nothing in their spiritual service, always working to the point of exhaustion. ‘Hope’ towards Christ’s return produced the ultimate level of commitment, i.e. steadfastness or perseverance. They would stay with their kingdom labor on earth until their Lord and Master called them away to be with Him in heaven. They would be found at their Christ-appointed service until the end. The Thessalonians committed themselves to gospel service. Not satisfied with ordinary or average work, they labored long and hard on Christ’s behalf. They intended to do this as long as it pleased Christ. Their commitment proved genuine. After Paul sent Timothy to strengthen them, he returned with a wonderful report of their ‘faith’ and ‘love’ (1 Thess 3:6). Even more telling, Paul commends the Thessalonians in his second letter because their faith was greatly enlarged and their love for one another had grown greater (2 Thess 1:3). 2. Submitted Church ‘You became followers of us and of the Lord’ (1 Thess 1:6). As Hebrews 13:7 exhorts, the Thessalonians imitated the faith of their spiritual father and his associates. They lived out Paul’s admonition to the Corinthian church: ‘Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ’ (1 Cor 11:1). As children submit to and obey their father and mother, so did the Thessalonians to their spiritual parents. But the Thessalonians’ submission went a step further. They would have found it easy to submit in good times; however, their submission also came in a time of persecution and hardship. Paul notes that they received the Word in much tribulation (1 Thess 1:6). The church began with instant spiritual conflict (Acts 17:1–9) and seemingly never knew a moment of peace, but continued in persecution. Because of these obstacles and distractions, the church suffered the same way as did the churches of Judea earlier (1 Thess 2:14). They were submissive at the highest level. 3. Reproducing Church The Thessalonians took Christ’s Great Commission seriously (Matt 28:18– 20). Having first been an example to other believers, they then spread the gospel wherever they went (1 Thess 1:7–8). The gospel spread in the city of Thessalonica, the region of Macedonia, beyond to Achaia, and wherever else the Thessalonians travelled outside of their own national boundaries. Although the text does not explicitly say so, a little sanctified imagination can picture the Thessalonians discipling other believers and evangelizing unbelievers. Undoubtedly, other churches came into being because of their spreading the gospel. 4. Repentant Church The Thessalonians had turned from the false to the true God in their salvation (1 Thess 1:9). Their 180 degree turn, spiritually speaking, involved completely turning away from idols and completely turning towards God (Acts 11:18; 2 Cor 7:10). Unlike the church at Sardis, which claimed to be alive although Jesus declared her to be dead (Rev 3:1–2), the Thessalonian church had actually been dead but was now alive. They had been converted by gospel preaching (1 Thess 1:5), then opposed false religion rather than participated in it (Acts 17:5–9),

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 88 and openly declared their allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess 1:8). 5. Serving Church The Thessalonians understood that service to God befitted their new status of being Christians (1 Thess 1:9). Christ is Lord and they were His servants. While they remained on the earth, they were not to attempt to make God their servant or indulge themselves in the wealth of the world. Rather, they now would serve God rather than mammon (Matt 6:24). Paul’s example had been to serve the Lord (Acts 20:19). He instructed the Colossian church, ‘For you serve the Lord Christ’ (Col 3:24). When one had a perfect Master, the only reasonable and spiritual response was to serve Him. 6. Patient Church With confident expectancy, the Thessalonians awaited Jesus’ return (1 Thess 1:10). He promised, ‘I will come again’ (John 14:3). The angels proclaimed, ‘This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’ (Acts 1:11). The Thessalonian church was a ‘second coming’ church. Their hope rested in the glorious thought that one day Christ would return and deliver them from a sin-filled world. The Thessalonian believers, like the believers on Crete, were looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus (Titus 2:13). 7. Accepting Church How can we explain such radical change in people’s lives as was seen in the Thessalonians? How does a church mature as fast as the Thessalonian assembly? By the power of God’s Word working in them (1 Thess 2:13). They began with God’s Word (Acts 17:1–3) and they continued in God’s Word. They didn’t doubt, hesitate, accept some and reject some; rather, they completely accepted Paul’s message as God’s message. God’s Word is the power of God to save (Rom 1:16; 1 Cor 1:18). God’s Word is the power by which Christians grow (1 Pet 2:1–3; 2 Pet 3:18). God’s Word goes forth with a promise that it will accomplish God’s bidding (Isa 55:11). This power by which God works in us is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think (Eph 3:20). 8. Persecuted Church No one actively seeks out persecution. While it seemed to purify the church at Smyrna, persecution could not fully cleanse Pergamum. Suffering comes by the will of God (1 Pet 3:17; 4:19) and is not normal for all churches. But persecution quickly found the Thessalonians (1 Thess 2:14–16). Time did not diminish the pain and conflict. In his second letter Paul writes, ‘so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure’ (2 Thess 1:4). Suffering for righteousness’ sake finds favor with God (1 Pet 2:20). Suffering as a Christian glorifies God (1 Pet 4:16); being reviled for the name of Christ brings blessing (1 Pet 4:14). This wonderful promise awaits those who now suffer on behalf of Christ: ‘But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you’ (1 Pet 5:10). 9. Staunch Church When Timothy returned to Paul, he reported that the Thessalonians were ‘standing firm’ (1 Thess 3:8). The

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 89 church had started in the midst of spiritual warfare and had grown in the same environment. They were battle-hardened veterans from the beginning. Even though the church had existed for less than a year when Paul wrote, the believers exhibited maturity beyond their years. The Thessalonians refused any spiritual retreat. They stood their ground without compromise. Because they burned their secular bridges behind them, the only way to go was forward. While the enemy would not always allow them to advance, the Thessalonians purposed not to give up the ground that had already been gained for them by Christ. 10. God-Pleasing Church Obedient churches please God as did the Thessalonians (1 Thess 4:1). Pleasing God is an important part of salvation’s fruit: For it is God who works in you both to will and to work on behalf of His good pleasure (Phil 2:13). Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ’ to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen (Heb 13:20–21). Paul’s top ambition was to please the Lord (2 Cor 5:9). Jesus testified, ‘I always do those things that please Him’ (John 8:29). 11. Loving-the-brethren Church Loving is the most often mentioned ‘one another’ in Scripture. On at least ten other occasions the same activity is addressed (Rom 12:10; 13:8; 1 Thess 3:12; 4:9; 2 Thess 1:3; 1 Pet 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11; 2 John 5). Jesus said, ‘By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another’ (John 13:35). This contrasting truth is also taught, ‘Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law’ (Rom 13:8). Even as well as the Thessalonians must have been doing, Paul exhorts, ‘Increase more and more’ (1 Thess 4:10). The church needed to grow continually in love towards one another. 12. Praying Church Paul had great opportunities to preach the gospel. He understood that evangelism needs to be undergirded by effective prayer. So he asked the Thessalonians to pray for his ministry that the Word of God would spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it had been in the beginning at Thessalonica (2 Thess 3:1). A more important prayer request could not have been rendered. Therefore, one can conclude that the Thessalonians had already demonstrated their faithfulness to an earnest ministry of prayer. Thus, Paul could entrust this supremely important matter to their prayer ministry.”98

God the Father

In 1 Thessalonians 1:1, the noun theos , “ God ” refers to the Father which is indicated by the fact that it is modified by the noun pat ēr, “Father” and speaks of

98 Mayhue, R. (1999). 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Triumphs and Trials of a Consecrated Church (pp. 39–43). Fearn: Christian Focus Publications.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 90 the deity of the Father. The Father’s character and nature are composed of the following attributes: (1) Sovereign (Mt. 6:10). (2) Righteousness (Jn. 17:25). (3) Justice (Rm. 3:24-26) (4) Love (Rm. 5:8; Jn. 3:16) (5) Eternal life (Jn. 1:1; 17:2-3). (6) Omniscience (Mt. 6:8). (7) Omnipresence (Eph. 4:6). (8) Omnipotence (Mk. 14:36a). (9) Immutability (Jam. 1:17). (10) Veracity (Jn. 7:28). The title “ Father ” emphasizes the absolute authority that the First Person of the Trinity has over all creation and the church (1 Cor. 8:6; Ephesians 4:6). God the Father is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 4:6, One God and Father of all (believers) who is over all (sovereign) and through all (omnipresent) and in all (indwelling of the Father). The first person of the Trinity is called “ the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ” (2 Cor. 1:3; 11:31; Eph. 1:3; Col. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:3). This title indicates the relationship between Christ and the Father. The Lord Jesus Christ reveals the Father to man and is most important part of the Father's plan (John 1:14, 18; 2 Cor. 4:6; Eph. 3:11; Heb. 1:2). This relationship has existed from eternity past in the divine decree (John 17:5, 24). The Lord Jesus Christ though equal with God the Father took a subordinate role to accomplish the plan of salvation (Phil. 2:6). The Scriptures teach that God is the Father of humanity of Christ in hypostatic union (Rm. 15:6). The incarnate Son of God addressed God in prayer as pater , “Father ” (Mt. 7:11; 28:19; Mk. 11:25; Mt. 7:21; 12:50; 16:17; Mk. 13:32; 14:36; Lk. 22:29, 42; Jn. 5:17, 43; 17). By addressing the God as Father, the Lord Jesus Christ was putting Himself on a par with God or equal to God (Jn. 5:18). The Lord Jesus Christ, the God-Man is subordinate to the Father in His humanity but co- infinite, co-equal and co-eternal with both the Father and the Spirit. Paul adopted pater as a title of God, “ our Father ” (Rm. 1:7; 1 C. 1:3; 2 C. 1:2; Eph. 1:2; Phlp. 1:2). The Lord Jesus Christ reveals the Father to man and is most important part of the Father's plan (John 1:14; 2 Cor. 4:6; Eph. 3:11; Heb. 1:2). John 1:18, No man has seen God (the Father) at any time; the only begotten God (the Lord Jesus Christ), who is in the bosom of the Father, He (the Lord Jesus Christ) has explained Him (God the Father). This relationship has existed from eternity past in the divine decree (John 17:5, 24). The Lord Jesus Christ though equal with God the Father took a subordinate role to accomplish the plan of salvation (Phil. 2:6). God the Father's role in the Trinity is as the source and planner of all things. God the Son's role in the Trinity is to carry out the plan of God the Father. God the Holy Spirit reveals the Father's plan and provides the power to carry it out. God the Father is the Father of all believers and is not the Father of unbelievers. The Father indwells each and every believer as a guarantee that He will provide for

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 91 us (John 14:23; Eph. 4:6). God the Father is the recipient of prayer from believers (Eph. 3:14) and God the Son (Lk. 22:42; 23:34, 46). The Lord Jesus taught His disciples to pray to the Father (Lk. 11:2). The Father is the source and giver of all that illuminates and is therefore called the Father of lights (Jam. 1:17). He is called the Father of mercy (2 Co. 1:3) and of glory (Eph. 1:17). God the Father is the recipient of prayer from believers (Eph. 3:14) and God the Son (Lk. 22:42; 23:34, 46). The Lord Jesus taught His disciples to pray to the Father (Lk. 11:2). The Father is the source and giver of all that illuminates and is therefore called the Father of lights (Jam. 1:17). He is called the Father of mercy (2 Co. 1:3) and of glory (Eph. 1:17). God is the Father of all believers who are sons of God through regeneration (Jn. 1:12-13; Rm. 8:15; Gal. 3:26-28; 4:6; Eph. 2:18). Regeneration takes place at the moment of justification when a person expresses faith alone in Christ alone (Jn. 3:16-17, 36; Acts 16:31; Gal. 3:26-28). Those who are sons of God through regeneration are considered by God to be His children as a result of honoring His Son by accepting the Son as Savior. The Father deals with believers as a father in the natural realm would deal with his children (1 Th. 2:11; Heb. 12:4-13). Unlike the Greek philosophers of the ancient world and of modern 21st century society, the New Testament considers only those who have accepted Christ as Savior as children of God. Unbelievers are considered children of the devil and are designated “ sons of disobedience ” (Eph. 2:2; 5:6; Col. 3:6; cf. Jn. 8:44). It is true that as Creator, God is Father of all but in terms of relationship and fellowship, He is the Father of only believers who have been born into the royal family of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 12:7, 9). One cannot claim to have or know experientially the Father without the Son (1 Jn. 2:22-23; 2 Jn. 9; cf. Jn. 8).

The Work of the Father

God the Father is the personal grantor of blessings for both time and eternity (eternal inheritance). God the Father receives the believer back into fellowship when he acknowledges his to Him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 1:9). The believer has eternal security and cannot lose his salvation, once a son, always a son. Sin after justification prevents the believer from having fellowship with God but this fellowship is restored through the application of 1 John 1:9 and Psalm 32:5. The Scriptures teach that God the Father is responsible for electing and predestinating the believer (Eph. 1:3-14; Rm. 8:28-39). The purpose of electing and predestinating the believer is to conform the believer into the image of God the

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 92 Son (Rm. 8:28). He justifies the one who expresses faith alone in Christ alone and sanctifies and glorifies the believer (Rm. 8:28-39). God the Father took part in the resurrection of Christ. By means of His omnipotence, the Father sent back our Lord’s human spirit to the body in the grave (Acts 2:24; Rom. 6:4; Eph. 1:20; Col. 2:12; 1 Thess. 1:10; 1 Pet. 1:21).

The Lord Jesus Christ

Each of the terms used here in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 to describe the incarnate Son of God describe both His person and work and what He has accomplished in history through this work as well as His status in relation to creation and every creature. Thus, they also describe His relationship to the church. The term “ Lord ” ( kurios ) indicates the following about Jesus of Nazareth: (1) His equality with the Father and the Spirit. (2) His joint-rulership with the Father over the entire cosmos. (3) His highest-ranking position as Chief Administrator in the divine government. (4) His absolute sovereign authority as Ruler over all creation and every creature. (5) His victory over the sin nature and Satan and His kingdom. In His deity, Jesus Christ is “ Lord ” (See Luke 20:42). However, in His human nature He received this title as a result of His obedience to the Father’s will, which called for Him to suffer a spiritual and physical death on the cross as a substitute for every member of the human race-past, present and future (See Philippians 2:5- 11). In 1 Thessalonian 1:1, the noun kurios emphasizes that Jesus Christ is the sovereign ruler over all of creation and every creature as well as the church. It also signifies the victory that He accomplished over sin and Satan through His spiritual and physical deaths and resurrection. His spiritual death solved the problem of personal sins, which are produced by the sin nature through the function of human volition. His physical death solved the problem of the sin nature, which resides in the genetic structure of the human body. His resurrection guarantees the believer that he or she will receive a resurrection body at the rapture of the church, which will be immortal and minus the sin nature. The apostle Paul teaches in Colossians 1:15-20 that Jesus Christ is the creator and sovereign ruler over all creation and every creature and ruler of the church and first-born from the dead. Colossians 1:15 who, as an eternal spiritual truth exists in the state of being the invisible God’s image, existing before all creation. 16 For each and every thing in the heavens as well as on the earth was created by Him, visible things as well as invisible things, whether thrones, or dominions or rulers or authorities. Each and every thing is created through Him as well as for Him.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 93 17 Consequently, He Himself, as an eternal spiritual truth preexists each and every thing (in creation) so that each and every thing (in creation) continues to exist because of Him. 18 Furthermore, He Himself, as an eternal spiritual truth exists in the state of being the head over His body, namely His church who, as an eternal spiritual truth exists in the state of being the founder that is the firstborn from the dead ones. The divine purpose was accomplished so that He alone became the Preeminent One among each and every person with no exceptions 19 because He was very pleased to have all His fullness dwell permanently in Him 20 so as to reconcile through Him alone each and every thing for Himself. Specifically, by making peace by means of His blood, namely His cross-through Him alone, whether each and every thing on the earth or each and every thing located in the heavens. (Author’s translation) The term “sovereignty” connotes a situation in which a person, from his innate dignity, exercises supreme power, with no areas of his province outside his jurisdiction. As applied to God, the term “sovereignty” indicates His complete power over all of creation, so that He exercises His will absolutely, without any necessary conditioning by a finite will or wills. Isaiah 40:15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. (NASB95) Isaiah 40:17 All the nations are as nothing before Him, they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless. (NASB95) Daniel 2:19 Next in a vision during the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel. Then Daniel showered the God of the heavens with adoring praise, honor, recognition and worshipful thanksgiving. 20 Daniel responded and said: “God has had His name showered with adoring praise, honor, recognition and worshipful thanksgiving from eternity past and in addition this will continue throughout eternity future because He inherently is wisdom as well as power. 21 Namely, He determines the appointed times as well as the durations of time. He deposes kings as well as elevates kings. He gives wisdom to wise men as well as knowledge to those who possess the capacity to receive understanding. 22 God reveals unfathomable events, yes events which are hidden. He alone knows what is in the darkness. Specifically, the light resides in Him. 23 For the benefit of You, O God of my fathers, I myself give thanks, yes and praise too because You gave to me wisdom, yes and power too. Indeed, now You have made known to me what we requested from You because You made known to us the king’s secret.” (Author’s translation) The apostle Paul also taught that the nations receive their time and place as a result of the sovereignty of God.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 94 Acts 17:22 So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23 For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us 28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ 29 Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” 32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you again concerning this.” 33 So Paul went out of their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. (NASB95) Psalm 66:7 He rules by His might forever; His eyes keep watch on the nations; Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. (NASB95) The humanity of Christ in hypostatic union has been promoted by the Father as the supreme ruler of history as a result of His victory over Satan at the Cross. Colossians 2:8 Don’t stop making it your habit of watching out for anyone belonging to a group who would seek to take each and every one of you captive through empty, deceitful philosophy based upon the tradition produced by human beings, based upon the elementary teachings promoted by the cosmic system, which are by no means based upon the teaching originating from Christ. 9 The reason for this command is that in Him, the totality of attributes which compose the divine nature permanently dwell in bodily form. 10 Also, by means of your union and identification with Him, each and every one of you as an eternal spiritual truth exist in the state of being made complete, who is, as an eternal spiritual truth existing in the state

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 95 of being the head over each and every ruler and authority. (Author’s translation) Philippians 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NASB95) 1 Timothy 6:13 I command you in the presence of God the Father, who does, as an eternal spiritual truth, cause each and every thing to live as well as Christ, who is Jesus, who testified the confession before Pontius Pilate which is of superior importance 14 that you conscientiously fulfill your commission with integrity of character, in other words, with irreproachable character until the revelation of our Lord, who is Jesus, who is the Christ, 15 which the blessed as well as one and only Sovereign, the King over those who are kings as well as the Lord over those who are lords, will cause to be revealed at His appointed time. 16 The only one who possesses immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom absolutely no one among human beings has seen nor are they, as an eternal spiritual truth able, for their own benefit to see. For the benefit of whom there will be honor (in the sense of public recognition and acknowledgment) as well as eternal manifested power. So it will be! (Author’s translation)

The Deity of Christ

There are several titles ascribed to Jesus Christ that signify His deity. He is called “the Son of God” (Luke 1:35), “the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32), “mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6), “eternal Father” (Isaiah 9:6), “His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity” (Micah 5:2) “Lord” (Rom. 15:30; Eph. 1:22; Phil. 2:11) and “God” (Titus 2:13). The Scriptures assign to Jesus Christ the same divine essence as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit meaning that He possesses all the attributes of deity. The Scriptures teach that He is sovereign (Matt. 28:18a; Col. 2:10b), that He is perfect righteousness (John 8:46a; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 2:21b) and justice (John 8:16a; 2 Tim. 4:8; Ps. 9:8; Deut. 32:4; Rev. 15:3b). Furthermore, the attribute of love is ascribed to Him (John 13:34; Rom. 5:8; Eph. 3:19; 1 John 4:9-

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 96 10) as well as eternal life (1 Tim. 1:17; 1 John 5:11), omniscience (Luke 11:17; John 2:24-25; 6:64; 21:17), omnipresence (Matt. 18:20; Prov. 15:3), omnipotence (John 1:3, 10; 5:21; 1 Cor. 1:23-24; Phil. 3:21; Heb. 1:3; Rev. 1:8), immutability (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 1:10-12; 13:8) and veracity (John 1:14; 14:6a; 1 John 3:16). The Word of God presents Jesus Christ as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe (John 1:3, 10; Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:3, 10). His deity is referred to in that He is said to have authority to forgive sins (Matt. 9:6; Luke 5:24; Col. 3:13). He has the power to raise the dead (John 5:21; 6:40; 11:25). The Bible teaches that all judgment belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ (John 5:22; 1 Cor. 3:11-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:11-14), and that He receives worship from both men and angels (Ps. 99:5; Phil. 2:10; Rev. 5:13-14) since He is equal with the Father (John 10:30, 37-38; 14:9; 17:5, 24-25). Then there is the subject of the Old Testament Messianic prophecies that Jesus literally fulfilled, which substantiate His claims to being God. The Old Testament was written over a 1000 year period and contains nearly 300 references to the coming Messiah. All of these were literally fulfilled in the Person of Jesus Christ, and they establish a solid confirmation of His credentials as the Messiah. These Messianic prophecies extend over hundreds of years and yet find their literal fulfillment in the short 33 ½ year life span of one person, Jesus of Nazareth. Many of these prophecies were fulfilled in one day. These prophecies truly accomplish the purposes of the Gospel writers as they carefully pointed to the Person, words, and works of Christ. The early church evangelized unbelievers by appealing to these fulfilled Messianic prophecies, therefore, Christians today should follow suit. For these fulfilled prophecies substantiate Christ’s claims as being the Son of God. John 20:31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. (NASB95) Matthew 26:56, “But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.” (NASB95) Luke 24:25 And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. 26 Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory? 27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” (NASB95) Luke 24:44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (NASB95) The Lord Jesus Christ said He came to fulfill prophecy.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 97 Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” (NASB95) Jesus appealed to these Messianic prophecies many times during His ministry. These Messianic prophecies were uttered by many different voices and over a period of five hundred years yet they were all fulfilled within twenty hours on the day that the Lord died for the sins of the world. There is the prophecy that He would be sold for thirty pieces of silver. Prophecy: Zechariah 11:12 I said to them, “If it is good in your sight, give {me} my wages; but if not, never mind.’ So they weighed out thirty {shekels} of silver as my wages.” (NASB95) Fulfillment: Matthew 26:14 “Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?’ And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him.” (NASB95) Then we have the prophecy that He would be betrayed by a friend. Prophecy: Psalm 55:12 “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear {it;} nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, then I could hide myself from him. 13 But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend; 14 We who had sweet fellowship together walked in the house of God in the throng.” (NASB95) Fulfillment: Matthew 26:49 Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi.” and kissed Him. 50 And Jesus said to him, “Friend, {do} what you have come for.’ Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.” (NASB95) There is the prophecy of the money cast to the potter. Prophecy: Zechariah 11:13 Then the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.’ So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.” (NASB95) Fulfillment: Matthew 27:5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. 6 And the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood. 7 And they counseled together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers.” (NASB95) The disciples forsook Him, again true to prophecy. Prophecy: Zechariah 13:7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate,” declares the LORD of hosts. ‘Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones.’” (NASB95)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 98 Fulfillment: Matthew 26:56 “But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.” (NASB95) He was accused by false witnesses. Prophecy : Psalm 35:11 Malicious witnesses rise up; They ask me of things that I do not know. (NASB95) Fulfillment: Matthew 26:59 Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, in order that they might put Him to death; 60 and they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward. (NASB95) Jesus of Nazareth was smitten and spit upon, again another fulfillment of prophecy. Prophecy : Isaiah 50:6 “I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.” (NASB95) Fulfillment: Matthew 27:30 And they spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. (NASB95) Then there is the prophecy that He would be dumb before His accusers. Prophecy: Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. (NASB95) Fulfillment: Matthew 27:12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He made no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so that the governor was quite amazed. (NASB95) Isaiah prophesied that He the Messiah would be wounded and bruised. Prophecy: Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. (NASB95) Fulfillment: Matthew 27:26 Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he delivered Him to be crucified. . . . 29 And after weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they kneeled down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews.” (NASB95) One thousand years before Jesus of Nazareth appeared on the pages of history, David prophesied that the Messiah would have His hands and feet pierced. David spoke of crucifixion centuries before it was invented by the Persians. The Romans perfected it.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 99 Prophecy : Psalm 22:16 “For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet.” (NASB95) Fulfillment : Luke 23:33 And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. (NASB95) The prophet Isaiah wrote that the Messiah would be crucified with thieves. Prophecy: Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.” (NASB95) Fulfillment: Mark 15:27 And they crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.” (NASB95) Then there is the prophecy that people would ridicule Him. Prophecy : Psalm 22:8 “Commit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.” (NASB95) Fulfillment : Matthew 27:41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him, and saying, 42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we shall believe in Him. 43 He trusts in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He takes pleasure in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.” (NASB95) There is the prophecy in the book of Psalms that the suffering Messiah would have His garments parted and lots would be cast for them. Again, Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled this perfectly. Prophecy : Psalm 22:18 “They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.” (NASB95) Fulfillment: John 19:23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. 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.” (NASB95) There is the prophecy of His forsaken cry. Prophecy : Psalm 22:1 “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.” (NASB95) Fulfillment : Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (NASB95) The Psalms state that gall and vinegar would be given to Him.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 100 Prophecy : Psalm 69:21 “They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” (NASB95) Fulfillment : John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop, and brought it up to His mouth. (NASB95) Each of the following prophecies was literally fulfilled by Jesus of Nazareth. Prophecy: Psalm 38:11 “My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague; and my kinsmen stand afar off.” (NASB95) Fulfillment: Luke 23:49 And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee, were standing at a distance, seeing these things. (NASB95) Prophecy: Psalm 34:20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. (NASB95) Fulfillment: John 19:33, 36, but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs; . . . 36 For these things came to pass, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Not a bone of Him shall be broken. (NASB95) Prophecy: Isaiah 53:9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. (NASB95) Fulfillment : Matthew 27:57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given over to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. (NASB95) There is no way short of being supernatural that Jesus could have manipulated the events and people in His life to respond in exactly the way necessary for it to appear that He was fulfilling all these prophecies, including John’s heralding Him. So there were many prophecies concerning the Messiah that were simply beyond the human control of Jesus: (1) Place of birth (Mic. 5:2). (2) Time of birth (Dn. 9:25; Gen. 49:10). (3) Manner of birth (Is. 7:14). (4) Betrayal (5) Manner of death (Ps. 22:16). (6) People’s reactions (mocking, spitting) (7) Piercing (John 19:34) (8) Burial (Mt. 27:59; Mk. 15:46). The following probabilities are taken from Peter Stoner’s book entitled Science Speaks which shows that coincidence is ruled out by the science of probability. Stoner says that by using the modern science of probability in reference to the

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 101 eight prophecies, Stoner states the following: “We find the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all 8 prophecies is 1 in 10 17 …that would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000…17 zeros. In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that we take 10 17 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote them according to their own wisdom. Now these prophecies were either given by inspiration of God or the prophets just wrote them as they thought they should be. In such a case the prophets had just one chance in 10 to the 17 th power of having them come true in any man, but they all came true in Christ. This means that the fulfillment of these eight prophecies alone proves that God inspired the writing of those prophecies to a definiteness which lacks only one chance in 10 to the 17 th power of being absolute.

The Resurrection Demonstrated the Deity of Christ

The resurrection of Christ was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Psalm 16:10 “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.” (NASB95) It is also the greatest attested fact in all of human history and is mentioned by secular historians as well. Tacitus writes, “ Christus , from whom the name (Christians) had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular.” 99 Josephus writes, “Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works-a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other

99 Annals XV, 44

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 102 wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.” 100 Talmud states, “On the eve of Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, ‘He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Anyone who can say anything in his favor let him come forward and plead on his behalf.’ But since nothing was brought forward in his favor he was hanged on the eve of the Passover.” Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, the resurrection of our Lord from the dead is a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith at the very heart of the gospel. 1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. (NASB95) The resurrection is fundamental to the gospel because it demonstrates that Jesus of Nazareth is in fact God. It demonstrated the substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths of our Lord were acceptable to the Father as the atonement for sin. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was central to the preaching of the apostles, who were witnesses of His resurrection (see Acts 2:24, 32; 3:15, 26; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30, 33, 34, 37; 17:31). Only one resurrection has taken place in human history-the humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was the first fruits in resurrection (1 Cor. 15:23). There were only resuscitations prior to the humanity of Christ’s resurrection. The following is a list of those who were resuscitated in both the Old and New Testaments: (1) Elijah and “the widow’s son” (1 Kings 17:17-24). (2) “The daughter of Jairus” was resuscitated by our Lord (Matt. 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-26; Luke 8:41-56). (3) “The widow’s son” was resuscitated by our Lord” (Luke 7:11- 18). (4) “Lazarus” was resuscitated by our Lord after being dead for 4 days (John 11:1-44). (5) “Paul” was resuscitated after being stoned at Lystra (Acts 14:19-20; 2 Cor. 12:2-4). (6) Paul resuscitated “Eutychus” who died after falling out of a 3rd floor window sill because fell asleep during one of Paul’s doctrine classes (Acts 20:7-12). Jesus never predicted His death without adding that He would rise again. Look at the list of Scriptures in which Jesus predicted His resurrection: Matthew 12:38- 40; 16:21; 17:9, 22-23; 20:18-19; 26:32; 27:63; Mark 8:31-9:1; 9:10, 31; 10:32-34; 14:28, 58; Luke 9:22-27; John 2:18-22; 12:34; chapters 14-16. Jesus not only predicted His resurrection but also emphasized that His rising from the dead would be the “sign” to authenticate his claims as being the Messiah (Jn. 2:13-22).

100 Antiquities Book 18, chapter 3

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 103 Our Lord declared openly that He was the resurrection (John 14:6). John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (NASB95) The apostles confirmed that He had risen from the dead on the third day (Acts 1:22; 2:24, 32; 3:15). The resurrection of Christ demonstrated to all that He was indeed who He claimed to be, namely, the incarnate Son of God (Rm. 1:1-4). Romans 1:1 Paul, a slave owned by Christ who is Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel originating from God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 concerning His Son, who was born as a descendant of David with respect to His human nature. 4 The One demonstrated as the Son of God by means of divine power with respect to a nature characterized by holiness because of the resurrection from the dead ones, Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Author’s translation) Neither the Romans nor the Jews could produce the body of our Lord to disclaim what the apostles were proclaiming to the world. It was in the interests of these two groups to put an end to such talk by simply producing the body which they could not since He had in fact risen from the dead. Not even a guard of Roman soldiers protecting the tomb could prevent the resurrection of Christ. The tomb of our Lord was owned by Joseph of Arimathea who was rich and was sealed with large rock by the Romans at the request of the leaders of the Jews in order to prevent the theft of the body by the disciples (Matt. 27:62-66). Even our Lord’s enemies remembered Him distinctly saying that He would rise from the dead on the third day. Pilate’s own soldiers were sent to perform the task of protecting the tomb (Matt. 28:14). These hardened Roman soldiers were terrified by the angel who rolled away the large rock which had sealed the tomb from entry on that Sunday morning of our Lord’s resurrection (Matt. 28:4). In fact some of the guard went into the city of Jerusalem to report the resurrection of Christ (Matt. 28:11-15). In Matthew’s day it was common knowledge in Jerusalem that these Roman soldiers had witnessed the angels rolling away the great rock which sealed the tomb and had accepted a bribe from the Jews to keep quiet about the resurrection (Matt. 28:15). It was the guards that spread the lie that the body had been stolen. The foundation of Christianity is built upon the resurrection of Christ since the integrity of our Lord is at issue and as attested by many witnesses He did rise from the dead as He said He would (Acts 1:22; 4:2, 33; 17:18; 23:6; 1 Cor. 15:14). Christianity stands or falls with the resurrection of Christ. If Jesus Christ didn’t rise from the dead, then He is the greatest deceiver of all time. If He did rise from the dead, then He is indeed the Son of God and we are obligated to worship and

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 104 adore Him as our Lord and Savior. If the resurrection of Christ never took place, then as Paul says we as Christians are of all people to be most pitied (1 Co. 15:15- 23). The Lord Jesus Christ has three credentials: (1) Impact of His life through His miracles and teachings upon history (2) Fulfilled prophecy in His life (3) His resurrection. During His ministry, He pointed to the sign of His resurrection as His single most important credential. He boldly declared even to His enemies that He would rise from the dead. He said something only a fool would dare say. No founder of any world religion known to men ever dared say a thing like that! But Jesus did! Christ predicted His resurrection in an unmistakable and straightforward manner. His disciples didn’t understand the fact that He had to suffer and rise again, but His enemies, the Jews took His assertions quite seriously (Mt. 27:62- 66). Think about this for a minute regarding Jesus’ claims of rising from the dead. If you or I should say to any group of friends that we expected to die, either by violence or naturally, at a certain time, but that, three days after death, we would rise again, we would be quietly taken away by friends, and confined to an institution until we got our act together. You would have to be a fool to make the claims that Jesus made unless you knew without a doubt that this was going to take place. Only someone who was the Son of God could know these things about Himself and make the claims that Jesus made! Paul said that the resurrection demonstrated to all that Jesus Christ was indeed who He claimed to be, the incarnate Son of God (Rm. 1:1-4). The apostles always appealed to the resurrection of Christ when evangelizing (cf. Acts 2:14-41). Not merely is the resurrection of Christ the principle theme of apostles’ message but if that doctrine were removed from their message, there would be no doctrine left. If you remove the doctrine of the resurrection of Christ from the Bible, everything else in the Bible is meaningless. For the resurrection is considered as being: (1) The explanation of Jesus’ death (2) Prophetically anticipated as the Messianic experience (3) Apostolically witnessed (4) The cause of the Baptism of the Spirit (5) Certifying the Messianic and Kingly position of Jesus of Nazareth. The resurrection of Christ is the doctrine that turned the world upside down in the first century that lifted Christianity above Judaism and the pagan religions of the Mediterranean world. The resurrection of Christ is of critical, practical importance because it completes our salvation. What are the consequences of such an event in history? It is the concrete, factual, empirical proof that life has hope and meaning. With the resurrection of

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 105 Christ, God defeated through His Son our greatest enemies as human beings: sin, Satan and spiritual and physical death! Without the resurrection Jesus’ claims as the Messiah would not be established. Without the resurrection there would still be no fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the Messiah’s suffering and glory. Without the resurrection the Baptism of the Spirit would not have taken place. If the resurrection of Christ is not historic fact, then the power of death remains unbroken, and with it the effect of sin and the significance of Christ’s death remains uncertified, and accordingly believers are yet in their sins, precisely where they were before they heard the name of Jesus. There is no hope for this lost and dying world under the deceptions of the Devil if Christ did not rise from the dead. If Christ has not risen, then we are not justified before God for Christ has been raised for our justification according to Romans 4:25. If Christ has not risen, then we will not rise from the dead according to Romans 8:11, and if we will not rise from the dead, then we have no hope. The book of Acts records the proclamation of the resurrection of Christ as its central fact. The New Testament epistles and the book of Revelation are meaningless unless Christ did indeed rise from the dead. The resurrection of Christ has been and always be the central tenet of the church. It is one of the most fundamental doctrines to the Christian faith. As W. Robertson Nicoll states: “The empty tomb of Christ has been the cradle of the church.” From her infancy, the church has not only believed in the resurrection of Christ, but that her whole existence is totally dependent upon it. Without faith in the resurrection of Christ there would be no Christianity at all. Christianity stands or falls with the truth of the resurrection. If you can disprove the resurrection of Christ, then you have destroyed Christianity. Christianity is based upon the historical fact of the resurrection of Christ. It is based upon facts and these facts are verified by eyewitnesses that testify as to it taking place. The resurrection of Christ is either the greatest miracle of history or the greatest delusion which history records. The meaning of the resurrection of Christ is a theological matter. The resurrection of Christ is an event in history. The nature of the resurrection body of Christ might be a mystery but the fact that the body disappeared from the tomb is a matter to be decided upon by historical evidence. Here are the basic facts surrounding Christ’s death and resurrection: (1) Jesus was a Jew crucified by the Romans in the 1st century. (2) There is a vast mass of literature that tells us that Jesus was a historical person. (3) He was condemned by the Jewish Sanhedrin who then handed Him over to be executed by the Romans.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 106 (4) Pontius Pilate passed the death sentence. (5) Jesus died at 3pm in the afternoon at the Jewish Passover, the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan (April). (6) The body of Jesus was placed in a tomb near the crucifixion site, which was owned by a friend of Jesus. (7) The Romans soldiers verified that Jesus was dead by thrusting a spear into Jesus side, which pierced His heart, which released blood and water from the heart. (8) The Jews requested of Pilate that he seal the tomb and place a guard over it to prevent the disciples of Jesus from taking the body. (9) The place where Christ’s body was laid is a specific geographical location near Jerusalem. (10) The man who owned the tomb was a man living in the 1st half of the 1st century. (11) Jesus was buried according to the Jewish custom of burying dead bodies. (12) The tomb was composed of rock in a hillside near Jerusalem. (13) There are many witnesses who claim to have seen Jesus on the 3rd day after His death. (14) The disciples went out and proclaimed that Jesus had risen. (15) The disciples were men among men, they were historical individuals. (16) The tomb of Jesus was sealed with a large bolder. (17) The disciples of Jesus were not expecting His resurrection. (18) The enemies of Jesus understood His claims that He would rise again therefore they placed a seal on the tomb and assigned a Roman Guard to prevent the body of Jesus from leaving the tomb. (19) The tomb of Jesus was empty on the 3rd Day after His death. (20) The Seal on the tomb was broken and rolled away from the tomb of Jesus. (21) Grave clothes of Jesus were found undisturbed in the tomb by His disciples. (22) The enemies of Christ could not produce the body of Jesus in order to refute the claims of Jesus’ disciples that He rose from the dead. (23) The Jewish Sanhedrin bribed the Roman soldiers to say that the disciples of Jesus stole the body. The resurrection of Christ is an historical fact of history that can be verified by eyewitnesses: (1) Disciples of Christ (Lk. 24:9-11; Acts 1:1-3; 21-22; 2:23-24; 31- 32; 3:14-15; 10:39-41; 13:29-39) (2) Roman Guard Protecting the Tomb of Jesus (Mt. 27:62-66; 28:11-15) (3) Enemies of Christ (Mt. 28:11-15; Acts 2). The resurrection of Christ can be verified by evidence: (1) The Empty Tomb (Jn. 20:2-9) (2) The Stone (Mt. 28:1-4; Mk. 16:1-4; Lk. 24:2) (3) Seal (Mt. 27:62- 66). (4) The Grave Clothes (Jn. 20:2-9) (5) The Roman Guard (Mt. 27:57-60; 28:11-15; Mk. 15:42-45; Lk. 23:50-52; Jn. 19:38). (6) The Silence of the Enemies of Christ at Pentecost (Acts 2) (7) The Transformed Lives of the Disciples of Jesus (8) The Existence of the Christian Church (9) The Observance of the First Day of the Week (Sunday) as the Lord’s Day (10) Christ’s Appearances (500 on more than one occasion: 1 Cor. 15:1-8; Peter 1 Cor. 15:5; 2 on the way to Emmaus Lk. 24:13-15; 11 apostles Jn. 20:24-28; Paul Acts 9). Luke alludes to this preponderance of incontrovertible evidence and eyewitnesses in Acts 1:1-3. The proclamation of the resurrection of Jesus could

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 107 have not been maintained in Jerusalem for a single day, for a single hour, if the emptiness of the tomb had not been established as a fact for all concerned. The burden of proof rests not upon those who proclaim the resurrection as a historical fact but rather the burden of proof rests upon those who either deny that the tomb was found empty or attempt to explain the absence of the Lord’s body by some other rationale. Remember the enemies of Christ went to extraordinary lengths to ensure the fact that the body of Jesus would not leave the tomb on the third day. The fact that the body of Jesus was not in the tomb despite the extreme security measures by our Lord’s enemies was indisputable evidence that He had risen. The last thing the enemies of Christ wanted was to have His body leave that tomb and yet it did! Neither the Romans nor the Jews could produce the body of our Lord to disclaim what the apostles were proclaiming to the world. It was in the interests of these two groups to put an end to such talk by simply producing the body which they could not since He had in fact risen from the dead. The four gospels agree that Jesus’ body was placed in a tomb after His crucifixion and that on the third day it was empty. Even our Lord’s enemies could not dispute that the tomb was empty. Our Lord’s enemies could have simply disproved the resurrection of Christ and stop all the talk in Jerusalem concerning it if they could have simply produced the body, which they knew they could not. They didn’t even attempt to arrest the apostles in order to obtain it because they trusted in the veracity of the Roman soldiers who were under the command of Pilate himself. The silence of the Jewish leaders is as significant as the boldness of speech by our Lord’s disciples. The grave clothes were undisturbed in the tomb thus incontrovertible evidence that our Lord’s body was not stolen by grave robbers since they would not take the time to make sure everything was in proper order because of time constraints to commit such a crime. The gospels describe an orderly scene, not one of confusion that would have resulted had the grave clothes been torn from the body. That something extraordinary had taken place is shown by the fact that John “ saw and believed ” (John 20:8). The five written accounts (the 4 Gospels and 1 Cor. 15) tell of ten different appearances by Jesus after the Resurrection, five on the first day, five more spread over forty days, then an abrupt cessation. Acts 1:1 The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. 3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 108 convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. (NASB95) In Acts 1:3, Luke tells us that Jesus showed Himself alive by many infallible proofs ( en pollois tekmeriois ). This is an expression in the Greek, which indicates the strongest type of legal evidence. The Greek word for “ proofs ” is the noun tekmerion . It is a hapax legomenon in the New Testament meaning it appears only once in this body of literature, namely, Acts 1:3. It is found in secular Greek from Herodotus to the second century A.D. Tekmerion refers to “that which causes something to be known as verified or confirmed.” The word indicates “something that is surely and plainly known, indisputable evidence, a proof.” So what Luke is telling Theopholis is that the resurrection of Christ “was surely and plainly known, and that there is indisputable evidence that supports that this event took place.” Therefore, the resurrection of Christ is an event within history. At no point within the New Testament is there any evidence that the Christians stood for an original philosophy of life or an original ethic. Their sole function was to bear witness to what they claimed to have taken place, namely, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Consider this: Have you noticed that in the book of Acts there is an enormous amount of emphasis upon the resurrection of Christ but not a single reference to an empty tomb. The Gospels record that fact. Now, why is there no mention of an empty tomb when the apostles evangelized in the book of Acts? Simply this: There was no point in arguing about the empty tomb. Everyone, friend and foe alike knew that it was empty. The only questions worth arguing about were why it was empty and what its emptiness proved. In Acts 2, did you notice that there was no refutation given by the Jews to Peter’s bold proclamation that Jesus had risen from the dead. Why not? They knew the tomb was empty and they could not deny this fact. Now remember this: The empty tomb does not prove the resurrection, but it does present two distinct alternatives: The empty tomb was either an act of divine power or a human one. There really is only one to choose from. The enemies of Jesus had no motive for removing the body. The friends of Jesus had not power to do so. It would have been to the advantage of the authorities that the body should remain where it was. The view that the apostles stole the body is impossible. Therefore, the power that removed the body of the Savior from the tomb must have been divine! Former Chief Justice of England, Lord Darling states: “we, as Christians, are asked to take a very great deal on trust; the teachings, for example, and the miracles of Jesus. If we had to take all on trust, I, for one, should be skeptical. The crux of the problem of whether Jesus was, or was not, what He proclaimed Himself

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 109 to be, must surely depend upon the truth or otherwise of the resurrection. On that greatest point we are not merely asked to have faith. In its favor as living truth there exists such overwhelming evidence, positive and negative, factual and circumstantial, that no intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true.” Picture yourself a member of a jury, preparing to decide one of the oldest cases in the history of jurisprudence: The People vs. Jesus of Nazareth. The case has to do with the claims of Jesus of Nazareth that He died and rose from the dead. The people have been prosecuting this case based upon one of three theories: The “Swoon theory” contends that Jesus did not actually die on the cross but was in such a state of exhaustion due to loss of strength and blood that he “swooned” into a coma. In that coma-like state, they contend that he was believed to be dead but when placed in the dampness of the tomb, He was revived and then somehow pushed the stone away and slipped out into the night, unnoticed by anyone. He then appeared to His followers, claiming to have been raised miraculously when actually He had fallen into a coma. The “Kidnap theory” contends that Jesus did actually die but in the middle of the night someone came and took His body. While unseen by the soldiers who were guarding the tomb, this alleged kidnapper or kidnappers broke the Roman seal and pushed the stone back and stole the body and hid it where it would never be found. The disciples they allege claimed that Jesus was raised because the tomb was empty, when all along, His body was kidnapped. The “Hallucination theory” contends that the disciples of Jesus were “hallucinating” that they saw Jesus raised from the dead and were actually seeing an apparition or a ghost. In other words, this theory states that the claims of Jesus’ disciples that He was raised were simply a figment of their imaginations. These three theories are the prosecution’s case but now it’s time to hear the defense. The attorneys for the defense are Matthew (Matthew 27:50), Mark (Mark 15:37), Luke (Luke 23:46) and John (John 19:30), the four gospel writers who offer eyewitness testimony that Jesus did in fact die physically. Their case contends that Jesus did actually die and did not swoon or was kidnapped and that they were not hallucinating when they saw Jesus three days after His death. Now, some would say the testimony of these men was biased so the defense calls to the stand the centurion, the Roman soldier in charge of the squad that crucified Jesus of Nazareth. Mark 15:39 When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (NASB95) Let’s call to the witness stand the other soldiers in the crucifixion detail.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 110 John 19:31 Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; 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. (NASB95) Let’s now call to the witness stand those who belonged to the burial party of Jesus of Nazareth. John 19:38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret {one} for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. 39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds {weight}. 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. (NASB95) The body of Jesus was wrapped in eight-inch to one-foot-width strips of linen that were wrapped tightly by the gummy consistency of the spices. During the wrapping, the spices were pushed into the folds so that ultimately the body was encased in a hardened wrapping of linen, from the shoulders to the ankles. The head was wrapped in a face cloth that was wrapped about the top of the head and tied under the jaw to keep the jaw from sagging. This preparation of the body in this manner would have left the appearance of Jesus’ body looking like an Egyptian mummy. These men who prepared the body of Jesus would never have wrapped the burial clothes around Jesus and laid Him in the tomb if there was the slightest sign of life in Him. Therefore, as a jury member, you have heard the eyewitness testimony as to the death of Jesus, which refutes the so-called “Swoon Theory.” Now, with the death of Jesus of Nazareth firmly established, we come to the cornerstone of the defense’s case: the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. John 19:41 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. (NASB95) The tomb was a cave, one of many that pockmarked the area around Jerusalem. A large one ton stone, circular in shape, was rolled in front of the entrance to the tomb and was set into an inclined groove leading down to the mouth of this

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 111 opening. The stone was held in place, away from the opening by a wedge at the bottom and when the burial preparations were completed, the wedge was removed, allowing the pull of gravity to roll the stone into place, sealing the opening of the cave, which kept the body safe from would be robbers or wild animals. In the burial of Jesus, extra precaution was taken because of the insistence of the chief priests and the Pharisees. The Romans placed a seal on the tomb and posted a guard to ensure that no fanatical follower of Jesus would try to steal the body. The enemies of Jesus did not want an empty tomb since that would verify Jesus’ promise that He would rise from the dead. In this regard, let’s call Mary Magdalene to the witness stand who is another eyewitness. John 20:1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. (NASB95) The displaced stone and broken seal is the first piece of historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, which brings us to the second piece of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, namely the empty tomb. John 20:2 So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” 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. (NASB95) Now, the prosecution would jump up and state that Mary stated that she thought someone took the body away, which leads us to three possible alternatives in answering the question as to why the tomb was empty. The first possibility is that Jesus was really alive and got out of the tomb under His own strength, but this would have been a physical impossibility for a man to roll back the one-ton stone from inside the cave, especially for a man who had just suffered through a crucifixion. The second possibility is that Jesus was dead, and somebody took the body and hid it somewhere. There are only two groups of individuals who could have moved the body, namely, Jesus’ friends or His enemies. The last thing the enemies of Jesus wanted was for His body to leave the tomb and in fact, all their efforts with

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 112 the extra security precautions around the tomb give every indication that they did not want to remove the body from the tomb. Also, if the enemies of Jesus removed the body then why didn’t they produce the body when the disciples of Jesus proclaimed He had risen from the dead. So, if the enemies of Jesus did not take His body then that leaves only one alternative, His disciples, which is exactly what the Pharisees claimed but the disciples of Jesus, were terrified of the Jewish and Roman authorities. In fact, the only apostle that was at the crucifixion was John. Peter had denied three times of ever knowing the Lord, thus, the disciples could never have overpowered the Roman soldiers and took the body of Jesus Christ from the tomb. Matthew 28:2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.” 6 He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you. 8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.” 11 Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.’” 15 And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day. (NASB95) So, we see that the second theory that the disciples of Jesus took the body was a story falsified by Jesus’ enemies. Now, we come to exhibit three, namely, the grave clothes, the most tangible, material evidence. John 20:3 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

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 113 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. (NASB95) The first “ saw ” in verse five is the Greek verb blepo , which denotes a casual glance whereas the next “ saw ” in verse six is the verb theoreo , which indicates a careful observation of details. What Peter observed carefully was that the grave clothes, the hardened mummy-like wrappings were still intact. This gave the appearance that a body was still within the wrappings, revealing the contour of Jesus’ body, but they were like a hollow cocoon and the head cloth was shaped as though still wrapped around a head, but there was no head. The third “ saw ” in verse eight is the verb eidon , which means that John had come to an understanding that Jesus had risen from the dead as the result of perceiving the grave clothes. Now to solidify the case of the defense we have over five hundred eyewitnesses who state that they saw Jesus alive after His death including the apostles. 1 Corinthians 15:3 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. (NASB95) The fact that over five hundred people claimed to have seen Jesus of Nazareth raised from the dead destroys the “hallucination” argument presented in this case since it is highly unlikely that all these people could have been hallucinating. Not only do we have the testimony of eyewitnesses recorded in the Word of God but also the testimony of changed and transformed lives of innumerable individuals throughout the centuries, up to this very day, both men and women, of all races and backgrounds. Therefore, since you have heard the eyewitness testimony and the presentation of evidence, what is your verdict? If you are an unbeliever, your response to the testimony of the witnesses and evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ should be one of faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:16-18; Acts 16:30-31). If you are already a believer, your response to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ should be one of obedience and total commitment to Him (Mark 12:30). First in the order of events of the resurrection of our Lord is Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome start for the tomb (Luke 23:55-24:1). Then they find the stone, which was used by the Romans to seal the tomb, had been

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 114 rolled away (Luke 24:2-9). This is followed by Mary Magdalene going to inform the disciples (John 20:1-2). Next, Mary, the mother of James, draws near the empty tomb and sees the angel (Matt. 28:1-2). She then goes back to meet the other women following with spices. Meanwhile Peter and John arrive, look in and depart (John 20:3-10). Mary Magdalene returns weeping, and then sees two angels, then Jesus Himself (John 20:11-18). The risen Christ bids her to tell the disciples (John 20:17-18). Mary (mother of James) meanwhile returns with the women (Luke 24:1-4). They return and see the two angels (Luke 24:5; Mark 16:5). They also hear the angel’s message that Christ has risen as He said He would (Matt. 28:6-8). On their way to find the disciples, they are also met by the resurrected Christ (Matt. 28:9-10). The Scriptures describe fifteen post-resurrection appearances by the resurrected Christ. There are a great variety of witnesses to the resurrection of Christ. Both men and women were witnesses to the fact that He had risen. He appeared before large groups to individuals as well as small intimate gatherings of individuals. The Lord Jesus appeared to one person (e.g. Peter 1 Cor. 15:5), to two on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-15), to the eleven (John 20:24-28), and on one occasion to more than five hundred (1 Cor. 15:6). Especially important is Paul also known as Saul of Tarsus who was the greatest enemy of the early church. He was an intelligent and well-educated man and one with a bias against the Christians. But he is emphatic that he saw the risen Jesus, and this certainty altered the whole course of his subsequent life of suffering and persecutions. Importantly Paul made the claim early, for his letters, the oldest available documents that record this claim, were written within twenty or thirty years of Jesus’ death. Paul says that “ most ” of the five hundred to whom Jesus appeared were still alive (1 Cor. 15:6), thus they could be interrogated as to the veracity of such a claim. That there is no evidence of any serious attempt to refute the testimony to the resurrection of Christ is significant. Chronology of the Post-Resurrection Appearances of Christ: (1) Mary Magdalene (John 20:14-18; Mark 16:9). (2) The women returning from the tomb (Matt. 28:8-10). (3) Peter later on the day of the resurrection (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5). (4) The disciples going to Emmaus in the evening (Luke 24:13-31). (5) The apostles (except Thomas) (Luke 24:36-45; John 20:19-24). (6) The apostles a week later (Thomas present) (John 20:24-29). (7) In Galilee to the 7 by the Lake of Tiberius (John 21:1-23). (8) In Galilee on a mountain to the apostles and 500 believers (1 Cor. 15:6). (9) At Jerusalem and Bethany again to James (1 Cor. 15:7). (10) To the 11 disciples (Matt. 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-20; Luke 24:33-53; Acts 1:3- 12). (11) At Olivet and the ascension (Acts 1:3-12). (12) To Paul near Damascus (Acts 9:3-6; 1 Cor. 15:8). (13) To Stephen outside Jerusalem (Acts 7:55). (14) To

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 115 Paul in the temple (Acts 22:17-21; 23:11). (15) To John on the island of Patmos (Rev. 1:10-19). There evidently were more appearances that the Scriptures do not record but which are implied by John at the end of his gospel since our Lord gave the disciples many infallible proofs that He had indeed risen from the dead (John 21:25). The resurrection of Christ makes Christianity distinct from Buddhism, or Islam or any other religion on the face of the earth. The original accounts of Buddha never ascribe to him any such thing as a resurrection. In fact, the earliest accounts of his death, we read that when Buddha died it was “with that utter passing away in which nothing whatever remains.” Mohammed died on June 8, 632 A.D. at the age of 61, at Medina, where his tomb is annually visited by thousands of devout Mohammedans. All the millions and millions of Jews, Buddhists and Mohammedans agree that their founders have never come up out of the dust of the earth in resurrection. The resurrection sharply distinguishes Jesus of Nazareth from all other religious founders. The bones of Abraham and Muhammad and Buddha and Confucius and Lao-Tzu and Zoraster are still here on earth. You might say well many individuals have died for their religion such as the Muslims. When a member of Islam dies for his religion it is in vain whereas when the Christian dies for the sake of Jesus Christ it is not in vain. Why? Simply the Christian dies for someone, namely Jesus Christ who rose from the dead. The member of Islam cannot make that claim. The difference between a member of Islam dying for his religion and the Christian dying for his, is that the Christian’s faith is based upon an historical Person, Jesus Christ, who died and has risen from the dead whereas the member of Islam cannot make that claim. The Christian dies for that which he knows to be true and what he knows to be true is based upon factual historical evidence. The same cannot be said of those who belong to the Islamic faith or any other religion on the face of the earth. The resurrection of Christ lends credibility to the Christian’s faith in Jesus. Christianity, whose basis is that of the resurrection of Christ, is not a blind faith, but rather it is a faith based upon verifiable factual evidence and witnesses. The tomb of Jesus is empty. How else can we account for the transformation of the apostles? Before the resurrection of Christ, His disciples were a frightened lot, who for the exception of John were not even there at the cross when He was crucified. They denied ever knowing Him as in the case of Peter according to Matthew 26:69-75. They were huddled behind lock doors in fear and confusion according to John 20:19. But after the resurrection, they were transformed. They were courageous, and willing to give their lives for the Man from Nazareth according to Acts 4:1-13 and many other passages.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 116 After the resurrection, the apostles were confident, embarking on massive missionary projects so that they evangelized the entire Roman Empire. What could account for this transformation? No doubt, it was the resurrection of Christ. Something happened to them that so utterly transformed their innermost being. They became courageous martyrs, rejoicing as ambassadors for Christ. They were not afraid of death since their Lord had risen from the dead. The omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit raised Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ from the dead (Rom. 1:4; 8:11). The same divine power that raised Him from the dead will raise the Christian from the dead at the rapture of the Church. The Lord Jesus Christ was trichotomous: (1) Body (2) Soul (3) Spirit. Therefore, His death was unique: (1) His physical body went to the grave (Luke 23:50-53). (2) His human spirit went to heaven (Luke 23:46; John 19:30). (3) His human soul went into Paradise a compartment of Hades (Luke 23:43; Acts 2:27; 2:31; Eph. 4:9). God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are agents in the resurrection. The Lord was brought back from the dead by three categories of divine power: (1) Omnipotence of God the Father sent back Jesus Christ’s human spirit to the body in the grave (Acts 2:24; Rom. 6:4; Eph. 1:20; Col. 2:12; 1 Thess. 1:10; 1 Pet. 1:21). (2) Omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit sent back His human soul to the body in the grave (Rom. 1:4; 8:11; 1 Pet. 3:18). (3) Omnipotence of God the Son raised His physical body from the grave (John 6:39-40, 54 10:17-18). In the book of Romans, Paul teaches how the resurrection relates to the Christian. In Romans 4:25, Paul declares that the Lord Jesus Christ died because of the Christian’s sins and was raised from the dead because of the Christian’s justification. Christ was raised for the Christian’s justification in the sense that the resurrection of Christ demonstrated that God the Father had accepted His Son’s spiritual and physical deaths on the cross to resolve the problem of personal sin and the sin nature in the human race. Romans 4:25 Who has been delivered over to death because of our transgressions and in addition was raised because of our justification. (Author’s translation) In Romans 6:4-5, Paul taught that just as the Christ was raised through the glory of the Father so in the same way the Christian would be as well since the Christian has been identified with Christ in His physical death and resurrection. Romans 6:4 Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism with respect to His physical death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead ones through the glory of the Father, in the same way, we, ourselves will also walk in the realm of an extraordinary life. (Author’s translation)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 117 In Romans 6:5, the apostle teaches that the justified sinner is identified with Christ in His resurrection in order that the believer might receive a resurrection body like the last Adam, Christ so as to replace his sinful body. Romans 6:5 Therefore, if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that we are entered into union with Him, conformed to His physical death. Of course, we believe this is true. Then, certainly, we will also be united with Him, conformed to His resurrection. (Author’s translation)

The Preexistence of Christ

The preexistence of Jesus of Nazareth who is called the Christ testifies to the fact that He is infinite, eternal Son of God (John 1:1-2; John 8:58; 10:30a; Col. 2:9a; Rev. 1:8). John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (NASB95) This statement by our Lord to the Jews clearly affirms His preincarnate state or preexistence as the eternal Son of God. It will be noted that Christ’s existence prior to becoming a human being is nowhere in Scripture argued as a doctrine but is everywhere assumed and used as the basis of the doctrines of the incarnation, hypostatic union and atonement for sin. Our Lord’s birth in Bethlehem 2000 years ago was not His origin, only His incarnation. There could be no incarnation and hypostatic union without our Lord having a previous existence. To deny the preexistence of our Lord renders the incarnation and hypostatic union impossible. To go back further, could there be a Trinity were there no preexistent Son of God? The one necessarily presupposes the other. Christ’s preexistence is not a matter of purely academic interest but in fact it is the foundation on which the whole superstructure of the Christian faith rests. If our Lord is not preexistent, He cannot be God, and if He is not God, He cannot be the Creator or Redeemer. Jesus was unique among men in that His birth did not mark His origin, but only His appearance as a man on the stage of time. Of no other person would it be possible to distinguish between His birth and origin, or to say that His life did not begin when He was born. He was the meeting place of eternity and time, the uniting of deity and humanity, the junction of heaven and earth. His origin was not related to His birth, or His nature dependent only on human ancestry. His nature was derived from His eternal being. The Lord Jesus Christ did not become God’s Son at the incarnation or when He rose from the dead. His resurrection in fact demonstrated that He was the eternal Son of God who has no beginning. He is God, supreme and without beginning. Our

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 118 Lord was conscious of a previous existence. He spoke of the glory He had with the Father before the foundation of the world. John 17:5 “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” (NASB95) He claimed preexistence in explicit and unmistakable terms. John 16:26 “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. 28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.” (NASB95) Our Lord’s first appearance on earth was not when born of His virgin mother. Every other man in history entered life as the result of a biological process and as a new being, but the Lord Jesus knew neither beginning of days nor end of life (Heb. 7:3). The Old Testament abounds in references to our Lord’s preexistence or preincarnate state. In these appearances He is often called the “Angel of the Lord.” They also are called in theology, “theophanies” or “Christophanies,” which are theological terms used to refer to either a visible or auditory manifestation or both of the Son of God before His becoming a man permanently in Bethlehem. The first of these appears in Genesis 1:1 where He is presented as the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NASB95) “In the beginning ” refers to eternity past when there was only the Trinity and no creation or creatures. A comparison of Genesis 1:1 with other Scripture clearly teaches that all of creation is the work of the second Person of the Trinity, God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Col. 1:15-16). The preincarnate Christ appeared to the patriarch Abraham (Genesis 18:1) and his son Isaac (Genesis 26:23-25), and Isaac’s son Jacob whose name was later changed to Israel (Genesis 28:10-22; 31:10-13; 32:24-32; 35:1). The Lord also appeared to Moses (Exodus 3:2) and his successor Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15). It was the Lord who was in the fiery furnace with Daniel’s three friends (Daniel 3:19-30). The prophet Isaiah presents His testimony concerning the preexistence of Christ in Isaiah 9:6-7. The expression “ the Everlasting Father ” means that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God in human flesh (Jn. 8:58). The prophet Micah also testifies to the preexistence of Christ. Micah 5:2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” (NASB95)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 119 “From the days of eternity ” is an obvious reference to the fact that the baby named Jesus by Mary in Bethlehem existed from eternity past. The apostle Paul teaches in Philippians 2:6 that Jesus Christ existed from eternity past. Philippians 2:5, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name, which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (NASB95) In this passage, the apostle presents a three-fold division of Christ’s career: (1) His preincarnate state as the Son of God in eternity past. (2) His incarnate state as the “Theanthropos” during His first advent. (3) His glorified state as resurrected humanity. Philippians 2:6-11 consists of two main sections, which are built up in parallel style. The first section is contained in verses 6-8 and forms the “catabasis” of our Lord. This refers to His gradual descent from existence in eternity past to His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross. The second section is contained in verses 9-11 and forms the “anabasis” of our Lord. This refers to His gradual ascent from resurrection out from the dead to the Great Genuflex at the conclusion of human history. These verses express the true humility of the Lord Jesus Christ and His servanthood. The passage emphasizes His obedience as the Last Adam in contrast to the disobedience of the first Adam. It records a succession of events from our Lord’s preexistence in eternity past to the incarnation, the cross and culminating in His glorification. “Although He existed ” is the nominative masculine singular present active participle form of the verb huparcho . This verb occurs as early as Homer in the eighth century B.C. It is a compound word composed of the preposition hupo , “under,” and arche , “a beginning.” The preposition hupo is often prefixed to other words to intensify or alter their meaning. The prepositions apo , e k, para , and hupo all denote “issuing, proceeding from.” As we noted in 1 John 1:1, the term arche means “eternity past.” Huparcho is a word use to denote existence, which proceeds or issues from eternity past. Paul does not use the simple verb of being here which is eimi but instead employs the stronger huparcho to denote existence, which proceeds or issues from the beginning. The latter denotes the inherency and expression of the divine

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 120 attributes by our Lord in His preincarnate state. It refers to eternity past in which our Lord functioned as infinite and eternal God. The verb expresses the fact that prior to entering the human race permanently in Bethlehem, He was the eternal Son of God who expressed all the attributes of deity. In Philippians 2:6, the verb huparcho is what we call a concessive participle, which is used by Paul to call attention to the fact that God the Son did something for us under unfavorable circumstances, i.e., He became human! He became for a little while lower than the angels (Heb. 2:9). 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. (NASB95) The Creator left heaven where He received the worship of angels in order to become a human being and to suffer the humiliation of dying as a criminal on a cross as well as spiritual and physical death! God the Son condescended by becoming human.

The Incarnation of the Son of God

The word “incarnation” is from the Latin: In and caro , the stem carn means, “flesh.” In the context of Christian theology, the “incarnation” is the act whereby the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, without ceasing to be what He is, namely God the Son, permanently clothed His deity with a sinless human nature, which He did not possess before the act, thus making Him, the unique theanthropic person of the cosmos. The “hypostatic union,” which we will note in chapter five, is the result of the incarnation. It was accomplished by means of the incarnation, which itself was accomplished by means of the virgin pregnancy. The virgin birth was the means by which the incarnation became a reality. John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only uniquely born One from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NASB95) 1 Timothy 3:16 And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, beheld by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. (NASB95) The second person of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ, entered permanently into the human race by means of the virgin birth. He is the only member of the Trinity to take upon Himself a human nature. Therefore, He is different from the other members of the Godhead.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 121 He is different from the Father and the Spirit in that He clothed His deity with a sinless human nature. He is different from the other members of the human race in that He is God, and without a sin nature because He did not have a human father. He did not cease to be God because He became a man, nor was He less of a man because He was God. He was every bit of a human as the rest of the human race. However, He did not possess a sin nature since the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary and not a man. Therefore, there is no one like Him in the universe; He is a totally unique person, because He combined forever in Himself undiminished deity along with perfect sinless humanity. When speaking of the incarnation, we must of course discuss the virgin birth since, as we noted, the incarnation was the result of the virgin birth (Isa. 9:6-7; Micah 5:2; Luke 1:30-35). The virgin birth was predicted in the Old Testament. In 700 B.C., the prophet Isaiah was used by God the Holy Spirit to prophecy of the birth of our Lord. Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” (NASB95) “Immanuel” is the Hebrew proper name ̔immanuel’el , which means “with us is God.” “Virgin” is the noun ` almah , which means a “young woman who has not had sex yet with a man, but is at the age to be married.” That a virgin would give birth to Immanuel obviously signals a miraculous birth. Contrary to Jewish tradition, no father is mentioned. The omission fits with the fact that the Child is virgin-born. Matthew 1:23 tells us who “ Immanuel ” is, the Lord Jesus Christ, and “ the virgin ” is, Mary. The phrase “ The Lord Himself will give you a sign ” points to the fact that the omnipotence of God will perform the miracle of implanting the seed for the formation of the human body of Christ. Matthew 1:18, Luke 1:35 and Hebrews 10:5 says that God the Holy Spirit prepared a human body for God the Son. Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. (NASB95) Luke 1:35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.” (NASB95) The prophet Isaiah also speaks of the incarnation in Isaiah 9:6-7. Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 122 end to the increase of {His} government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this. (NASB95) The phrase “ will be born ” is the person feminine singular pual perfect form of the verb yaladh , “to bear a child, to give birth.” The perfect tense of the verb says that in 700 B.C. when this was written, God saw the virgin birth as already having occurred. The Pual stem is an intensive passive stem meaning that the divine promise to the house of Israel of the virgin birth is certain to occur or pictured in the mind of God as already having taken place. The pual passive means that the house of Israel will receive the virgin birth from God. “Will be given ” is the third person masculine singular niphal perfect form of the verb nathan , “to give.” The pual stem is used in the passive sense meaning that the nation of Israel is going to be acted upon by God when God the Holy Spirit will produce a sinless human body for the Son of God. The perfect tense indicates that God already considers that the birth of Christ is a certainty since He knows all things because He is omniscient and He is sovereign and has determined this to take place. “The government will rest on His shoulders ,” is a prophecy that our Lord would be a King. The Holy Spirit’s description that our Lord would be “ wonderful ” was manifested in His “wonderful” character, life, words and works (cf. Matt. 21:15; Lk. 4:22; Acts 2:22; 4:30). “ Wonderful ” means He will be a supernatural wonder, a marvel (Ex. 15:11; Judges 13:18). The Holy Spirit’s description that our Lord would be a “ Counselor ” was expressed by our Lord’s perfect wisdom and in fact He was the personification of divine wisdom. “Mighty God ” is the Hebrew name El Gibbor which refers to the fact that the Child will be the omnipotent God. The expression “ the Everlasting Father ” means that Jesus Christ would be the eternal Son of God in human flesh (Jn. 8:58). The expression “ Prince of Peace ” ( Sar-Shalom ) means that Jesus Christ would reconcile fallen humanity to God through His death on the Cross (Eph. 2:14, 17). The fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6-7 are recorded in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. The gospel of Matthew provides us with one of two accounts of the birth of Christ. Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband,

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 123 being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” (NASB95) “Joseph ” who was engaged to Mary is said to be a “ son of David ,” which is intended to show Jesus’ legitimate claim to the throne of David through his legal father Joseph (see verse 31). The marriage of Mary and Joseph made our Lord the “adopted” son and “legal heir” of Joseph, which reflects God’s sovereignty, omniscience and omnipotence. The angel tells Joseph that Mary conceived by the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit was the source of Mary’s pregnancy (Matt. 1:18) since the divine omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit created the human body of our Lord. Hebrews 10:5 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.” (NASB95) An act of divine omnipotence produced the sperm that fertilized the egg in Mary’s womb and as a result the Lord Jesus Christ had no sin nature like we do because He did not have a human father. Mary’s womb was only the vehicle for the formation of the human body of our Lord and the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit provided 23 perfect chromosomes to fertilize Mary’s normal, pure ovum, which produced a fetus in Mary’s womb that was uncontaminated by Adam’s old sin nature. Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet. 23 BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,’ which translated means, “GOD WITH US.” 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. (NASB95) The name “ Jesus ” means, “Yahweh saves” and expresses that Jesus would be the long awaited Savior of the world and would be the fulfillment of the prophecy of Genesis 3:15. The gospel of Luke gives us more details regarding the birth of Christ than Matthew. Luke 1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 124 Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. (NASB95) The phrase “ in the six-month ” refers to six months after the angel Gabriel had been sent to Zechariah to announce that his wife Elizabeth would be pregnant in her old age and the child that she would bear would be the forerunner of Jesus Christ, namely, John the Baptist. “Virgin ” is the noun parthenos , which denotes “a young, unmarried girl who has not had sex with a man yet.” Joseph and Mary were legally considered to be married but had not consummated the marriage by having sex. The Jews had a tradition called betrothal or engagement period, which was considered preparation for marriage but was legally binding. It was an agreement that included witnesses, a marriage contract, and the payment of the bridal price and was the first stage of the marriage and usually began when the girl was about 12 years of age. This period was generally concluded after a year when the woman would go to live at the man’s house instead of her parents. If the marriage did not take place because of a breach of contract such as the dowry not paid to her parents or if she had sex before marriage, the young woman could not be married to another man until she was freed by due process and a certificate of divorce. Luke 1:28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (NASB95) “Favored one ” is the verb charitoo , which means that God the Father was bestowing upon Mary the gracious honor of bearing the human nature of the Messiah. “The Lord is with you ” is an Old Testament greeting preparing Mary for her service to bear the human nature of the Savior, including the assurance of divine assistance in accomplishing this service and indicates that Mary was experiencing fellowship with the Lord at this time. Luke 1:29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. (NASB95) The statement “ she was very perplexed at this statement ” indicates that Gabriel’s greeting confused Mary and she could not understand why she is being singled for such a wonderful and gracious greeting. The statement “(she) kept pondering what kind of salutation this was ,” indicates that Mary carefully considered the implications and nature of this extraordinary manner of greeting she received from the angel Gabriel. Luke 1:30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.” (NASB95) Gabriel tells her not to be afraid since she would be the recipient of an extraordinarily gracious and fantastic honor, which is described in the following

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 125 verses. He tells her that she has found favor or grace in the eyes of God meaning that God is going to bestow a great honor upon her that she did not earn or deserve but does indicate that she was experiencing fellowship with God since God would not choose her to bear the Savior if she were not. Luke 1:31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. (NASB95) The name “ Jesus ” means, “Yahweh saves” and expresses that Jesus would be the long awaited Savior of the world and would be the fulfillment of the prophecy of Genesis 3:15. Luke 1:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. (NASB95) The statement “ He will be great ” emphasizes the importance of Jesus to the fulfillment of the Father’s plan to rule over the works of His hands (cf. Ps 8; Heb. 2:5-10). It also means that Jesus would possess superiority in rank over both men and angels and would be great in power and in wisdom, and in dominion on both earth and in heaven since He will be the God-Man Savior (cf. Phlp. 2:5-11). The prophecy that Jesus would be “ called the Son of the Most High ” emphasizes the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 9:6. The prophecy “ the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David ” refers to the fact that Jesus would fulfill the Davidic covenant in which God promised David that a descendant of his would sit on his throne forever ruling over the nation of Israel (See 2 Samuel 7:12-13; Jeremiah 23:5). Luke 1:33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. (NASB95) The prophecy that Jesus would “ reign over the house of Jacob forever ” refers to the fact that He would be the King of Israel and the prophecy “His kingdom will have no end” refers to the fact that Jesus’ reign will never end on planet earth. Luke 1:34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (NASB95) Mary’s question was not an expression of unbelief like Zechariah recorded in Luke 1:18-19 but rather it was an expression of faith since she believed the promises but did not understand how they would be fulfilled with her since her marriage with Joseph was not yet consummated. Luke 1:35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.” (NASB95) In Luke 1:35, the term “ overshadow ” is an Old Testament image of the cloud of God’s presence that descended upon the tabernacle (Ex. 40:35) and is a metaphor for the presence of God.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 126 Luke 1:36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God. 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (NASB95) When Mary said, “ be it done to me according to your Word ” (Luke 1:38), she was saying yes to the plan of God and expresses her faith in the Lord. Mary had to agree with God’s plan before the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit could implant the seed that would form the perfect humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, thus revealing a spiritual principle that our faith appropriates the omnipotence of God in our lives (cf. Matt. 17:20). Luke 2:1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. (NASB95) According to Luke 2:1, our Lord’s birth took place during the reign of Caesar Augustus who was the great nephew and adopted son of Gaius Julius Caesar who was one of the greatest men of the ancient world. The title Augustus was a religious title and an attempt to claim deity and he took the name Caesar by adoption and was the first Roman Emperor who ruled from 31 B.C. to 14 A.D. Rome was a Republic and then became an Empire under Octavius meaning he was the sole ruler of Rome, and whose rulership stretched over most of the inhabited world at that time and was the fourth kingdom described in the prophecies of Daniel 2:40 and 7:23. Rome took a census every fourteen years for both military and tax purposes and each Jewish male had to return to the city of his fathers to record his name, occupation, property and family. Augustus issued a decree that a census be taken of everyone in the Roman Empire but it was God who moved Augustus to issue this census so that the prophesy in Micah 5:2 could be fulfilled. Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes. (NASB95) The phrase “ all the inhabited earth ” refers to the entire Roman Empire. The spiritual condition among members of the human race was spiritually bankrupt and morally decadent since the Gentiles were polytheists, as were the Romans, and the Greeks also worshipped many gods along with philosophy. The spiritual condition of the Jews was no better as evidence by their reception of Jesus as recorded in John 1:11, “ He came unto His own and His own received Him not .” But it does appear that many in Christ’s day were expecting and looking for Messiah to come, which is demonstrated by the fact that they knew where Messiah was to be born (cf. Matthew 2:4). Luke 2:25-38 records that Simeon was looking for the consolation of Israel, the Messiah.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 127 Luke 2:2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. (NASB95) Quirinius was governor of Syria on two different occasions (First: Luke 2:2; Second: Acts 5:37) and so the census in Luke 2:2 took place during his first reign as governor of Syria in 4 B.C. Luke 2:3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (NASB95) Each man went to the town where his family’s register was kept and Joseph and Mary who were of the house of David, lived in the town of Nazareth but both Joseph and Mary’s family registers were in the town of Bethlehem. The last three months of Mary’s pregnancy were spent in Bethlehem away from the gossip and the turmoil that would have surrounded her in Nazareth. Notice that Luke records that Jesus was Mary’s “ first-born ,” and not Joseph’s indicating clearly that Joseph was the legal father by adoption, but not by conception. Mary wrapped the Child in strips of cloth like bandages used to keep the infant’s limbs straight and to limit movement. This type of treatment was considered appropriate and also served to identify a newborn (Luke 2:12). The mother who bore the child had to wrap the child herself. The custom of the day included cleaning and rubbing the baby with oil, usually olive oil. Then the arms were placed at the baby’s side and were wrapped in strips of cloth. This also served as a sign to the shepherds who were in field and were told by the angel of the Lord that they could see the Messiah wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger (Luke 2:12). The word for “ manger ” is the Greek noun phatne , which means, “feeding trough” and was employed by Mary and Joseph as a crib for the baby Jesus. The mangers in the ancient world were often made of stones laid like blocks, then plastered over with a substance to make them waterproof. These feeding troughs could also be carved from a single block of stone. Placing our Lord in one of these troughs speaks of the believer feeding from our Lord who is the Word of God (John 6:54-56). Therefore, we see that at the birth of our Lord there were no trappings of royalty, no purple robes, and no signs of wealth or of position, even though this One was born to be the King of kings and Lord of lords. The King of glory

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 128 condescended to be cradled in a manger that was to hold food for cattle. He who had come to provide heaven’s bread descended to a manger. We do not have any information regarding these Palestinian inns but in the Roman Empire, we know they were places of ill repute and travelers, whenever possible, stayed with friends, thus, the New Testament emphasizes hospitality to strangers. Jewish inns may have been better, but this is only conjecture and some believe the word “inn” should be translated “caravansary” and another translation might be “guest house” because the word can mean “guest room” but it was, however, a place where travelers stayed. The earliest non-scriptural reference to the birth of Christ is found in Justin Martyr, an early church father, and is dated about A.D. 140 who stated that Christ was born in a cave and Origen said the same in A.D. 248 as did Jerome, one of the most brilliant scholars of the early church. Tradition says it was a cave in the side of the hill behind the inn or guest house of the village but the point is that whatever the exact nature of the place, the city was so crowded with people because of the census that the only place left for them was a cave. Luke 2:8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” 15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement, which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things, which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. (NASB95) The announcement of the birth of Christ was not given to the religious people in Jerusalem, the Pharisees but rather it was given to a despised class of people, the shepherds. The Pharisees despised them, putting them under the same classification as publicans and tax collectors, depriving them of certain rights in the

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 129 community. They were not allowed to hold a judicial position and could not be admitted as a witness in court. The reason for this harsh treatment was that the shepherd was out alone in the fields for months at a time without supervision, which was a great temptation to steal some of the increase of the flock. The Pharisees hated the shepherds but our Lord identified with them, calling Himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14). In fact, He is described in Hebrews 13:20 as the Great Shepherd of the sheep. Peter describes Him as the Shepherd (1 Pet. 2:25). The fact that the good news of the Savior being born in Bethlehem was given to the shepherds provides a striking picture of the mission of Christ on earth who reached out to the forsaken, disenfranchised and offscouring of society. There are many reasons for the incarnation. First of all, it was important since it resulted in Satan being judged. Our Lord’s obedience to the Father’s will defeated Satan in the angelic conflict. John 12:31 “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out.” (NASB95) John 16:7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” (NASB95) Without the incarnation, there would be no cross and without the cross, there would be no victory over Satan. Colossians 2:15 When He (the Father) had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He (the Father) made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through him (Christ) . (NASB95) Not only did the incarnation bring about the defeat of Satan but of course it also provided all of mankind with a Redeemer. Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (NASB95) If not for the incarnation, there would be no cross and resurrection and therefore there would be no salvation or hope for mankind. Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. (NASB95) If there was no incarnation, there would be no cross and if no cross, no resurrection, thus leaving the entire human race lost in sin.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 130 1 Corinthians 15:17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. (NASB95) The incarnation provided hope for mankind. 1 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope. (NASB95) Man would not be reconciled to God without the incarnation. Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. (NASB95) 2 Corinthians 5:18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (NASB95) Colossians 1:19 For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. 21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. (NASB95) 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. (NASB95) Thus, since Christ reconciled sinful humanity to a holy God, He is also the only “mediator” between God and man. Thus, without the incarnation, there would be no mediator between sinful humanity and a holy God. Job 9:32 “For He (God) is not a man as I am that I may answer Him, that we may go to court together. 33 There is no umpire between us, who may lay his hand upon us both.” (NASB95) 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time. (NASB95) The incarnation provided the human race with a “kinsman redeemer” who is someone who pays a price to set someone free who is under bondage to another.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 131 1 Corinthians 6:20a For you have been bought with a price. (NASB95) There would be no high priest to represent the believer before God without the incarnation. Hebrews 2:17 Therefore, He (the Lord Jesus Christ) had to be made like His brethren ( incarnation ) in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (NASB95) Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and high priest of our confession. (NASB95) Hebrews 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. (NASB95) Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, 20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. (NASB95) Hebrews 7:25 Therefore, He (the Lord Jesus Christ) is also able to save forever (eternal security) those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners and exalted above the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He (the Lord Jesus Christ) did once for all when He offered Himself. (NASB95) Hebrews 8:1 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. (NASB95) Hebrews 9:24 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 should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood 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 (a reference to the incarnation) 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

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 132 many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. (NASB95) Jesus Christ functions as the believer’s “advocate” before the Father when the believer is accused by Satan. This ministry is connected to His great high priesthood. 1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (NASB95) “Advocate ” is the word parakletos , which is a legal term used of “someone who assists or defends another who has been accused of something.” Satan accuses the believer before the Father day and night. However, Jesus Christ intercedes for the believer and defends the believer against Satan’s accusations. Revelation 12:10 “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our god day and night.” (NASB95) Therefore, without the incarnation, the believer would have no advocate in heaven. There would be no “new creation” without the incarnation. 2 Corinthians 5:17a Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. (NASB95) Ephesians 2:14 For He Himself (the Lord Jesus Christ) is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself (the Lord Jesus Christ) He might make the two (Jew and Gentile) into one new man, thus establishing peace. (NASB95) There would be no one to sit upon David’s Throne without the incarnation. Isaiah 9:7 “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” (NASB95) Luke 1:32 “He (the Lord Jesus Christ) will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of his father David.” (NASB95) There would be no millennium without the incarnation. Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast (Anti-Christ) or his image, and had not

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 133 received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (NASB95) Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) for a thousand years. (NASB95) There would be no manifestation of God to man without the incarnation. John 1:18 No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God (the Lord Jesus Christ), who is in the bosom of the Father, He (the Lord Jesus Christ) has explained Him (the Father). (NASB95) “Explained ,” is the verb exegeomai , which means, “to lead out, to show the way to.” The Lord Jesus Christ “led, who God is, out into the open.” In other words, He explained or manifested through His words and actions the character and nature of the Father. The Lord Jesus Christ fully revealed who God is and made known the complete revelation of God to man.” Hence, He “explained” God to man. John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.” (NASB95) John 14:8 Philip said to Him (the Lord Jesus Christ), “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how do you say, ‘show us the Father’?” (NASB95) God’s love for mankind is revealed through the incarnation. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He (God the Father) gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) should not perish, but have eternal life.” (NASB95) Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (NASB95) 1 John 3:16a We know love by this that He (the Lord Jesus Christ) laid down His life for us. (NASB95) 1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (NASB95) The prophecy of Moses that God would raise up a Man who would be a prophet like himself is fulfilled through the incarnation. Deuteronomy 18:15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, you shall listen to Him.” (NASB95) Deuteronomy 18:18 “I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in His (the Lord Jesus Christ) mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 And it shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which He (the Lord

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 134 Jesus Christ) shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.” (NASB95) Matthew 17:5 While he (Peter) was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” (NASB95) John 7:16 “My teaching is not Mine, but His (God the Father) who sent Me.” (NASB95) John 8:28b “I do nothing of My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.” (NASB95) John 12:47 “And if anyone hears My sayings, and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me commandment, what to say, and what to speak. 50 I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.” (NASB95) The grace of God towards mankind was manifested through the incarnation. John 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. (NASB95) Romans 5:15 But the free gift (Christ’s act of obedience to the Father’s will in going to the cross) is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression (Adam's sin) of the one (Adam) the many died (imputation of Adam's sin to all members of the human race), much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. (NASB95) Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men. (NASB95)

The Humanity of Christ

The incarnation of the eternal Son of God resulted in of course, our Lord becoming a human being. The Scriptures use the following titles when stressing our Lord’s humanity: (1) “The Son of Man” (Matt. 24:30; Mark 26:64; Luke 5:24; 6:5; John 1:51; 3:14; 8:28). (2) “The Son of David” (Matt. 1:1; Mark 10:47; Luke 1:32; 18:39; Rev. 22:16). (3) “The Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). (4) “Jesus” (Acts 2:32; 8:35; Rom. 3:26; 1 Thess. 4:14; Heb. 2:9; 6:20). The Scriptures teach that the Lord Jesus Christ has a human body like ours but without a sin nature (John 1:14; Heb. 10:5; 1 John 1:1; 1 John 4:2-3), that He has a human soul (Matt. 26:38a; Isa. 53:11a) and a human spirit (Luke 23:46; John

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 135 13:21; 19:30). He did not have an old sin nature like every human being born in Adam because of the virgin birth. He did not have a sin nature because He did not have a human father (Luke 1:35). The father passes along the sin nature in the human race. However, our Lord did not have a human father since the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary. Therefore, Jesus Christ was totally free from the sin nature, which means He was perfect or flawless. He remained free from all three categories of sin in the human race: (1) Old sin nature (2) Adam’s original sin (3) Personal sins. Therefore, our Lord was found to be without sin in His humanity (John 8:46a; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5). He was tempted in all things as sinful humanity (Heb. 4:15). However, even though He was tempted to act and live independently from God the Father’s plan for His life, He never once sinned (Luke 4:1-4; Matt. 16:21-23). He even was tempted not to go to the cross (Luke 22:39- 44). The Word of God also testifies to the fact that our Lord performed the following human functions and suffered circumstances common to humanity. First of all He was said to have “wept” (John 11:35; Heb. 5:7). He “slept” (Mark 4:38) and became “hungry” (Luke 4:2). He was “thirsty” (John 19:28), “ate” and “drank” (Mark 2:16; Luke 5:30). The Scripture tells us He was “weary” (John 4:6) and was in “agony” (Luke 22:44). He had to “grow” physically and mentally (Luke 2:40) and had to “learn” the Scriptures (Luke 2:52). He also had to learn “obedience” (Heb. 5:7). Our Lord also “prayed” (Luke 21:41-42; Heb. 5:7). He also was “tempted” (Luke 4:2; Heb. 2:18; 4:15) and was a Man of “sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3). He was “despised” and “forsaken” of men (Isaiah 53:3). He is also said to have “rejoiced” (Luke 10:21). He “died” physically (John 19:33) and “died” spiritually (Matt. 27:45-46). Now, it must be remembered that the Scriptures teach that in His human nature, the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-Man was subordinate to the Father. However, in His deity, He is of course as we established in chapter two co-infinite, co-equal and co-eternal with both the Father and the Spirit. The apostle John in his gospel and first epistle refutes Docetic Gnosticism, which denied the humanity of Christ. John 1:14 And the Word (Jesus Christ) became flesh (a Man) , and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only uniquely born One from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NASB95) “Word ” is the noun logos , which is used here in John 1:1 and 14 with reference to the Son of God and is used in this manner in 1 John 1:1. It emphasizes the deity of Christ. This word designates a distinct personality in the Trinity, namely the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God. The Word reveals God to men, thus He is the perfect and complete revelation of God. He is the perfect manifestation of

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 136 the Trinity. The Word is the personal manifestation of deity and the life of the Trinity, which is eternal. The noun logos , “ the Word ” expresses Jesus Christ’s relationship to other members of the Trinity. “Became ” is the verb ginomai , which means, “to enter into a new condition or state, to become something you weren’t before,” thus the word is used of God the Son, the Word entering into the human condition through the virgin birth. This entrance into the human race as we noted in chapter three refers to the “incarnation” of the Son of God. “Flesh ” is the noun sarx , which refers to the human nature of Jesus Christ, which is how the word is used in many other passages in the Greek New Testament. Therefore, the apostle John makes it absolutely clear in John 1:14 that the Son of God who is the eternal Word of the Father became something that He was not before, namely a human being. He clothed or veiled His deity with a sinless human nature. In Romans 1:3-4, Paul identifies to his readers the subject of the epistle, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh. (NASB95) The phrase “ His (God’s) Son ” emphasizes the deity of our Lord. “Who was born ” is the verb ginomai , which means, “to enter into a new condition or state, to become something you weren’t before,” thus the word is used of God the Son entering into the human condition through the virgin birth. The phrase “ a descendant of David according to the flesh ” emphasizes the human nature of Jesus Christ, which descended from King David. Together, this phrase and “ His Son ” express the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the God-Man, which theologians define as the “hypostatic union” of Jesus Christ, which we will note in the next chapter. “According to ” is the preposition kata , which in context denotes the relationship between the human nature of Christ to His unique Person and means, “with respect to.” Therefore, the expression “ a descendant of David according to the flesh ” could be translated “ a descendant of David with respect to his human nature .” Jesus Christ Himself echoes this statement by Paul. Revelation 22:16 “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” (NASB95) This is why He is identified in the Gospels as the “ the Son of David ” (Matt. 1:1; 20:30; Mark 10:47-48; Luke 1:32; 2 Tim. 2:8; Rev. 3:7; 5:5; 22:16), which is a

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 137 royal title referring to the fact that He is the Ruler of Israel (Matt. 1:1; 20:30; Mark 10:47-48; Luke 1:32; 2 Tim. 2:8; Rev. 3:7; 5:5; 22:16). The expression “ a descendant of David according to the flesh ” also is a reference to the “Davidic” covenant, which deals with the dynasty that will rule the nation of Israel. It refers to God’s promise to David that a descendant of his would sit on his throne forever, which will be literally fulfilled by Jesus Christ during His millennial reign. (See 2 Samuel 7:16; Psalm 89:34-37). The apostle Paul’s teaching in Romans 8:3 supports the doctrine of the humanity of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:3 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. (NASB95) “In the likeness of ” is composed of the preposition en , “ in ” and the dative neuter singular form of the noun homoioma , “ the likeness of .” Homoioma is “what is made similar, copy, like-shaped, likeness, image.” The stress lies on correspondence and similarity with the reference to the concrete, individual form. The word appears six times in the Greek New Testament (Rom. 1:23; 5:14; 6:5; 8:3; Phil. 2:7; Rev. 9:7). The noun is used to indicate something that is similar, though not necessarily identical, with something else, but resembles in some important way that with which it is compared. In context, the word in Romans 8:3 is used of Jesus Christ’s humanity, which was similar to the rest of the human race but not identical since He was first of all, God and also He did not have a sin nature and was sinless because He did not have a human father that passed the sin nature down. Therefore, the noun homoioma indicates that Jesus Christ did not have a sin nature and implies He did not have a human father since the sin nature is passed down through sex. Paul’s thought here is that the Son of God clothed or veiled His deity with a sinless human nature. The noun homoioma maintains the sinless or impeccability of Jesus Christ in the sense that in His human nature Jesus Christ was similar but not identical in essence to the rest of humanity in that He was not only God but also did not possess a sin nature and was therefore sinless. In Romans 8:3, the noun homoioma functions as the object of the preposition en , which functions as a marker of a state or condition indicating that the Son of God was in the state or condition of being in the likeness of sinful humanity. “In the flesh ” is composed of the preposition en , “ in ” and the articular dative feminine singular form of the noun sarx , “ the flesh .” As was the case in John 1:14 and Romans 1:3 and Romans 8:3, the noun sarx , “ flesh ” refers to the human nature of Jesus Christ. The preposition en functions as a marker of means or the instrument employed by the Father to execute the judgment against the sin nature. The noun sarx is a

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 138 “dative instrumental of means” indicating that the physical death of the human nature of Jesus Christ was the “means by which” the Father executed the sin nature. This indicates that the “physical death” of the impeccable human nature of Jesus Christ in hypostatic union was the “means by which” God executed the sin nature whereas His spiritual death dealt with the issue of personal sins. In Romans 8:3, the apostle Paul is referring to the physical death of Jesus Christ, which the Christian was identified with through the baptism of the Spirit, which in turn delivers them or sets them free from the tyranny of the sin nature and real spiritual death. The apostle Paul in Philippians 2:7-8 teaches that Jesus Christ is not only the Son of God but also a human being as well. Philippians 2:6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. (NASB95) “Being made ” is the verb ginomai , which refers to the virgin birth when God the Son entered into a new condition, namely that of a human being. This word is used of acquiring or experiencing a new state, i.e., a human nature through physical birth. The verb means here to become something that you weren’t before. It means to acquire and experience an existence that you did not possess or experience before. “In the likeness of men ” is composed of the preposition en , “ in ” and the locative singular neuter noun homoioma , “ likeness ,” and the masculine plural genitive anthropos , “ men .” The preposition en is used here to denote a state of being or condition which God the Son entered into at the virgin birth. We saw the noun homoioma in Romans 8:3 where it was used in the same way as here in Philippians 2:7. It is used of Jesus Christ’s humanity, which was similar to the rest of the human race but not identical since He was first of all, God and also He did not have a sin nature and was sinless because He did not have a human father that passed the sin nature down. Therefore, the noun homoioma indicates that Jesus Christ did not have a sin nature and implies He did not have a human father since the sin nature is passed down by the male through sex. Again, Paul’s thought here in Philippians 2:7 as it was in Romans 8:3 is that the Son of God clothed or veiled His deity with a sinless human nature. The noun homoioma maintains the sinlessness or impeccability of Jesus Christ in the sense that in His human nature Jesus Christ was similar but not identical in essence to the rest of humanity in that He was not only God but also did not possess a sin nature and was therefore sinless. We will note in detail the impeccability of our Lord in chapter six.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 139 Philippians 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (NASB95) “In appearance ” is the noun schema , which is used of Christ comprising everything in His human nature which strikes the senses, the figure, bearing, discourse, actions, manner of life, etc. The word refers to the appearance of His human nature. It signifies here His whole outward presentation to other men. So, schema refers to the humanity of Christ that is to say His outward appearance, His behavior and conduct in the eyes of men, that which appealed to the senses of mankind. “Man ” is the noun anthropos and denotes that the eternal Son of God was a human being. The statement “ He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross ” is a further indication that Jesus Christ was a human being since deity cannot die, only humanity can. In 1 Timothy 3:16, Paul teaches that it was a common belief throughout the churches in the first century that the Son of God became a human being. 1 Timothy 3:16 By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. (NASB95) The statement “ He who was revealed in the flesh ” teaches that the Son of God was manifested in a human being, Jesus Christ. The phrase “ was vindicated in the Spirit ” denotes that Jesus Christ was proven to be the Son of God by the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit through His miracles and of course resurrection.

1 John 1:1 We are now proclaiming to each of you what has always existed from eternity past, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we observed for ourselves, even what we touched with our hands concerning the Word which is truly life. 2 In other words, this life was revealed. As noted previously, we have seen so therefore we are now proclaiming by testifying to each of you this life, which is eternal, which because of its eternal nature has always existed face to face with the Father. Indeed, it was revealed to each one of us. 3 What we have seen as well as heard, we are now proclaiming to each of you in order that each of you would also continue to regularly experience fellowship with each of us. Also, our fellowship is in fact with the Father as well as with His Son, who is Jesus, who is the Christ. 4 Thus, we ourselves are now communicating in writing concerning each of these things in order to cause our joy to exist in a maximum state. (Author’s translation) The apostle John affirms the incarnation and subsequent hypostatic union of the Son of God in 1 John 1:1-3. In 1 John 1:1, the apostle John is emphasizing with his

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 140 readers that Jesus Christ is eternal life incarnate who has eternally experienced fellowship with the Father. He also wants to emphasize that he and others are eyewitnesses to this fact. He is making five assertions about Jesus Christ in verse 1. The first is that the eternal life, which has always existed with the Father was from eternity past. The second is that this eternal life, which has always existed with the Father was heard by himself and other people. The third is that this eternal life, which has always existed with the Father was witnessed by himself with his own eyes as well as other people. The fourth is that this eternal life, which has always existed with the Father was observed by himself and other people. The fifth and final assertion is that he and others touched with their hands this eternal life, which has always existed with the Father. The purpose of these five assertions at the beginning of the letter is critical since he wants to protect his readers from those teaching false doctrine about Jesus Christ, and namely that He was not really a human being. In 1 John 2:18-19, John refers to these false teachers but does not mention what they were in fact teaching. However, in 1 John 4:1-6, the apostle addresses directly these false teachers and what they were teaching about the person of Jesus Christ. In these verses, the apostle John tells his readers that they can discern if a particular teaching is from God if it acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, which means if they accept the incarnation of the Son of God. Those which reject the incarnation are not from God. Those who reject the incarnation are from Satan’s cosmic system. The first assertion “ what has always existed ” declares that the eternal life which has always existed with the Father has always existed from eternity past. Of course, He is describing the Lord Jesus Christ. John is not only asserting that He is eternal life incarnate but also that He is God since He is describing Him as always existing and thus eternal. Therefore, he is describing the preexistence of Jesus Christ with this first assertion. In other words, he is describing the eternality of the person of Jesus of Nazareth who is the Christ. The eternal life manifested by the Lord Jesus Christ during His First Advent has always existed from eternity past since He is eternal life (Jn. 14:6). Thus, His doctrines are spirit and are eternal life (Jn. 6:63). The second assertion “ what we have heard ” presents the first sense that John appeals to in the prologue as a witness to the historicity of the incarnation and resultant hypostatic union of Jesus Christ. In other words, it’s the first sense he appeals to when affirming that Jesus of Nazareth is the God-man. John is asserting that he and others heard the incarnate Word of God speak the words of eternal life. What John and the other witnesses heard confirmed to them that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the incarnate Word of God. The content of our Lord’s speech revealed

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 141 to John and the other witnesses that He spoke the words of eternal life (cf. Jn. 6:63, 68; 7:46). The third assertion “ what we have seen with our eyes ” is the second sense which John appeals to when affirming the deity and humanity of Jesus of Nazareth. He is asserting that he and others were witnesses who can testify to the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed eternal life incarnate and thus the incarnate Son of God. To “witness” means to be formerly present when something was happening. It has the added idea of having observed with sufficient care to be able to give an account as evidence. John, the other apostles and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ were present during His First Advent and in particular during His 3 ½ year ministry. They observed with sufficient care as to be able to give an account as evidence. The apostles and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ were witnesses to the many demonstrations that the Lord presented, which testified to the fact that He was indeed God in the flesh. Therefore, this third assertion refers to seeing in the sense of being a witness to the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is undiminished deity and true humanity in one Person forever. The fourth assertion “ what we observed for ourselves ” also is used with reference to the sense of seeing but advances upon the third assertion in that the verb employed in the assertion is a stronger word than the verb employed in the third assertion. It teaches that John and others observed or scrutinized carefully the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was the incarnate Word of God in whom there was eternal life. They paid strict attention to what they saw Him say and do during His First Advent and in particular during His 3 ½ year ministry, which included His miracles, death, resurrection and ascension. They marked or were attentive to what they saw Him do and what they heard Him say during His First Advent. They observed carefully all that the Lord Jesus Christ said and did during His First Advent and in particular during His 3 ½ year ministry. These witnesses were spectators, to the First Advent of Christ since they were continually observing carefully all that the Lord Jesus Christ said and did, which demonstrated that He was God incarnate. The fifth and final assertion “ even what we touched with our hands ” presents a climax to the eyewitness apostolic testimony concerning the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ was God incarnate. Here we have the third and final sense being appealed to. John is saying here that he and others touched with their own hands the physical human body of the eternal Word of God. They can confirm the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ was God incarnate, thus refuting the incipient form of Gnosticism which the Christian community in the Roman province of Asia was being exposed to, which contended that the Lord wasn’t a human being. “Concerning the Word which is truly life ” is the first of three parentheses in the prologue. It also alludes to the theme of the prologue and epistle which appears

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 142 in 1 John 1:2, tēn z ōē n t ēn ai ōnion h ētis ēn pros ton patera (τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον ἥτις ἦν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ), “ the eternal life, which was with the Father .” This prepositional phrase at the end of 1 John 1:1 expresses the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the perfect personified expression of God since He is God and thus the perfect personified expression of eternal life. He perfectly explains the divine nature through His words and actions. He is thus the perfect visible revelation of God in a human being. It expresses the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is unique among human beings and angels in that He is the perfect visible revelation of God. He is unique among the members of the Trinity in that He is the only member who reveals their divine essence to human beings and angels and is a human being. The prepositional phrase asserts that eternal life is an attribute of Jesus of Nazareth. Thus, John is affirming the deity of Jesus of Nazareth. Therefore, with these five assertions in 1 John 1:1, the apostle John is informing his readers that he and others are eyewitnesses to the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is both God and man. He says as much in 1 John 4:14-15. 1 John 4:14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (NASB95) The purpose of these assertions is to protect the Christian community in the Roman province of Asia from false teachers whose teaching rejected the apostolic testimony concerning the person of Jesus of Nazareth and thus the gospel of Jesus Christ, namely that He is the God-man. 1 John 1:2 contains six more assertions regarding the Word which is truly life, which are in addition to the five presented by John in 1 John 1:1. Of course, all eleven assertions are about Jesus Christ since He is the member of the Trinity who revealed God to human beings (cf. John 1:18). Furthermore, He Himself declared to John and his fellow apostles and disciples that He was eternal life incarnate (John 5:26; 6:33, 35, 48, 54, 63, 68; John 8:12; 10:28; 11:25; 14:6; 17:1-3). When John speaks of “we” in these verses or “us,” he is referring to himself, and his fellow apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ. The first assertion in verse 1 declared that the Word which is truly life has always existed with the Father was from eternity past. Thus, it expresses the fact that Jesus of Nazareth has always existed from eternity past. The second is that this Word which is truly life, which has always existed with the Father was heard by John and other people. Thus, this assertion expresses the fact that John and the other disciples and apostles of Jesus heard His words and could thus testify to the fact that He was eternal life incarnate. Consequently, they were all witnesses to the fact that Jesus was in fact a human being. Thus, this assertion refutes as well the claims of the false teachers who denied Jesus was a human being.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 143 The third assertion is that this Word which is truly life, who has always existed with the Father, was seen by John with his own eyes as well as by other people. Therefore, in this assertion John is maintaining that he and his fellow apostles and disciples saw that Jesus was eternal life incarnate. This was demonstrated by the miracles He performed and of course by rising from the dead. Thus, this assertion also refutes the claims of the false teachers that denied Jesus Christ was a human being. The fourth assertion is that this Word which is truly life, which has always existed with the Father, was observed by John and other people. Thus, in this assertion, John is maintaining that he and his fellow apostles and disciples observed that Jesus was in fact eternal life incarnate. They observed His miracles and resurrection which manifested the fact that He eternal life incarnate. Thus, this assertion also refutes the claims of the false teachers that denied that Jesus was a human being. The fifth and final assertion is that John and others touched with their hands this Word which is truly life, which has always existed with the Father. Therefore, John in this assertion is stating that he and his fellow apostles and disciples of Jesus touched Him. Thus, this assertion also refutes the claims of the false teachers that denied that Jesus was a human being. The first assertion in verse 2 makes explicit the five assertions in verse 1 and declares that this Word which is truly life and was heard, seen, observed and touched by John and others, was revealed. In other words, it presents the obvious conclusion of the previous five assertions in verse 1. This first assertion in verse 2 makes explicit the five assertions in verse 1 since hearing, seeing, observing and touching this Word which is truly life is equivalent to having this Word which is truly life revealed to you. The fact that eternal life which was existing from eternity past and thus invisible to human beings was heard, seen, observed and touched expresses the idea of revealing something that was invisible and incomprehensible to human beings. In other words, eternal life was revealed to human beings as demonstrated by the fact that it was heard, seen, observed and touched by human beings. This Word which is truly life was revealed to human beings as demonstrated by the fact that it was heard, seen, observed and touched by John and others. Therefore, this first assertion in verse 2 maintains that the incarnate eternal life of God, namely, the Son of God, Jesus Christ was revealed to John and his fellow apostles and disciples of Jesus. One of the reasons for the incarnation and hypostatic union of Jesus Christ was to reveal God to man (John 1:18). There would be no manifestation of God to man without the incarnation and subsequent hypostatic union of the Son of God.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 144 God reveals Himself to human beings in four ways: (1) by nature or creation (Psalm 19:1-6; Rom. 1:19-20). (2) Human conscience (Romans 2:14-15). (3) The Living Word, i.e., the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:18; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 Cor. 1:24; Heb. 1:1-3). (4) The Written Word, the Bible in its original languages. The second assertion in 1 John 1:2 echoes the third assertion in 1 John 1:1 and is thus resumptive. Both express the fact that this Word which is truly life was seen by witnesses who could testify to the fact that He was indeed eternal life incarnate. Therefore, both assertions maintain that John and his fellow apostles and disciples of Jesus heard His Words which manifested the fact that He was in fact eternal life incarnate. The content of our Lord’s speech revealed to John and the other witnesses that He spoke the words of eternal life (cf. Jn. 6:63, 68; 7:46). The third assertion in 1 John 1:2 presents the result of the second assertion and states that John and others can testify to the fact that this Word which is truly life is incarnate as a result of seeing this Word who is life incarnate. Therefore, this assertion maintains that John and his fellow apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ were testifying to the historicity of His incarnation and hypostatic union as a result of seeing Him. They were witnesses to the fact that He was indeed the incarnate Word and thus eternal life incarnate. John is testifying to the reality and truth that Jesus of Nazareth was eternal life incarnate. John is saying here that he and the others saw with their own eyes that the Lord Jesus Christ was the God-Man which was demonstrated through His miracles and His physical death, which demonstrated that He was in fact human. They also saw Him after His resurrection, which was further incontrovertible evidence that He was in fact the incarnate Son of God. This eyewitness testimony concerning the historicity that the Lord Jesus Christ was God in the flesh refuted the Cerinthian and Docetic Gnostic teaching, which contends that the Lord Jesus did not have a human body and was therefore not human. In this third assertion, John is stating that he and others have direct knowledge of eternal life incarnate, since they had personal contact with Him. This is a solemn affirmation and testimony. John is bearing witness to the truth of, affirming as a fact that the Lord Jesus Christ was God incarnate. To witness something is to see or know by personal presence and perception, or it can mean to be present at (an occurrence) as a formal witness, spectator, and bystander. John and the other witnesses were personally present during the First Advent of Christ. They personally saw Him demonstrate that He was the God- Man. This was demonstrated by His miracles and particularly by His physical death, which demonstrated that He was in fact human. They were witnesses to His resurrection which demonstrated who He claimed to be all along, namely the eternal Son of God.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 145 The fourth assertion makes explicit the third and maintains that John and others were proclaiming that this Word which is truly life is incarnate. Therefore, John was maintaining that he and his fellow apostles and disciples of Jesus were proclaiming to each member of the Christian community the historicity of the hypostatic union of Jesus Christ by testifying to this fact. The purpose of which was to protect them from an incipient form of Gnosticism which denied the humanity of Jesus Christ. In this fourth assertion, John for the first time describes this life as being “eternal.” He is ascribing the attribute of eternality to this life which is referring of course to Jesus Christ. Consequently, John is ascribing deity to Jesus because it speaks of Him as being eternal in nature. The Lord Jesus Christ because He is eternal has no beginning or end. As the Son of God and the Word of God, He is self-existent. He transcends time, matter and space and in fact is the Creator and Sustainer of time, matter and space. The Lord Jesus Christ manifested eternal life during His First Advent. The apostle John witnessed this manifestation of eternal life by the Lord Jesus Christ during His First Advent by means of the Lord’s words and actions (words, actions, doctrines, miracles, transfiguration, death, resurrection, and ascension). The fifth assertion further states that because of its eternal nature, this incarnate Word which is truly life has always existed face to face with the Father. The implication here is that the Lord Jesus Christ who is the eternal life of God incarnate has always enjoyed a perfect and perpetual fellowship with the Father. Thus, John is affirming the deity and preexistence of Jesus of Nazareth. The sixth and final assertion in 1 John 1:2 advances upon and intensifies upon the similar but not identical assertion at the beginning of the verse, namely that this Word which is truly life was revealed. The advancement and intensification is indicated by the fact that this sixth assertion describes this life as eternal and was revealed to John and others whereas the first does not mention these things. Like the first, this sixth and final assertion maintains that this Word which is truly life was revealed. Therefore, in this assertion John is maintaining that Jesus of Nazareth was revealed to him and his fellow apostles and disciples as being the Word which is eternal life incarnate. So, the apostle John in verse 1 asserts that the Word which is truly life has always existed from eternity past. Therefore, John is declaring that Jesus of Nazareth is God since He has always existed from eternity past. He then asserts that he and others have come into personal contact with this Word who is the life as demonstrated by the fact that they heard, saw, observed and touched this Word who is the life. Therefore, John is maintaining that he and his fellow apostles and disciples of Jesus were eyewitnesses to the fact that He was the incarnate Word which is truly eternal life.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 146 Then, in verse 2, he summarizes these five assertions in verse 1 by stating that this Word which is truly life was revealed with the implication that it was unknown to human beings. Therefore, he is maintaining that Jesus of Nazareth revealed to him and his fellow apostles and disciples that He is incarnate Word which is truly life. He then asserts that he and others are proclaiming this incarnate Word which is truly eternal life by testifying to this fact. Therefore, John is declaring that he and his fellow apostles and disciples of Jesus were proclaiming that He is the incarnate Word which is truly eternal life by testifying to this fact. John also states that because of its eternal nature, this life which is eternal, has always existed face to face with the Father. Therefore, the apostle John is stating that Jesus of Nazareth is God since He has always existed face to face with the Father. Then, John advances upon the first assertion in verse 2 by stating that this incarnate Word which is truly eternal life was revealed to himself and his fellow witnesses. Therefore, the apostle is stating that Jesus revealed to His apostles and disciples that He was in fact the incarnate Word which is eternal life. A comparison of verses 1 and 2 reveals that this incarnate Word which is eternal life was revealed to John and other witnesses because they each personally heard, saw, observed and touched this life which is eternal in nature. Furthermore, this incarnate Word which is eternal life has always existed from eternity past with the Father. As a result of receiving this revelation, John and his fellow eyewitnesses were now testifying with the result that they were now proclaiming to the Christian community in the Roman province of Asia this incarnate Word which is eternal life. 1 John 1:3 reiterates three of the assertions in 1 John 1:1 and 2 regarding the Word which is eternal life incarnate. Of course, all these assertions in 1 John 1:1-3 are about Jesus Christ since He is the member of the Trinity who revealed God to human beings (cf. John 1:18). Furthermore, He Himself declared to John and his fellow apostles and disciples that He was eternal life incarnate (John 5:26; 6:33, 35, 48, 54, 63, 68; John 8:12; 10:28; 11:25; 14:6; 17:1-3). When John speaks of “we” in these verses or “us,” he is referring to himself, and his fellow apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ. The first assertion “ what we have seen ” that appears in verse 3 reiterates the third assertion in verse 1 and declares that John and his fellow disciples of Jesus Christ saw this Word which is eternal life. Thus, it is affirming the deity and humanity of Jesus of Nazareth since John is asserting that he and others saw this Word which is eternal life. The apostles and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ were witnesses to the many demonstrations that He presented, which testified to the fact that He was indeed God in the flesh. Therefore, this assertion refers to seeing in the sense of being a witness to the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is undiminished deity and true humanity in one Person forever.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 147 The second assertion “ what we have heard ” reiterates the second assertion which appears in verse 1 and affirms that Jesus of Nazareth is the God-man since he is asserting that he and others heard this Word which is eternal life incarnate speak. What John and the other witnesses heard confirmed to them that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the incarnate Word of God. The content of our Lord’s speech revealed to John and the other witnesses that He spoke the words of eternal life (cf. Jn. 6:63, 68; 7:46). Therefore, with these first two assertions in verse 3, John is saying here that he and the others can confirm or testify that Jesus of Nazareth is the God-Man which was demonstrated through His words, teachings, miracles and His physical death, which demonstrated that He was in fact human. They also saw Him after His resurrection, which was further incontrovertible evidence that He was in fact the incarnate Son of God. This eyewitness testimony concerning the historicity that the Lord Jesus Christ was God in the flesh refuted the Cerinthian and Docetic Gnostic teaching, which contends that the Lord Jesus did not have a human body and was therefore not human. John is stating that he and others have direct knowledge of eternal life incarnate, since they had personal contact with Him. This is a solemn affirmation and testimony. John is bearing witness to the truth of, affirming as a fact that the Lord Jesus Christ was God incarnate. The third assertion in verse 3 reiterates the fourth assertion in verse 2 and declares that John and his fellow disciples of Jesus Christ were proclaiming this Word which is eternal life. In verse 2, John declared that he and his fellow eyewitnesses were now testifying with the result that they were now proclaiming to the Christian community in the Roman province of Asia this incarnate Word which is eternal life who is Jesus Christ. This proclamation is the direct the result of receiving this revelation regarding the Word which is eternal life. In other words, it is result of receiving revelation that Jesus of Nazareth is both God and a human being. The fourth and final declaration which appears in 1 John 1:3 emphatically asserts that this fellowship is also with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Thus, John is telling the recipients of this epistle that this fellowship that he was experiencing with the other eyewitnesses was divine in origin.

The Hypostatic Union

The Scriptural evidence is overwhelming that Jesus of Nazareth who is the Christ is both God and man forever. The two distinct natures, which as to their attributes differ significantly, were brought together into personal union, which will continue forever. In theology or specifically Christology (the study of Christ), the term “hypostatic union” is used by theologians to describe the teaching of the Scriptures

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 148 that Jesus Christ is undiminished deity and true sinless humanity in one person forever. The word “hypostatic” is a Bible Word meaning that it is derived from the original language of Scripture (Heb. 1:3). Hebrews 1:3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (NASB95) “Nature ” is the noun hupostasis , which was a word that belonged to the realm of science and medicine and has a variety of meanings in classical Greek and means “essence,” “nature” or “substance.” Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines essence, “the properties or attributes by means of which something can be placed in its proper class or identified as being what it is.” The word essence refers the “nature of something.” The doctrine of the hypostatic union teaches that our Lord’s divine nature and His human nature were united forever. Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines the word union as, “an act or instance of uniting or joining two or more things into one.” To unite is to put together two things to form a single unit. Jesus Christ unites in Himself, the essence or nature of God and the essence or nature of man. This union forms a new hupostasis, or “essence,” the hypostatic union, the God-Man. If we were to make the hypostatic union a mathematical equation, it would look like this: The nature of God + the nature of man = the hypostatic union. The hypostatic union is the complete unique person of Christ. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ is the unique theanthropic person of the universe as Lewis Sperry Chafer declared. 101 He is different from the other members of the Trinity in that He is true humanity. He is different from the rest of humanity in that He is God and sinless. This makes our Lord the unique theanthropic person of the universe. There is no one like Him in the universe and there will never be someone like Him ever again. Now, it must be remembered that the Scriptures teach that in His human nature, the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-Man was subordinate to the Father. However, in His deity, He is of course co-infinite, co-equal and co-eternal with both the Father and the Spirit. The New Testament emphatically teaches that in His person, Jesus of Nazareth who is the Christ was both God and man, which we established in chapters two and four respectively (John 1:14; Rom. 1:1-4; 8:3; 9:1-5; Phil. 2:5-11;

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2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 149 Col. 1:19-22; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 1:1-4; 4:1-3; 2 John 7). Many of these passages such as Romans 1:3-4, 8:3, Philippians 2:6-11, John 1:14 and 1 John 1:1- 3 make it clear that the eternal Son of God clothed and veiled His deity with a sinless human nature and became a human being. 1 John 1:1 We are now proclaiming to each of you what has always existed from eternity past, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we observed for ourselves, even what we touched with our hands concerning the Word which is truly life. 2 In other words, this life was revealed. As noted previously, we have seen so therefore we are now proclaiming by testifying to each of you this life, which is eternal, which because of its eternal nature has always existed face to face with the Father. Indeed, it was revealed to each one of us. 3 What we have seen as well as heard, we are now proclaiming to each of you in order that each of you would also continue to regularly experience fellowship with each of us. Also, our fellowship is in fact with the Father as well as with His Son, who is Jesus, who is the Christ. 4 Thus, we ourselves are now communicating in writing concerning each of these things in order to cause our joy to exist in a maximum state. (Author’s translation) The act of incarnation was not temporary but rather permanent according to the testimony of the Scriptures. His human body is now glorified in that it is a resurrected body, thus His human nature continues forever. Matthew 26:64, Mark 14:62 and Luke 22:69-70 make clear that Christ’s humanity will continue forever. The appearances of Christ after His resurrection also provide further evidence that His humanity will continue forever (Matthew 28:9; Luke 24:30-31, 39-43; John 20:17, 22, 27-28; Acts 1:1-11; 7:56). 1 John 2:1 teaches that He now sits at the right hand of the Father as the believer’s Advocate interceding for the believer when Satan accuses the believer (Compare Zechariah 3:1-7; Revelation 12:10). This is further evidence of the continuance of Christ’s humanity. Furthermore, passages dealing with the rapture of the church in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and Philippians 3:20-21 make clear the continuance of Jesus Christ’s humanity. The many passages that deal with His Second Advent to terminate Daniel’s seventieth week make this clear as well (Zechariah 12; 14:1-9; Romans 11:25-27; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2:8; 2 Peter 3:3-4; Jude 14-15; Revelation 1:7-8; 2:25-28; 16:15; 19:11-21). The term “hypostatic union” means that deity and true humanity are combined in one personality, forever and that personality is Jesus Christ. He did not have two personalities because He had two natures. Because He is a man does not make our Lord less than God. Nor, does His being God prevent Him from being truly a man. The integrity of the attributes of His divine nature, were not corrupted or compromised by the fact that His divine nature was united permanently with a

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 150 human nature. Nor were the integrity of the attributes of His human nature corrupted or compromised by the fact that He was God. His two natures, though united, retain their separate identities. There was no mixture of His divine nature with that of His human nature. His divine attributes are always united to His divine nature. His human attributes are always united to His human nature. Deity remains deity and humanity remains humanity. The infinite cannot become finite and the immutable cannot be changed. No attribute of deity was altered when our Lord became a man through the incarnation. The same holds true when He died on the cross. To take away a single attribute from His divine nature would destroy His deity. To take away from His perfect human nature a single attribute would destroy His humanity. Walvoord writes, “Though Christ sometimes operated in the sphere of His humanity and in other cases in the sphere of His deity, in all cases what He did and what He was could be attributed to His one person. Even though it is evident that there were two natures in Christ, He is never considered a dual personality. The normal pronouns such as I, You and He are used of Him frequently.” 102 The two natures of Christ are not only united without affecting the attributes of the two natures but they are also combined in one person. As Charles Hodge writes, “The Son of God did not unite Himself with a human person but with a human nature.” The hypostatic union is “eternal,” which means “no beginning, and no end.” Christ as eternal God will never cease to be a member of the human race (Heb. 13:8). Our Lord in His deity always existed. The attributes of His divine nature are never attributed to the attributes of His human nature. However, the attributes of both natures are properly attributed to his person. Thus, there seems to be a contradiction. Our Lord could be weak and yet omnipotent. He increased in knowledge yet He was omniscient. He was finite yet infinite. These qualities of course are traced to their respective natures. Walvoord commenting on the relationship between the two natures of our Lord, writes, “One of the difficult aspects of the relationship of the two natures of Christ is that, while the attributes of one nature are never attributed to the other, the attributes of both natures are properly attributed to His person. Thus, Christ at the same moment has seemingly contradictory qualities. He can be weak and omnipotent, increasing in knowledge and omniscient, finite and infinite. These qualities can, of course, be traced to their corresponding nature but, as presented in Scripture, a variety of treatment can be observed. At least these seven classifications of this aspect of the truth can be observed in what is called the

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2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 151 communion of attributes: (1) Some attributes are true of His whole person such as the titles Redeemer, Prophet, Priest and King. As Redeemer, Christ is both Man and God, both natures being essential to this function. It is therefore an attribute or characteristic true of His whole person. (2) Some attributes are true only of Deity, but the whole person is the subject. In some cases, the person of Christ is related to an attribute peculiar to the divine nature. For instance, Christ said: ‘Before Abraham was, I am’ (John 8:58) - The whole person is the subject, but the attribute of eternity applies only to the divine nature. It is possible, however, to say of the person of the incarnate Christ that His person is eternal even though humanity was added in time. (3) Some attributes are true only of humanity, but the whole person is the subject. In contrast to John 8:58, in some cases attributes true only of His humanity are mentioned but the whole person is in view. On the cross Christ said: ‘I thirst’ (John 19:28). The statement can be attributed only to the human nature, but the whole person is involved. This type of reference disappears after His resurrection and ascension and the resulting freedom from the limitations of His earthly life. (4) The person may be described according to divine nature but the predicate of the human nature. A seeming contradiction is sometimes found when the person of Christ is described according to His divine nature, but that which is predicated is an attribute of the human nature. An illustration is afforded in the revelation of Christ in glory in Revelation 1:12.18 where the deity of Christ is in evidence. Yet Christ is revealed as the One who ‘was dead’ (v. 18), an attribute possible only for the humanity of Christ. (5) The person may be described according to human nature but the predicate of the divine nature. In John 6:62 (ASV) the significant statement occurs: ‘What then if ye should behold the Son of man ascending where he was before?’ The title ‘Son of man’ describes Christ according to His human nature, but the predicate of ascending up where He was before could have reference only to the divine nature. (6) The person may be described according to the divine nature, but the predicate of both natures. According to John 5:25-27, Christ as the Son of God spoke to those who were spiritually dead, and those who heard lived. As the Son of man, however, Christ is said to execute judgment in the future. Hence, Christ is described as the Son of God, but the predicate of speaking can be attributed to both natures as demonstrated by the fact that the human nature is specifically mentioned as in view in the future judgment. (7) The person may be described according to human nature but the predicate of both natures. According to John 5:27 mentioned above, Christ will judge the world as One possessing both human and divine natures. Another example is found in Matthew 27:46 where Christ said: ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ Christ was speaking from the viewpoint of His human nature in His prophetic cry, addressing His Father as His God, but the pronoun ‘me’ seems to refer to both natures or His whole person. Christ was being

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 152 judicially forsaken because He was bearing the sin of the world. It was not simply the divine nature forsaking the human nature as some have held.” 103 The Lord Jesus Christ was always aware of His deity and humanity. He was always aware in Himself with respect to His deity and He grew in self- consciousness with respect to His humanity. There was no point in the life of our Lord when He suddenly became aware that He was the Son of God. His divine self-consciousness was always fully operative when He was an infant in the arms of Mary and this was the case as a mature adult. However, it is clear from the Scriptures that His human nature developed. There was a corresponding development of His human self-consciousness as His human nature developed. Therefore, our Lord had a divine and human self-consciousness. However, there was never any conflict between the two. Sometimes He spoke and acted from His divine self-consciousness and other times from His human self-consciousness. The Gospels make clear that Jesus Christ’s divine consciousness was expressed in both His words and actions. Our Lord was conscious that not only was He the Son of God but also a King and that He was the fulfillment of the Old Testament Messianic promises and key to the fulfillment of the promises contained in the four unconditional covenants to Israel (Abrahamic (Gen. 12:1-3; 13:16; 22:15-18; 26:4; 28:14; 35:11; Ex. 6:2-8); Palestinian (Gen. 13:15; Ex. 6:4, 8; Num. 34:1-12; Deut. 30:1-9; Jer. 32:36-44; Ezek. 36:21-38); Davidic (2 Sam. 7:8-17; Ps. 89:20-37); New (Jer. 31:31-34; cf. Heb. 8:8-12; 10:15-17). Jesus Christ was also conscious of being omnipotent and that He was the promised Savior of the world. The question arises that since Christ had a divine and human nature, did each nature have a corresponding “will”? In order to answer this question, we must define “will.” If we speak of “will” in terms of a desire, then it is clear that there would be conflicting desires in the divine and human natures of Christ. However, if by will we mean volition then we know that one person can have only one will. As we noted earlier from Charles Hodge, “The Son of God did not unite Himself with a human person but with a human nature.” The mark of personhood whether of an angel, a man or God Himself is that of volition. Volition does not help to compose the divine nature or human nature or the nature of angels since it is not unique to the nature of God, the nature of man or the nature angels for that matter. God has a volition and men and angels do. Therefore, when we speak of our Lord having a human nature, or that He has human attributes, we are not including volition since it is not unique to the divine

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2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 153 nature, or human nature or angelic nature for that matter rather it is the mark of personhood. Therefore, our Lord had only one volition but yet clothed His divine nature with human attributes that do not include volition since again volition does not help to compose the divine nature, human nature or angelic nature but rather helps to constitute personhood. Thus, when the Son of God became a man, He did not attach Himself to another human being or add a human will since He was already a person but rather He clothed His divine nature with the attributes of a human being. We also must not confuse God’s volition with His attribute of sovereignty though they are obviously related to each other. The term “sovereignty” connotes a situation in which a person, from his innate dignity, exercises supreme power, with no areas of his province outside his jurisdiction. As applied to God, the term “sovereignty” indicates His complete power over all of creation, so that He exercises His volition or will absolutely, without any necessary conditioning by a finite will (volition) or wills (volitions). Therefore, God exercises His volition absolutely without any necessary conditioning by the volition of His creatures whether men or angels, which constitutes His sovereignty over them. Therefore, Jesus Christ did not have two volitions but rather one, namely, the volition that is related to His divine nature. When the Son of God clothed His divine nature with a human nature, this did not include a human volition since the implication of that would be that the Son of God attached Himself to another person. Our Lord praying in the Garden of Gethsemane demonstrates the exercise of His sovereign will in relation to His human nature’s desire to not lose fellowship with the Father by experiencing a substitutionary spiritual death. Luke 22:39 And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40 When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. (NASB95) The “ cup ” that our Lord refers to in His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane refers to not only His physical sufferings but also His substitutionary spiritual death, which is recorded in Matthew 27:46. Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?’ that is, ‘MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” (NASB95)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 154 “Spiritual death” means that our Lord in His perfect human nature “lost fellowship with God the Father” during those last three hours on the Cross. His spiritual death was “unique” in that He suffered spiritual death as a “sinless” human being whereas every member of the human race suffers spiritual death the moment they are born into the world. Our Lord’s spiritual death was “voluntary” in that our Lord in His impeccable humanity “chose” to lose fellowship with His Father during those last three hours of darkness upon the Cross because He loved the entire world. In our Lord’s deity, His fellowship with the Father and the Spirit was “never” broken at any time. However, in His perfect human nature He suffered temporarily loss of fellowship with the Father so that all of sinful mankind might not be separated forever from God. The person of the Son of God was able to experience spiritual and physical death as well as being resurrected through His sinless human nature. In His human nature, our Lord’s desire was to avoid losing fellowship with His Father. It was natural for the sinless human nature of Christ to desire to avoid this as it was in keeping with His divine nature’s desire to avoid being judged for sin. However, the will or more accurately the desire of the Father was that Christ would die both a substitutionary spiritual and physical death on the cross in order to provide salvation for all men and this our Lord did willingly. This desire of the Father was not hindered or prevented from being fulfilled by the function of the volition of men or angels. The union of Christ’s divine and human natures are related to His acts as an incarnate person. Though His divine nature was immutable, His human nature could suffer and learn through experience so that as a result the person of Christ with two natures came into new experiences. The Son of God came into a new experience of suffering by becoming a human being. The voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths of Christ on the cross were based on the hypostatic union. The act of Christ redeeming sinners through His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross was an act of His whole person in that these deaths originated from both natures and not merely to the human nature alone or divine nature. As a human being Christ could die spiritually and physically but only as God could these deaths have infinite value, sufficient to redeem sinners. Thus the substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths of Christ have eternal and infinite value because they were experienced and suffered by the divine-human person. They have value because of who He is as a person, the Son of God. Our Lord’s great high priesthood is also based upon the hypostatic union. In order to be our great high priest, He had to be both God and man. As a man, he could act as human priest and as God this priesthood could be forever after the

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 155 order of Melchizedek. Thus, He could be the mediator between God and man because of His hypostatic union. As a man, his priesthood could sympathize with the human experience (Hebrews 4:15) but as God, He was assured of always being heard by the Father. Our Lord’s office as a prophet was based as well on having two natures since it was God’s purpose to reveal Himself through a man, which required God becoming a human being (John 1:18). His office as King depends on both the divine and human natures since the Davidic covenant, which promised that a descendant of David’s would sit on his throne forever could not be fulfilled unless God become a human being.

Impeccability of Christ

The Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus Christ never committed an act of sin and neither did He possess a sin nature. John 8:46a “Which one of you convicts Me of sin?” (NASB95) 2 Corinthians 5:21 “He (Christ) who never knew sin experientially (Christ was impeccable), on behalf of us (as our Substitute), was made (the representative of) sin in order that we might become the very righteousness of God in Him. (Author’s translation) Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. (NASB95) Hebrew 7:26 For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens. (NASB95) 1 Peter 1:19 But with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. (NASB95) 1 Peter 2:22 Who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth. (NASB95) 1 John 3:5 And you know that He appeared in order to take sins; and in Him there is no sin. (NASB95) Most orthodox theologians agree that Jesus Christ never committed an act of sin. Walvoord writes, “This seems to be a natural corollary to His deity and an absolute prerequisite to His work of substitution on the cross. Any affirmation of moral failure on the part of Christ requires a doctrine of His person which would deny in some sense His absolute deity” (The Person and Work of Christ Part VII, The Impeccability of Christ). There has been debate regarding whether the sinlessness of Christ was the same as that of Adam before the fall or whether it possessed a unique character because

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 156 of His divine nature. Could the Son of God be tempted as Adam was tempted and could He have sinned as Adam sinned? Was there any potential of Him sinning once? Most theologians who are orthodox agree that Christ could be tempted because of the presence of a human nature, but there is great division as to whether being tempted He could have sinned or was there the potential of Him ever sinning. The term used to describe the teaching that there was a potential that Christ could sin is called “peccability.” The term used to designate that there was never any potential of Christ sinning is called the “impeccability” of Christ. Both positions are in agreement that Christ did not sin. Both contend that Jesus Christ is infinite and eternal God (John 1:1-2; John 8:58; 10:30a; Col. 2:9a; Rev. 1:8). They both agree that in His Deity, Jesus Christ always occupied a place of equality and fellowship with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. They both agree that as God, He is equal with the Father (John 10:30, 37-38; 14:9; 17:5, 24- 25). Both views are in agreement that He has the same divine essence as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. They agree that our Lord possesses all the attributes of deity: (1) Sovereignty (Matt. 28:18a; Col. 2:10b). (2) Perfect righteousness (John 8:46a; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 2:21b). (3) Justice (John 8:16a; 2 Tim. 4:8; Ps. 9:8; Deut. 32:4; Rev. 15:3b). (4) Love (John 13:34; Rom. 5:8; Eph. 3:19; 1 John 4:9-10). (5) Eternal life (1 Tim. 1:17; 1 John 5:11). (6) Omniscience (Luke 11:17; John 2:24-25; John 6:64). (7) Omnipresence (Matt. 18:20; Prov. 15:3) (8) Omnipotence (1 Cor. 1:23-24; Rev. 1:8). (9) Immutability (Heb. 13:8). (10) Veracity (John 1:14; 14:6a). Both views are in agreement that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe (Col. 1:16-17), that He has authority to forgive sins (Matt. 9:6). They agree that the Lord Jesus Christ has the power to raise the dead (John 5:21; 6:40) and that all judgment belongs to Him (John 5:22), and that He receives worship from both men and angels (Ps. 99:5; Phil. 2:10; Rev. 5:13-14). Both views agree that the Lord Jesus Christ has a human body like ours but without a sin nature (John 1:14; Heb. 10:5; 1 John 1:1; 1 John 4:2-3), that He has a human soul (Matt. 26:38a; Isa. 53:11a) and a human spirit (Luke 23:46; John 13:21; 19:30). In regards to our Lord’s humanity, both the peccable and impeccable view are in agreement that our Lord was totally free from sin, which means He was perfect or flawless. They both agree that Christ remained free from all three categories of sin in the human race: (1) Old sin nature (2) Adam’s original sin (3) Personal sins. These two views are in agreement that because of the virgin birth our Lord did not have an old sin nature like every human being born in Adam. They agree that He did not have an old sin nature because He did not have a human father (Luke

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 157 1:35). The peccability view and the impeccability view both agree that the Lord Jesus Christ was found to be without sin in His humanity (John 8:46a; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5). They agree that in His humanity that our Lord was tempted in all things as sinful humanity (Heb. 4:15). They agree that in His humanity, He was tempted to act and live independently from God the Father’s plan for His life (Luke 4:1-4; Matt. 16:21-23) and that He was tempted not to go to the cross (Luke 22:39-44). Therefore, both views are in agreement that our Lord did not sin, but the peccability view contends that He could have sinned. They say that there was a potential of Him sinning. While on the other hand, the impeccability view contends that our Lord could never have sinned meaning there was absolutely no potential of Him ever sinning once because He is the Son of God. The impeccability position has been challenged. Can an impeccable person be tempted in any proper sense? Since Christ had a human nature that was subject to temptation, does this mean that He could have sinned? The point of view of those who believe that Christ could have sinned is expressed by Charles Hodge, he writes, “This sinlessness of our Lord, however, does not amount to absolute impeccability. It was not a non potest peccare . If He was a true man, He must have been capable of sinning. That He did not sin under the greatest provocations; that when He was reviled He blessed; when He suffered He threatened not; that He was dumb as a sheep before its shearers, is held up to us as an example. Temptation implies the possibility of sin. If from the constitution of his person it was impossible for Christ to sin, then his temptation was unreal and without effect and He cannot sympathize with his people.” (Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, II, 457) John Walvoord makes the following comment in response to Hodge, he writes, “The problem that Hodge raises is very real, and, judging by our own experience, temptation is always associated with peccability. Hodge, however, assumes certain points in his argument which are subject to question. In order to solve the problem as to whether Christ is peccable, it is necessary, first of all, to examine the character of temptation itself to ascertain whether peccability is inevitably involved in any real temptation and, second, to determine the unique factor in Christ, i.e., that He had two natures, one a divine nature and the other a sinless human nature. It is generally agreed by those who hold that Christ did not commit sin that He had no sin nature. Whatever temptation could come to Him, then, would be from without and not from within. Whatever may have been the natural impulses of a sinless nature which might have led to sin if not held in control, there was no sin nature to suggest sin from within and form a favorable basis for temptation. It must be admitted by Hodge, who denies impeccability, that in any case the temptation of Christ is different than that of sinful men. Not only is there agreement on the fact

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 158 that Christ had no sin nature, but it is also agreed on the other hand, that as to His person He was tempted. This is plainly stated in Hebrews: ‘For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin’ (4:15). It is also clear that this temptation came to Christ in virtue of the fact that He possessed a human nature, as James states: ‘Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man’ (1:13). On the one hand, Christ was tempted in all points except through that of a sin nature, and on the other hand His divine nature could not be tempted because God cannot be tempted. While His human nature is temptable, His divine nature is not temptable. On these points all can agree. The question is, then, can such a person as Christ is, possessing both human and divine natures, be tempted if He is impeccable? The answer must be in the affirmative. The question is simply, is it possible to attempt the impossible? To this all would agree. It is possible for a rowboat to attack a battleship, even though it is conceivably impossible for the rowboat to conquer the battleship. The idea that temptability implies susceptibility is unsound. While the temptation may be real, there may be infinite power to resist that temptation and if this power is infinite, the person is impeccable. It will be observed that the same temptation which would be easily resisted by one of sound character may be embraced by one of weak character. The temptation of a drunken debauch would have little chance of causing one to fall who had developed an abhorrence of drink, while a habitual drunkard would be easily led astray. The temptation might be the same in both cases, but the ones tempted would have contrasting powers of resistance. It is thus demonstrated that there is no essential relation between temptability and peccability. Hodge’s viewpoint that temptation must be unreal if the person tempted is impeccable is, therefore, not accurate. Temptability depends upon a constitutional susceptibility to sin, whereas impeccability depends upon omnipotent will not to sin.” 104 The doctrine of the impeccability of Christ acknowledges the reality of the temptations of Christ due to the fact that our Lord had a human nature which was temptable. Our Lord might have sinned if His human nature had not been sustained by His divine person, nature and sovereign will. Adam sinned because he was not sustained by divine power, nor did he have a divine nature to sustain him of course. However, there is absolutely no possibility or potential that Christ could have sinned since He was infinite and eternal God, having a divine nature and also having a sinless human nature as well.

104 The Person and Work of Jesus Christ Part VII: The Impeccability of Christ

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 159 The concept of peccability in the person of Christ is refuted by the attributes of immutability and omnipotence. For example, the immutability of Christ (Hebrews 13:8) supports the impeccability of Christ in the sense that since Christ was infinite and eternal God in eternity past, it is absolutely essential that this divine attribute as well His others be preserved unchanged eternally. Therefore, our Lord must be impeccable since He is immutable. It is ridiculous to think that God could sin in eternity past, thus, it was impossible for God to sin in the person of Christ incarnate. The nature of His person forbids susceptibility to sin. To say that He could have sinned, you would have to separate the deity of Christ from His humanity. Also, the omnipotence of Christ makes it impossible for Him to sin. We must remember that peccability always implies weakness on the part of the one tempted in the sense that He is weak to the extent that He can sin. However, with our Lord, this was impossible. It is true that if the human nature of Christ was left to itself, He would have been both peccable and temptable, but since His human nature was permanently united to an omnipotent divine nature, this made our Lord impeccable. The infinite quality of our Lord’s omnipotence makes it clear that Christ is impeccable. The debate surrounding peccability and impeccability is easily resolved by an accurate understanding from the Scriptures of the Person of Christ and the nature of His testings. As we have noted in chapter two, the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is infinite and eternal God (John 1:1-2; John 8:58; 10:30a; Col. 2:9a; Rev. 1:8). In His Deity, He always occupied a place of equality and fellowship with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ as God was equal with the Father (John 10:30, 37-38; 14:9; 17:5, 24-25). Therefore, as to His divine nature, there is no inherent propensity for Him to sin. In other words, there is nothing in the divine nature of Christ that could incite Him to sin. No temptation of Satan would be attractive to Him since His divine nature would be repulsed by anything that contradicted or rejected the will of the Father. James 1:13a When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil. (NASB95) As we noted, our Lord is a human being. The Word of God teaches that He had a human body and now has resurrected human body. The difference between Jesus Christ and the human race is that He did not have a sin nature resident in the genetic structure of His human body (John 1:14; Heb. 10:5; 1 John 1:1; 1 John 4:2- 3). Unlike the human race, Christ did not have a sin nature and thus did not have an inherent propensity to sin like we do! Therefore, since Jesus Christ is fully human, yet without a sin nature, as to His human nature, there was no inherent propensity to sin just as there was no inherent propensity to sin in His divine nature. In other words, there was nothing in His

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 160 human nature that would incite Him to sin because He did not have a sin nature. Thus, if there was nothing in both His divine and human natures that could incite Him to sin or tempt Him to sin, then, there could have been no possibility whatsoever, that Christ could have sinned. There was nothing in His divine nature that would be attracted to the temptations of the devil and likewise there was nothing in His human nature that would be attracted to those temptations since He did not have a sin nature. The temptations that the Lord’s human nature had undergone were from without. However, those temptations unlike the first Adam did not incite in Him anything that could cause Him to sin since there was nothing in both His divine and human natures that would be enticed to sin or attracted to the temptations of the devil. Jesus Christ could always bring to bear His divine omnipotence that is inherent in His deity to withstand any temptations. There are some in Christianity who argue that God would be unfair to Satan in his appeal trial if there was no possibility for Christ to sin. However, this view is based upon a misunderstanding of God’s holiness, His justice and righteousness. Matthew 25:41 teaches that God sentenced Satan to the Lake of Fire for his rebellion. God would have been fair if He executed that sentence. However, in His grace, He did not which is indicated by the fact that Satan is the god of the world according to 2 Corinthians 4:4 and that he deceives the entire world according to 1 John 5:19 and Revelation 12:10. To say that God would have been unfair to Satan if there was no possibility for Christ to sin fails to recognize that God would have been fair to execute Satan’s sentence immediately. The fact that God did not execute the sentence immediately indicates that God was operating in grace towards Satan. To say that in order to be fair to Satan that there had to be a possibility that Christ could sin is to call into question God’s justice and righteousness, His integrity since God did not have to prove His fairness to His creatures since He would have been fair in the first place to execute Satan’s sentence immediately. What God was doing for Satan and the angels was demonstrating His grace and love towards them by not executing their sentence immediately. Therefore, the argument that it would have been unfair to Satan if there was no possibility of Christ sinning is a faulty argument that in fact attacks God’s integrity and character. Also, the fact that Christ did die on the Cross for sinners in obedience to the Father’s will demonstrated the righteousness of God itself and that God is integrity (Romans 3:21-26; 5:6-8)! To say that God demonstrated His integrity through the potential of Christ sinning is without Scriptural basis. However, the fact that Christ dying on the Cross for sinners demonstrated God’s justice and righteousness does have wealth of Scripture to support it.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 161

The Work of Jesus Christ: The Spiritual and Physical Deaths of Jesus Christ

Now, 1 Thessalonians 1:1 use two terms to describe the incarnate Son of God and His finished work on the cross, namely, “ Jesus ” and “ Christ .” As we noted, the proper name Iēsous , “ Jesus ” is the Greek spelling of the Hebrew word Jehoshua , “Jehovah saves,” and refers to the human nature of the incarnate Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth. Thus, this name describes Him as the Savior. The term Christos , “ Christ ” denotes the Messiahship of Jesus of Nazareth, thus He is the Deliverer of the human race in three areas through His death, resurrection, ascension and session: (1) Satan (2) Cosmic System (3) Old Sin Nature. The Lord’s Messiahship has a four-fold significance: (1) Separation unto God. (2) Authorization from God. (3) Divine enablement. (4) The coming Deliverer. It also signifies the uniqueness of Jesus of Nazareth who is the God-Man. Christos signifies that Jesus of Nazareth served God the Father exclusively and this was manifested by His execution of the Father’s salvation plan which was accomplished by His voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the Cross. The word signifies that Jesus of Nazareth has been given authority by God the Father to forgive sins, give eternal life, and authority over all creation and every creature as a result of His execution of the Father’s salvation plan. It denotes that Jesus of Nazareth was perpetually guided and empowered by God the Holy Spirit during His First Advent. Lastly, Christos signifies that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised deliverer of the human race from the bondage of Satan, his cosmic system and the old Adamic sin nature. It emphasizes that Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnate Son of God delivered the believer from the sin nature, personal sins, the devil and his cosmic system, spiritual and physical death and eternal condemnation through His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths and resurrection. Therefore, these two terms “ Jesus ” and “ Christ ” are related to the doctrine of salvation in the Bible is of course an extremely important one and very often misunderstood. For many Christians salvation is simply understood in relation to justification. In other words, they only think of it in relation to the sinner receiving eternal salvation through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. However, the Scriptures teach that it involves much more than this since they teach that it is accomplished in stages. The first stage occurs at the moment of conversion or in other words, justification. The second occurs when the Christian is experiencing fellowship with God or in other words, experiencing their sanctification. The final stage takes place when the Christian receives their resurrection body at the rapture of the church.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 162 The nature of salvation is also misunderstood by Christians today in the sense that when they think of being saved, they think of receiving eternal life and the forgiveness of sins. They often don’t understand that salvation in the Bible speaks of deliverance. The Scriptures teach that salvation is deliverance from eternal condemnation. It is also a deliverance from being condemned by the Law. Furthermore, it is a deliverance from real spiritual death, the sin nature, personal sins, the devil and his cosmic system. At the moment of their conversion or we can say justification the Christian was delivered from all these things in a positional sense. They initially experience this deliverance at their conversion but lose this experience by committing sin. Confession of sin restores them to fellowship which is maintained by obedience to the Word of God. They can experience this deliverance in time after their conversion through fellowship. They will experience this deliverance in a perfective sense when they receive their resurrection body at the rapture of the church. The Lord Jesus Christ’s substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross provided the forgiveness of sins for sinful mankind. Faith in Him appropriates what our Lord’s deaths accomplished on the cross. This faith appropriates therefore, the forgiveness of sins. There are many reasons why Jesus Christ had to suffer crucifixion and spiritual and physical death on the cross. He had to suffer because the entire human race was in desperate need of deliverance from eternal condemnation, condemnation from the Law, spiritual and physical death, the sin nature, personal sins and enslavement to Satan and his cosmic system. The Lord Jesus Christ, through His human nature, suffered a spiritual and physical death on the cross, as a substitute for each and every member of the human race-past, present and future. These substitutionary deaths dealt with all these problems facing sinful humanity. Sinners appropriate this deliverance by exercising faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Through the function of human volition, the sin nature produces personal sin, mental, verbal and overt acts of sin. Spiritual death is the direct result of Adam’s original sin in the Garden of Eden. His progeny, namely the human race are now sinners by nature because of his disobedience. His sin not only plunged him into spiritual death but also his progeny which results in physical death and ultimately eternal condemnation. Therefore, in order to solve these problems of the human race, our Lord had to suffer these deaths as a substitute for sinful humanity. The Scriptures teach that salvation is deliverance from eternal condemnation. It is also a deliverance from being condemned by the Law. Furthermore, it is a deliverance from real spiritual death, the sin nature, personal sins, the devil and his cosmic system.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 163 At the moment of their conversion or we can say justification the Christian was delivered from all these things in a positional sense. They initially experience this deliverance at their conversion but lose this experience as a result of committing sin. This problem is resolved by the confession of sin (1 John 1:9) which restores the Christian to experiencing their deliverance. This is maintained by obedience to the Word of God. Thus, the Christian can experience this deliverance in time through fellowship. They will experience this deliverance in a perfective sense when they receive their resurrection body at the rapture of the church.

The Human Race is Enslaved to Sin

The Bible teaches that each and every member of the human race is a sinner by nature as well as by practice. Ecclesiastes 7:20 There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins. (NASB95) Galatians 3:22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. (NASB95) The Bible teaches that every person born into the world without exception received the imputation of Adam’s original sin in the Garden of Eden and the nature of Adam. This nature is always disobedient to God and making them all physically alive but spiritually dead, having no capacity whatsoever to have a relationship with God. The first man, Adam, brought sin and death into the human race resulting in a curse whereas the “Last Adam,” Jesus Christ, brought life and blessing to the human race and so therefore, the entire human race boils down to these two men. 1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. (NASB95) Romans 5:12 Therefore, based on this (principle), just as, through one man, the sin nature entered into the human race so that spiritual death entered through this sin nature. Thus, in this manner, spiritual death spread to each and every member of the human race without exception because each and every member of the human race sinned (the moment Adam sinned). 13 For you see, prior to the giving of the Law, personal sin was habitually taking place among the individual members of the human race however personal sin is never, as an eternal spiritual truth, charged to one’s account while the Law does not exist. 14 Yet, in spite of this, spiritual death reigned as king from the fall of Adam to the giving of the Law to Moses, specifically, over those who had not sinned according to the same exact transgression committed by Adam, who is, as an eternal spiritual truth, an illustration of the One destined

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 164 to come. 15 However, on the other hand, absolutely not like this transgression is, as an eternal spiritual truth, also, in the same way, the gracious act. For if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that by means of this transgression committed by the one, the entire human race died. Of course, we know this is true. How much more then has the grace originating from God and the gracious gift on the basis of grace, which is specifically, on the basis of the obedience of the one Man, who is Jesus, who is the Christ been generously and graciously offered to the entire human race. 16 In fact, the condemnation through the one who sinned is absolutely not, as an eternal spiritual truth, like the gift itself. On the one hand the verdict arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation while on the other hand, the gracious act arose from innumerable transgressions resulting in justification. 17 For if, and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that by means of the transgression committed by the one, spiritual death reigned as king through this one. Of course, we know this is true. Then, how much more those who do receive His transcendent grace, specifically, the gracious gift, which is His righteousness, will, as a certainty, reign as kings by means of life through the One, who is Jesus, who is the Christ. 18 Therefore, as previously stated, just as through the one who committed the transgression resulted in condemnation affecting each and every member of the human race without exception in the same way also through the One who committed the righteous act resulted in the basis for the offer of justification, which produces (eternal) life, affecting each and every member of the human race without exception. 19 For you see, just as through the one man’s disobedience, the entire human race has been rendered sinners in the same way also through the One’s obedience, many will, as a certainty, be rendered righteous. 20 Now, the Law was an addendum in order that the transgression might increase but where personal sin increased, grace infinitely abounded. 21 In order that just as, the sin nature reigned as king in the realm of spiritual death in the same way, also grace would reign as king through righteousness resulting in eternal life through Jesus, who is the Christ, who is our Lord. (Author’s translation) Because of the imputation of Adam’s original sin to the genetically formed old sin nature, every member of the human race is born physically alive but spiritually dead. Adam’s original sin plus Adam’s sin nature equals “spiritual death,” which means that every member of the human race is separated from God and has absolutely no capacity to have a relationship with God who is holy. This is what we call in theology “real spiritual death” meaning that Adam’s original sin is imputed to the genetically formed old sin nature, thus, the need for everyone to become born-again by believing on the Lord Jesus. The Lord taught in John 8:34 that the human race is enslaved to sin and that only He could set them free.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 165 John 8:34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 35 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” (NASB95)

Spiritual Death Entered the Human Race Through the Sin Nature

The book of Genesis and the book of Romans both teach that the sin nature entered the human race through Adam’s original sin in the Garden of Eden when he disobeyed the divine prohibition to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The apostle Paul in Romans 5:12-21 gives us an extensive treatment of the origins of the sin nature and its consequences and how God has dealt with it. Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. (NASB95) The prepositional phrase “ through one man ” is composed of the preposition dia , “ through ” and the genitive masculine singular form of the cardinal number heis , “ one ,” which is followed by the genitive masculine singular form of the noun anthropos , “ man .” This prepositional phrase parallels the prepositional phrase that appears at the end of Romans 5:11, “ through whom we have now received this reconciliation .” The noun anthropos signifies a member of the human race without reference to sex or racial background and is equivalent to “a person.” The cardinal number heis functions as an adjective modifying the noun anthropos , thus the word is describing a particular human being. The genitive expression henos anthropou , “ one man ” is an obvious reference to the first man, Adam, as indicated in that Paul states in Romans 5:12 that sin entered the world through this one man, which Genesis 3:1-14 identifies as Adam. The preposition dia is used with the genitive form of these two words as a marker of personal intermediate agency. This indicates that the first man, Adam, was the personal intermediate agency by whom the first act of sin entered the world. Although, Adam’s wife actually committed the first sin, Adam is mentioned here since he was in authority over his wife and thus responsible for his wife. “Sin ” is the articular nominative feminine singular form of the noun hamartia , which refers to the sin nature that through the function of human volition produces personal sins. The noun hamartia is not in the plural but rather in the singular and is articular indicating the sin nature is in view rather than personal sins. In other words, the word in the singular emphasizes sin as an entity and not sins in general. The noun

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 166 refers to the inherent propensity in mankind to commit acts of mental, verbal and overt acts of sin. In fact, the sin nature is being personified as indicated by the fact that Paul teaches that sin “ reigns ” (5:20; cf. 6:13-14), it can be “ obeyed ” (6:16-17), it pays wages (6:23), it seizes opportunities (7:8, 11), it “ deceives ” and “ kills ” (7:11, 13). “Personification” is the ascribing of human characteristics or actions to inanimate objects or ideas or to animals. Paul is ascribing the human actions of reigning, obeying, paying wages, seizing opportunities, deceiving and killing to the sin nature. In Romans 3:9 and 20, the noun hamartia is also used with reference to the sin nature. Romans 3:9 What shall we conclude then? Are we (Christians) as an eternal spiritual truth, superior? By no means, absolutely not! Since, we have already previously indicted both Jew and Greek, with the result that each and every one is under the power of the sin nature. (Author’s translation) Romans 3:20 Because each and every member of sinful humanity will never be justified in His judgment by means of actions produced by obedience to the Law for through the Law there does come about an awareness of the sin nature. (Author’s translation) Now, Romans 1:18-3:20 teaches that the each and every member of the human race without exception, both Jew and Gentile are sinners by practice. In Romans 5:12-21, Paul teaches that they are also sinners by nature due to the fact that they are under both the “federal” and “seminal” headship of Adam. Romans 5:12-21 and other passages of Scripture teach that every person born into the world without exception received the imputation of Adam’s original sin in the Garden of Eden and the nature of Adam. This nature of Adam is always disobedient to God and making them all physically alive but spiritually dead, having no capacity whatsoever to have a relationship with God. Romans 8:8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (NASB95) The first man, Adam, brought sin and death into the human race resulting in a curse whereas the “Last Adam,” Jesus Christ, brought life and blessing to the human race and so therefore, the entire human boils down to these two men. 1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. (NASB95) 1 Corinthians 15:45 So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam {became} a life-giving spirit. (NASB95) Romans 5:12 teaches that because of the imputation of Adam’s original sin to the genetically formed old sin nature, every member of the human race is born physically alive but spiritually dead. This is why David writes that he was brought forth in iniquity and sin his mother conceived him.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 167 Psalm 51:1 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. (NASB95) Adam’s original sin plus Adam’s sin nature equals “spiritual death,” which means that every member of the human race is separated from God and has absolutely no capacity to have a relationship with God who is holy. Therefore, in Romans 5:12, the noun hamartia is in the singular referring to the old Adamic sin nature. Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. (NASB95) “Entered ” is the third person singular aorist active indicative form of the verb eiserchomai , which is used in relation to the sin nature and means, “to enter” indicating that the sin nature “entered” into the human race through Adam’s act of disobedience. The fact that the sin nature is said to have “entered” the human race implies that sin was in existence prior to Adam’s act of disobedience. Of course, Satan is the first of God’s creatures to sin against Him (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-18). “Into the world ” is composed of the preposition eis , “ into ” and the articular accusative masculine singular form of the noun kosmos , “ the world .” In Romans 5:12, the noun kosmos refers to the inhabitants of the earth arranged in tribes and nations or peoples or in other words, the human race (Acts 17:26; John 3:16; 1 Cor. 4:9; 1 John 2:2; 2 Pet. 2:5). Therefore, Paul is saying that the sin nature entered the human race through the personal intermediate agency of Adam. Genesis 3 records the account of Adam’s original sin in the Garden of Eden when he disobeyed the Lord’s prohibition to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Consequently, he entered into “real spiritual death” and acquired a sin nature, which resided in the genetic structure of his physical body. This sin nature he passed down to his progeny through sex.

The Fall of Adam

The introduction of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil appears in Genesis 2:9.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 168 Genesis 2:9 Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (NASB95) The “ tree of the knowledge of good and evil ” was the only tree in the garden that had a prohibition attached to it in order that God would test the obedience of Adam and the Woman and Satan could have an opportunity to prove God unjust for sentencing him to the lake of fire for his disobedience. If Adam and the Woman ate the fruit from the “tree of life” it would continue to perpetuate their life of their physical bodies. If Adam and the Woman ate the fruit from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” they would separate themselves from God, which is called spiritual death. Not only did God tell Adam to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but He told him why, which is that he would die spiritually meaning he would be separated from God for his disobedience. Genesis 2:16-17 records the Lord issuing this prohibition to Adam. Genesis 2:16 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” (NASB95) The fact that the Lord told Adam why he cannot eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil demonstrates God’s love and concern for Adam and that He had his best interests in mind. “You may eat freely ”: (1) Qal infinitive absolute complement form of the verb `akhal (pronounced: aw-kal) (2) second person masculine singular qal imperfect form of the verb ` akhal . The infinitive absolute stands before the finite verb of the same root in Genesis 2:16 in order to intensify the certainty or force of the verbal idea, thus indicating that the Lord commanded Adam that he could eat from “absolutely” any tree in the garden. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a literal tree. There was nothing inherently evil about the tree since the Lord created it but rather it was Adam and the Woman’s attitude towards the Lord’s prohibition attached to the tree, which was evil. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the only tree in the garden that had a prohibition attached to it, which indicates that the Lord wanted to test the obedience of Adam. The fact that the tree was named the “ tree of the knowledge of good and evil ” indicates that evil was already in God’s creation and that there was a rival kingdom in God’s creation, namely, Satan. Evil is independence from God as a result of disobedience to His commands. “Good ” refers to obedience to God’s will whereas “ evil ” refers to that which is disobedience to God’s will and is independent of Him. According to Genesis 3:22,

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 169 as a result of disobeying the Lord and eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and his wife, like God, were able to “distinguish” between that which is according to God’s will and that which was not. Genesis 3:22a Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil.” (NASB95) Therefore, if Adam and his wife never ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would have never experienced evil and the distinction between what is according to God’s will and what is not. By eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and his wife and their children were brought into bondage to Satan and his kingdom whereas if they obeyed the Lord and did not eat from this tree, they would have been free in the truest sense meaning they would be free to serve God exclusively. Eating from the tree of life would not have given Adam eternal life, which is the very life of God but rather would have perpetuated the life of his physical body since the soul is created to live forever and according to Genesis 3:22, eating from this tree results in living forever. Genesis 3:22b “and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.” (NASB95) Eternal life is received as a gift of God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone (Jn. 3:16-18; Eph. 2:8-9). Therefore, eating from the tree of life would not give Adam eternal life. According to Revelation 22, the tree of life will be present in the New Jerusalem providing believers greater capacity to enjoy the blessings of the eternal state in their resurrection bodies. Adam and his wife never did eat from the tree of life since their physical bodies experienced decay after disobeying the Lord and did not live forever. But, it appears that Adam and his wife were totally occupied with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because it was the only tree in the garden with a prohibition attached to it. Genesis 2:17 “but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” (NASB95) “You will surely die ”: (1) Qal infinitive absolute complement form of the verb muth (pronounced: mooth) (2) second person masculine singular qal imperfect form of the verb muth . The infinitive absolute stands before the finite verb of the same root in Genesis 2:17 in order to intensify the certainty or force of the verbal idea, thus indicating that the Lord warned Adam that if he disobeyed the command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would “surely” die spiritually. So, to the English speaking person this construction literally means, “dying, you shall die” but to the Hebrew mind, it simply means, “you shall surely die.” When the Lord said to Adam that he would “ surely die ” if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the Lord meant that he would enter into “real

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 170 spiritual death,” which is separation from God and does “not” mean he would die physically since Adam lived to be 930 years old according to Genesis 5:5. Not only did God tell Adam to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but also He told him why, which is that he would die spiritually meaning he would be separated from God for his disobedience. The fact that the Lord told Adam why he cannot eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil demonstrates God’s love and concern for Adam and that He had his best interests in mind. In Genesis 3:1, Moses records that Satan indwelt a snake in order to disguise himself so that he might deceive Eve in the garden of Eden. Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’”? 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. (NASB95) “Serpent ” is the noun nachash , which refers to a literal snake. According to Genesis 3:14, this snake had legs but after the Fall of Adam, the Lord cursed this snake saying it would go on its belly and will eat dust all the days of its life, thus implying that it was not created to go about on its belly and therefore had legs. Genesis 3:14 The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life.” (NASB95) According to 2 Corinthians 11:3 and Revelation 20:2, Satan indwelt this serpent and through this serpent disguised himself to deceive Eve. 2 Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. (NASB95) Revelation 20:2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. (NASB95) Satan indwelt this literal snake in order to disguise himself and deceive Eve.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 171 2 Corinthians 11:15 Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (NASB95) “The eyes of both of them were opened ” means that Adam and his wife had a knowledge of sin and evil through personal experience and did not make them like God as Satan claimed it would but rather produced guilt in their souls. They became aware of their guilt and had nothing to hide their guilt so they attempted to hide themselves from God and cover their genitalia with loin coverings sewed from fig leaves. The loin coverings not only were a manifestation of their alienation from God but also from each other. The sewing of fig leaves together in order to make loin coverings for themselves to cover and ease their guilt was an act of self-righteous arrogance since only God can solve the problem of guilt through the forgiveness of sins, which is available through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Instead of seeking out God and confessing their guilt, they attempted to conceal their guilt from both God and themselves (1 John 1:8-10). It is interesting that the only tree that our Lord cursed was the fig tree recorded in Matthew 21:18-19 and He did this not only to teach that Israel had rejected Him as Messiah but to relate God’s attitude towards the self-righteous actions of Adam and his wife. Adam’s sin in the garden brought a curse not only on the entire human race of which he is the “federal” head but it also brought a curse on the earth itself. Romans 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope. (NASB95) Genesis 3:8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (NASB95) Adam and his wife hid in fear since according to Genesis 2:17, the Lord had warned Adam that if he disobeyed His command to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then he would surely die. When the Lord said to Adam that he would “surely die” if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the Lord meant that he would enter into “real spiritual death,” which is separation from God. When the Lord says you shall surely die He does “not” mean he would die physically since Adam lived to be 930 years old according to Genesis 5:5. The fact that Adam and his wife died spiritually and lost fellowship with the Lord is illustrated in Genesis 3:6-8. The fact that Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden demonstrates that sin not only results in loss of fellowship with the Lord but also guilt and fear. Adam and his wife’s actions after disobeying the Lord are an implicit admission of guilt.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 172 Genesis 3:9 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” (NASB95) The Lord knew that Adam and his wife had disobeyed Him since He is omniscient meaning He knows perfectly, eternally and simultaneously all that is knowable, both the actual and the possible and thus has all knowledge of every event in human and angel history. The Lord asked Adam where He was because He wanted Adam to confess his guilt and to make Adam aware of his need for forgiveness and a Savior. The fact that the Lord asked Adam where he was even though He knew what Adam had done and could have thrown him into the lake of fire demonstrates that the Lord is manifesting His love and mercy and grace. God permitted Adam to rebel and disobey Him, like He did with Satan in order that He might manifest His great grace and love for both men and angels. Notice that the Lord initiated a reconciliation by seeking out Adam and his wife and not vice versa, which is a demonstration of God’s love. The Lord not only sought out the first two sinners in the human race but He seeks out the entire human race without exception and distinction since He desires all men to be saved (John 3:16-18; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). Genesis 3:10 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” (NASB95) Adam, like all sinners, is fearful being in the presence of God since he stands guilty and condemned before an infinitely holy God. Adam, like all sinners, is estranged from God and seeks to avoid contact with Him. This is the natural result of spiritual death. Genesis 3:11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (NASB95) The divine interrogation continues in order to bring Adam to an admission of guilt so that he might be restored to fellowship. The Lord’s first question is designed to draw attention to the fact that something must have happened to make Adam aware of his nakedness and that he must have done something to make him aware of his nakedness. As soon as Adam’s thoughts have been led to see that this admission is inevitable, the Lord’s next question is a direct one designed to drive Adam to still a more inescapable admission of his guilt. The Lord’s is convicting Adam of his guilt in order that he might see his need of a Savior and forgiveness. Genesis 3:12 The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” (NASB95) Adam’s fallen state due to his sin and disobedience further manifests itself in his making excuses and blaming the Lord for giving him his wife. By blaming the Lord for giving him his wife, Adam is accusing the Lord of tempting him to sin,

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 173 which is impossible since God cannot be tempted by evil because He is holy (cf. James 1:13-15). By blaming the Lord for giving him his wife, Adam is not taking responsibility for his actions. Adam cannot justify his sin by blaming the Lord for giving him his wife since Adam made the decision to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He could have said no to his wife but instead he went along with her in her sin. Once Adam recognized his wife as a great blessing but now, after disobeying the Lord, he considers her a curse. Adam’s excuse is so lame that the Lord doesn’t even dignified it with a response. Genesis 3:13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (NASB95) Just like Adam, his wife failed to take responsibility for her actions and instead blamed the serpent for deceiving her. Just like Adam, his wife could have rejected eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but instead she chose to disobey. Unlike Adam though, his wife did not attempt to deny that she had sinned but in fact admitted her guilt to the Lord. The Lord does not question the devil who used the serpent to disguise himself since according to Matthew 25:41, the devil has already been convicted of his rebellion. Furthermore, the Lord does not question Satan since this temptation of Adam and his wife was a part of his appeal trial where Satan was attempting to justify his rebellion and independence from God. In his appeal trial, Satan is attempting to demonstrate that God does not love His creatures and that he is justified in living independently of God and that disobedience to God is a viable and justified alternative to being obedient to God. By getting Adam and his wife to sin against God, then Satan would have witnesses that support his argument. Satan does not believe that God loves His creatures since God sentenced him to the lake of fire forever for his rebellion and by getting Adam and his wife to sin against God, Satan presumptuously and erroneously believes that he will have demonstrated this to be the case. But, Satan’s plan has backfired on him since the fall of Adam and his wife provided God an opportunity to demonstrate a side of Himself that would never be revealed if Satan and Adam had never sinned, namely, His love, which is able to love His enemies and do good to those who are unworthy and undeserving. Genesis 3:14 The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life.” (NASB95)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 174 The fact that the Lord pronounced a curse on the serpent does not indicate direct culpability on its part since it is not a moral rational creature that can make decisions but rather this curse was a perpetual reminder to the human race of the instrument of its fall and of the final destruction of Satan himself. Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” (NASB95) The seed of the serpent does not refer to unregenerate humanity (unbelievers) since the phrase “ your seed ” is used in contrast to the phrase “ her seed ,” which refers to one individual, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the phrase “your seed ” refers to one individual, namely, the Antichrist who will be the ruler of a ten-nation confederacy constituting a Revived Roman Empire, during Daniel’s Seventieth week, which is also called by theologians as the “Tribulation Period.” “Her Seed ” refers to the Lord Jesus Christ who is the “ Last Adam ” (1 Cor. 15:45) and if so, then, “ your seed ” refers to a single individual as well. “He (Jesus Christ) shall bruise you (Satan) on the head ” is the first prophecy concerning the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ would defeat Satan at the cross by being obedient to the Father’s will with His death on the cross. The prophecy of Genesis 3:15 is the “seed plot” of the Virgin Birth and Incarnation of the Son of God (Isa. 7:14; Mt. 1:23; John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16) as well as the “seed plot” of the Redemption and Salvation of mankind as well as the defeat of Satan, which is developed in further detail in the rest of the Bible (Gal. 3:13; Eph. 1:7; Col. 2:14; Heb. 2:14-15; 1 Jn. 3:8). “You (Satan) shall bruise Him (Christ) on the heel ” is a symbolic or figurative reference to the Lord’s suffering and death on the cross, which the Father used as the instrument to destroy the works of the devil. What Satan did to the Lord at the cross was only temporary and did not defeat the Lord but what the Lord did to Satan at the cross was to achieve total and complete victory over Satan since His death on the cross redeemed mankind and demonstrated the love of God for all men. Our Lord’s death refutes Satan’s argument that God does not love His creatures. Genesis 3:16 To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (NASB95) God’s judgment on Eve was to increase her pain in childbearing and that her desire or impulse would be toward her husband and he would rule over her, not as a tyrant but in the same sense as the sun rules the day (Gen. 1:16). This, of course, was not God’s original intention but now in Christ the negative aspects of this are removed and the husband and wife are restored to a healthy partnership where the husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:22-33) and the wife

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 175 is to obey and respect her husband as to the Lord. Because, Eve chose to disobey God and did not eat from the tree of life resulting in immortality, she would now have to bear children, which in one sense was a curse but in another sense opened the door to redemptive history. Genesis 3:17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.” (NASB95) “Cursed is the ground ” means the basic material of the physical creation and the elements themselves, the “ dust of the earth ,” out of which all things had been formed and produced were brought under the bondage of decay and disintegration. Genesis 3:18 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” “By the sweat of your face you will eat bread ” means that Adam would have to perform hard labor in order to get the earth to produce food for him. Work was originally designed by the Lord to be a blessing for man but after the Fall, it became a curse (Gen. 3:17-19) but this curse is lifted in Christ. “Till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; For you are dust and to dust you shall return ” refers to the eventual death of Adam’s biological life meaning his physical body. This curse on Adam also included the entire human race, both male and female, of which Adam is the “federal” head of the old creation and is removed through faith in Christ who is the “federal” head of the “new” creation. The fall of Adam not only affected his fellowship with God but also it effected his environment and his physical body! The physical body of human beings eventually ceases to function and decompose into the dust of ground because they are inherently sinful. They are inherently sinful because of the curse the Lord put on Adam and his posterity. The sin nature resides in the genetic structure of the human body according to Romans 6:6. Romans 6:6 This we are very familiar with through instruction, namely, that our old man was crucified with Him in order that the sinful body would be deprived of its power with the result that we are no longer in a perpetual state of being slaves to the sin nature. (Author’s translation) Physical death is the result of possessing a sin nature since it resides in the human body. Spiritual death entered the human race through the sin nature.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 176 Romans 5:12a, Therefore, based on this (principle), just as, through one man, the sin nature entered into the human race so that spiritual death entered through this sin nature. (Author’s translation) Spiritual death is the result of possessing a sin nature and is perpetuated by the sinner through committing personal acts of sin. It means that the sinner has no capacity whatsoever to experience or establish a relationship with a holy God since he has absolutely no merit with a holy God. Spiritual death spread to the entire human race because of the imputation of Adam’s sin according to Romans 5:12b and 15a. So, the Lord put a curse upon man’s body and on his entire environment. This would not only force him to recognize the seriousness of his sin as well as his helplessness to deliver himself and his dominion from eventual destruction but also it would force him to recognize that Satan’s tempting promises had been nothing but lies. This curse on the First Adam will ultimately be lifted when the Last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ returns with church, the sons of God, at His Second Advent to deliver Israel from Antichrist and the Tribulational armies in order to establish His millennial reign (Rom. 8:18-22).

Imputation of Adam’s Original Sin to the Entire Human Race

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. (NASB95) “And death through sin ” presents the result of the sin nature entering into the human race through Adam’s disobedience. “Death ” is the articular nominative masculine singular form of the noun thanatos , which refers to “real spiritual death” and is the result of the imputation of Adam’s sin to our genetically formed old sin nature at the moment of physical birth (Gen. 2:17; Prov. 14:12; Ezek. 18:20; Rom. 5:12; 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:22; Eph. 2:1, 5). Therefore, in Romans 5:12 is presenting a progression-Adam’s original sin plus Adam’s sin nature equals “spiritual death.” “Spiritual death” means that every member of the human race is separated from God and has absolutely no capacity to have a relationship with God who is holy. There are five major consequences for “Spiritual death”: (1) Slavery to the sin nature and the devil and his cosmic system. (2) Physical death (Genesis 5:5). (3) Imprisonment in Torments after physical death prior to the Great White Throne Judgment (Luke 16:19-31). (4) Eternal condemnation in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15). (5) Unique voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths of Christ (Matt. 27:45-46; Mark 15:34; Phlp. 2:8; Heb. 2:9, 14).

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 177 Spiritual death in the human race resulted in the Father sending His Son to die spiritually and physically on the cross as a substitute for members of the human race in order to deliver them from spiritual death and the sin nature. The problem of “real spiritual death” is resolved when God gives life to those members of the human race who exercise faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:16-18). “Through sin ” is composed of the preposition dia , “ through ” and the articular genitive feminine singular form of the noun hamartia , “sin .” As was the case earlier in Romans 5:12, the noun hamartia is in the singular referring to the old Adamic sin nature. The preposition dia is used with the genitive form of the noun hamartia as a marker of personal intermediate agency and does not indicate means or instrumentality since the sin nature is being personified by the apostle Paul. This indicates that the sin nature is the personal intermediate agency through which spiritual death entered the human race. Not only does Romans 5:12 teach that the sin nature entered into the human race through Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden and spiritual death through the sin nature but also this passage teaches that spiritual death spread to each and every person in the human race because of the imputation of Adam’s sin to each and every member of the human race. “And so death spread to all men, because all sinned ” presents the result of spiritual death entering the human race through the sin nature. Adam’s original sin in the Garden of Eden resulted in the sin nature, which in turn “resulted in” spiritual death. “So ” is the adverb of manner houtos , which is drawing a comparison with the preceding statement and the one to follow. In the preceding statement, Paul taught that through Adam, the sin nature entered into the human race and consequently spiritual death entered through the sin nature. In the statement to follow, he teaches spiritual death spread to each and every human being without exception or distinction. Therefore, houtos draws a comparison between the manner in which spiritual death entered the human race and the manner in which spiritual death spread to the entire human race. The manner in which spiritual death entered the human race and the manner in which spiritual death spread throughout the entire human race is one and the same, namely, through Adam’s act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden. The emphatic position of the prepositional phrase di’ henos anthropou , “through one man ” clearly indicates this to be the case. The fact that Paul is emphasizing that Adam’s act of disobedience was the manner in which spiritual death entered into the human race and spread to the entire human race is clearly indicated by the context. We have to remember that in Romans 5:12-21 Paul is making a comparison between the consequences of Adam’s act of disobedience and the results of

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 178 Christ’s act of obedience to demonstrate to his readers the destiny of each member of the human race is tied up with these two. Romans 5:15b For if by the transgression of the one the many died. (NASB95) Romans 5:16a The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation. (NASB95) Romans 5:17a For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one. (NASB95) Romans 5:18a So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men. (NASB95) Romans 5:19a For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners. (NASB95) So, we can see that Adam’s act of disobedience that brought condemnation to his posterity in comparison with Christ’s act of obedience that resulted in justification of life to all men underlines the entire discussion in Romans 5:12-21. Therefore, the adverb of manner houtos is comparing the manner in which the sin nature and spiritual death entered the human race with the manner in which spiritual death spread to the entire human race. Adam’s act of disobedience was the manner in which both the sin nature and spiritual death entered the human race and also spread to each and every member of the human race without exception or distinction. “Death ” is the articular nominative masculine singular form of the noun thanatos , which refers once again to real spiritual death. Although, in Romans 5:12, thanatos is used of spiritual death, we must be aware of the fact that spiritual death also resulted in three other categories of death: (1) Physical death is the separation of the human soul (and in the case of the believer, the human spirit also) from the body (Matt. 8:22; Rom. 8:38-39; 2 Cor. 5:1-8; Phil. 1:20-21; 2:27, 30). (2) Second death is the perpetuation of spiritual death into eternity or eternal separation from God and it is the final judgment of the unbelievers in the human race and fallen angels whereby they are cast in the Lake of Fire (Matt. 25:41; Heb. 9:27; Rev. 20:12-15). (3) Unique voluntary substitutionary spiritual death of the impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union on the cross (Matt. 27:45-46; Mark 15:34; Phlp. 2:8; Heb. 2:9, 14). Christ’s spiritual and physical deaths on the cross were needed to resolve the first three categories of death since physical death and the second death are the result of spiritual death. “Spread ” is the third person singular aorist active indicative form of the verb dierchomai , which is a compound word composed of the preposition dia ,

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 179 “through” and the verb erchomai , “to go,” thus the word literally means, “to go through, to pass throughout.” In Romans 5:12, the verb dierchomai denotes that spiritual death “spread throughout” the entire human race. As many commentators believe, the word has a distributive force to it meaning that spiritual death spread to each and every member of the human race. This is correct since the adjective pas is obviously used in a “distributive” sense modifying the noun anthropos , “person.” Therefore, the verb along with these two words indicates that through Adam’s act of disobedience, spiritual death “spread to each and every person” in the human race. In the same way, a deadly contagious virus can spread completely throughout an entire population so spiritual death spread throughout the entire human race. Spiritual death infected the entire human race because each person receives a sin nature that is received through imputation at the moment of physical birth and is passed down through sex. This sin nature is the result of Adam’s original sin in the Garden of Eden and manifests itself through the function of human volition. This verb dierchomai speaks of the imputation of Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden that every member of the human race receives at the moment of physical birth. Imputation is the function of the justice of God in crediting something to someone for cursing or for blessing. At the moment of physical birth, every member of the human race becomes a sinner because he has received the imputation of Adam’s sin in the garden. The imputation of divine righteousness at the moment of spiritual birth is made possible by the imputation of Adam’s sin in the garden at the moment of physical birth (Romans 5:12-19). The imputation of Adam’s sin at physical birth results in every person having the nature of Adam, which resides in the genetic structure of the physical body and can never please God but is selfish and self-centered and always disobedient to God. This imputation means that every person born into the world is born physically alive but spiritually dead, yet qualified for the imputation of divine righteousness through faith alone in Christ alone. The imputation of Adam’s sin in the Garden also resulted in the imputation of the sins of the world to Christ on the Cross. The reason why God imputed Adam’s sin in the garden to every member of the human race at physical birth is given in two passages of Scripture: Galatians 3:22 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. (NASB95)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 180 Romans 11:32 Therefore, God the Father has confined the entire human race to unbelief in order that He may extend the offer of grace to the entire human race. (NASB95) Therefore, through a comparison these two passages, we can see that God’s purpose in imputing Adam’s sin to the entire human race was so that He might show grace to the human race by making the promise of justification by faith in His Son Jesus Christ and the blessings that result from it. Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. “To all men ” is composed of the preposition eis , “ to ” and the accusative masculine plural form of the adjective pas , “ all ,” which is modifying the accusative masculine plural form of the noun anthropos , “ men .” The noun anthropos denotes a “person, human being” and is used in a generic sense for the human race. It is modified by the distributive use of the adjective pas referring to “each and every” member of the human race without exception, both Jew and Gentile. Therefore, Paul is saying that spiritual death resulting in physical death spread to “each and every person in the human race without exception and without distinction.” The preposition eis is employed with the verb dierchomai , “ spread ” as a marker of extension indicating the extent to which spiritual death spread among members of the human race. The fact that the statement houtos eis pantas anthropous ho thanatos dielthen , “in this manner (through Adam’s sin), spiritual death spread to each and every member of the human race without exception ” refers to the imputation of Adam’s sin to each member of the human race at the moment of physical birth is clearly indicated by the context.

The Entire Human Race Is Under the Headship of Adam

Romans 5:12 also teaches us that the result of God imputing Adam’s original sin to the entire human race was that the entire human race was under the headship of Adam. “Because ” is composed of the preposition epi and the dative neuter singular form of the relative pronoun relative pronoun hos . The expression eph’ ho has been said by some as being the most mistranslated expression in the Greek New Testament. It has been translated “in whom” by Augustine and others. For this to be the correct rendering of the expression, its antecedent would have to be the expression henos anthropou , “ one man ” a

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 181 reference to Adam, which appeared earlier in the verse. If this is the case, then this would mean that “in Adam all sinned.” However, grammatically and syntactically this does not make sense since the distance between the expression henos anthropou , “ one man ” and the prepositional phrase eph’ ho is too great for this to be correct. Also, the relative pronoun hos is neuter in gender and not masculine, which it would need to be if it were referring to Adam. Furthermore, Paul would have used a simpler or more obvious construction, which would be en ho . The fact that eph’ ho does not mean “in whom” is further substantiated in that this expression is usually used as a conjunction. In fact, it is used as a conjunction in Philippians 3:12 and 2 Corinthians 5:4 and in the papyri. As a conjunction, this expression has been rendered “from which it follows, with the result that, inasmuch as,” or “because.” The last rendering is the most popular among modern Bible scholars. Many modern exegetes contend that the prepositional phrase eph’ ho is not looking back at any antecedent but rather is functioning as a causal conjunction meaning that it is introducing a statement that gives the reason why spiritual death spread to each and every member of the human race. This would mean that spiritual death resulting in physical death is universal for the precise reason that committing acts of personal sin is universal. This would emphasize that personal sin is the result of this sin nature. We are not responsible for what Adam had done but for what we have done. Wallace says that this interpretation finds support in the papyri and in the rest of the Pauline corpus (cf. 2 Cor. 5:4; Phlp. 3:12). 105 However, this interpretation emphasizes the human race committing sin. The context does not support this interpretation since Paul is comparing the results of Adam’s disobedience with that of Christ’s act of obedience. He is emphasizing Adam’s actions and not his posterity! Mounce offers another interpretation saying that the prepositional phrase ep’ ho functions not as a causal conjunction but rather has a consecutive sense, he writes, ”the primary cause of our sinful nature would be the sin of Adam; the result of that sin would be the history of sinning on the part of all who enter the human race and in fact, sin of their own accord.” 106 Moo commenting on this view, writes, “Death, then, is due immediately to the sinning of each individual but ultimately to the sin of Adam; for it was Adam's sin that corrupted human nature and made individual sinning an inevitability.” 107

105 Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, page 342 106 The New American Commentary, volume 27, page 142; Broadman and Holman Publishers 107 The Epistle to the Romans, page 325

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 182 Though this is true theologically, it is not the correct interpretation. The aorist tense of the verb hamartano is speaking of a particular point of time in the past, which the context indicates is Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden. Interpreting eph’ ho as introducing a result clause emphasizes the personal acts of sin by each member of the human race. However, the context clearly indicates that Paul’s is comparing the results of Adam’s disobedience with the results of Christ’s obedience and thus emphasizing Adam’s actions and not his posterity. Therefore, not only does it make more sense grammatically and syntactically that eph’ ho should be taken as a causal conjunction but also the context supports this interpretation. This interpretation emphasizes that God considered the entire human race as sinning the moment Adam committed his act of sin in the Garden of Eden. “All sinned ” is composed of the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective pas , “ all ” and the third person plural aorist active indicative form of the verb hamartano , “ sinned .” The adjective pas is again used in a distributive sense referring to “each and every” member of the human race without exception, both Jew and Gentile. The verb hamartano is used intransitively (without a direct object) and refers to any mental, verbal or overt act of sin that is contrary to the will and law of God. The distributive of pas along with this constative aorist tense of the verb hamartano indicates that Paul is teaching that each and every member of the human race sinned the moment Adam sinned. In other words, Adam is both the “federal” and “seminal” head of the human race, we thus became sinners by nature, the moment Adam sinned. The verb hamartano means, “to miss the mark,” and which mark is the absolute perfection of God’s character, which is His holiness. Each and every member of the human race has missed the mark of the absolute perfection of God’s character, i.e. His holiness that was perfectly manifested by the Lord Jesus Christ during His First Advent. The aorist tense of the verb hamartano is a “constative” aorist describing in summary fashion that the entire human race without exception or distinction sinned the exact moment Adam disobeyed the Lord’s prohibition to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and which disobedience involved his posterity. Some like Calvin contend that in the verb hamartano is referring to the personal sins of each person in the human race. However, the verb hamartano , “ sinned ” is in the aorist tense and not the present tense. The present tense could emphasize a habitual or continuous or repetitive action. The aorist tense emphasizes that this action of sinning took place at a particular point in time in the past. The context clearly indicates that the aorist tense of the verb is referring to Adam’s act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 183 Some maintain that all sinned in the sense that the human race follows the example of Adam in sinning but our sin is our own. Again, the aorist tense of hamartano refutes this interpretation since the verb would be in the present or imperfect tense if Paul was writing about the continued, habitual or repeated acts of sin committed by members of the human race. The aorist tense does not say we were imitating Adam. Also, again, the statements 5:15b, 16a, 17a, 18a and 19a do not mean that the human race is following Adam’s example. Paul’s emphasis in Romans 5:12-21 is to compare the results of Adam’s disobedience with Christ’s act of obedience. This means that in the same way that we are declared justified by God and reconciled to God through one man’s act of obedience, the God-Man, Jesus Christ so also we were condemned by God through man’s act of disobedience, Adam’s. This does not imply that Paul is teaching that each person is not responsible for his own actions since this is not his emphasis. He is concerned with what Adam did and the consequences of his actions in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, the aorist tense of the verb hamartano along with the distributive use of the adjective pas and Paul’s statements in Romans 5:15b, 16a, 17a, 18a and 19a indicate clearly that the entire human race was condemned by God the moment Adam sinned. This interpretation emphasizes that Adam’s sin brought condemnation upon Adam’s posterity and the only way to be delivered from this condemnation is through One Man, Jesus Christ. So, when Paul says that “ all sinned ” he is referring to the fact that the moment Adam sinned, he not only died spiritually and then eventually physically but also his posterity did the same. Therefore, in Romans 5:12, Paul is saying that because of Adam’s act of disobedience each and every member of the human race possesses a sin nature, which through the function of human volition produces mental, verbal and overt acts of sin resulting in spiritual death and eventually, physical death and the second death for those who reject Jesus Christ as Savior.

Total Depravity of the Entire Human Race

Romans 5:12 Therefore, based on this (principle), just as, through one man, the sin nature entered into the human race so that spiritual death entered through this sin nature. Thus, in this manner, spiritual death spread to each and every member of the human race without exception because each and every member of the human race sinned (the moment Adam sinned). (Author’s translation)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 184 Paul is teaching in Romans 5:12 that each and every member of the human race-past, present and future, are sinners by nature since they are under both the “federal” and “seminal” headships of Adam. The entire human race was condemned before they ever committed an act of sin because of Adam’s sin. Again, God condemned the human race through one man so that He could save the human race through one man. So, in Romans 5:12-21, Paul presents Adam and Christ as “federal heads” of two groups of people. Dr. Thomas L. Constable commenting on the headship of Adam and Christ, writes, “The apostle viewed Adam and Christ as federal heads of two groups of people. A federal head is a person who acts as the representative of many others and whose actions result in consequences that the individuals he represents inevitably experience. Examples of federal heads include a king, a president, a member of congress, and a parent, among others. In this section, Paul was not looking primarily at what individual sinners have done, which had been his interest previously. Rather he looked at what Adam did in the Fall and what Jesus Christ did at the Cross and the consequences of their actions for humanity. Adam's act resulted in his descendants sinning and dying. We inherit Adam's nature that was sinful, and this accounts for the fact that we all sin. We are sinners not only because we commit acts of sin but also because Adam's sin corrupted the human race and made punishment inevitable for his descendants as well as for himself. However, Christ's act of dying made all who trust in Him righteous apart from their own works.” 108 Bible Knowledge Commentary writes, “The federal headship view considers Adam, the first man, as the representative of the human race that generated from him. As the representative of all humans, Adam’s act of sin was considered by God to be the act of all people and his penalty of death was judicially made the penalty of everybody.” 109 There is also the “seminal” or “natural” headship view. Bible Knowledge Commentary writes, “The natural headship view, on the other hand, recognizes that the entire human race was seminally and physically in Adam, the first man. As a result, God considered all people as participating in the act of sin which Adam committed and as receiving the penalty he received. Even adherents of the federal headship view must admit that Adam is the natural head of the human race physically; the issue is the relationship spiritually. Biblical evidence supports the natural headship of Adam. When presenting the superiority of Melchizedek’s priesthood to Aaron’s, the author of Hebrews argued that Levi,

108 Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible; page 54 109 New Testament Edition, page 458

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 185 the head of the priestly tribe, ‘who collects the 10th, paid the 10th through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor’” (Heb. 7:9-10). 110 S. Lewis Johnson favors the ‘immediate federal imputation view’ which says that “Adam is the federal head of the race. Men are regarded as having stood their probation in him as their representative. His act was, therefore, deemed to be their act. He, the covenantal head of the race, fell, and in him the race fell. The fact that he was the head of the race is indicated by the fact the threats that were given him by God on the condition of his failure of the probation have been carried out on Adam and his posterity. All men, and not simply Adam, die.” Both the “federal” and “natural” or “seminal” headship views are present in Romans 5:12-21. In Romans 5:12, the expression “ because all sinned ” emphasizes that Adam is the “federal” head of the human race in that he is the representative of the human race that generated from him so that God considered his act of sin to be the act of all people and his penalty of death was judicially made the penalty of everybody. The constative aorist tense of the verb hamartano along with the distributive use of the adjective pas and Paul’s statements in Romans 5:15b, 16a, 17a, 18a and 19a, which we noted earlier, support this interpretation. The expression “ because all sinned ” also emphasizes that Adam is also the “seminal” or “natural” head of the human race in that the entire human race was seminally and physically in Adam so that God considered the entire human race as participating in the sin Adam committed and receiving the penalty he received. Paul’s statement in Romans 5:12 that “ through one man the sin nature entered the human race so that spiritual death entered through the sin nature ” supports this view as well since the sin nature has been passed down through the male in copulation. In Romans 5:12, Paul is teaching his readers of the “total depravity” which means not only that the corruption has extended has extended to all aspects of man’s nature, to his entire being as well but also that because of that corruption mankind has no merit with God. The implications of depravity are critical in relation to salvation in that man has no ability whatsoever to save himself or justify himself before a holy God. The Lord labeled His disciples evil in Matthew 7:11 because of their depraved nature. Romans 1:28 and Ephesians 4:18 teach that the mind of mankind is affected and Hebrews 9:14 says that the conscience is unclean. The heart is deceitful according to Jeremiah 17:9 and by nature mankind is under the righteous

110 New Testament Edition, page 458

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 186 indignation of God, i.e. His wrath according to Ephesian 2:3 and Romans 1:18. Depravity affects the soul (Mark 7:20-23), thus defiling man’s thought process, which manifests itself in sinful words and actions. The concept of total depravity does not mean that mankind cannot perform actions that are good or helpful to others or in God’s sight. What it does mean is that man can perform no action that could gain him merit with God. Total depravity means that man has absolutely no merit with God since he does not measure up to God’s perfect standards. It also means that man’s conscience has been affected by the Fall of Adam so that it cannot be a safe and reliable guide. Nor, does total depravity mean that people will indulge in every form of sin or any sin to the greatest extent possible. The fact that the entire human race is totally depraved is manifested through the practice of sin among both Jew and Gentiles. In Romans 1:18-32, Paul demonstrates that the Gentiles are unrighteous and totally depraved by virtue of their sinful conduct and failure to worship God in light of God’s self-revelation in creation as well as their failure to obey the moral law inherent within them. In Romans 2:1-29, he demonstrates that the Jews are unrighteous and totally depraved as well as manifested in their failure to obey perfectly the written Law of God and committing the same sins that the Gentiles committed. In Romans 3:9-20, Paul summarizes his statements in Romans 1:18-2:29 and teaches the totally depravity and universal unrighteousness of mankind, both Jew and Gentile. There are other passages of Scriptures that address the issue of man’s total depravity (cf. Job 14:1-4; 15:14-16; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19-20).

Location of the Sin Nature

As we noted briefly, Genesis 3 and Romans 6:6 teach us that the sin nature resides in the genetic structure of the human body. Romans 6:6 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. (NASB95) “Our body of sin ” is composed of the articular nominative neuter singular form of the noun soma , “ our body ” and the articular genitive feminine singular form of the noun hamartia , “ of sin .” The noun soma is a reference to the human body. The noun hamartia is not in the plural but rather in the singular and is articular indicating the sin nature is in view rather than personal sins. In other words, the word in the singular emphasizes sin as an entity and not sins in general. The noun refers to the inherent propensity in mankind to commit mental, verbal and overt acts of sin.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 187 The articular construction also emphasizes that Paul is speaking of sin as an entity emphasizing the underlying root cause of personal sins or the principle of sin. The noun soma is modified by the articular genitive form of the noun hamartia , “sin ,” which functions as an “attributive genitive” meaning that it specifies an attribute or an innate quality of the head noun, which is soma , “ body .” This type of genitive expresses quality like an adjective but with more sharpness and distinctness. Thus, it emphasizes the “sinfulness” of the human body or in other words, that it is “inherently sinful” because it is corrupted by the sin nature, which resides in its genetic structure. This would agree with what we see in our own bodies, which deteriorate with age and eventually cease to function and decompose. This is further indication that the sin nature resides in the genetic structure of the physical body. The fact that the sin nature resides in the genetic structure of the physical body is why the justified sinner needs a resurrection body to replace his sinful body. This is one of the reasons why Christ had to die physically and rise from the dead in a resurrection body because the sin nature resides in the human body. Therefore, the human body is inherently sinful, which is the result of the curse that the Lord put on Adam and his posterity (See Genesis 3:18-19). Douglas Moo and others disagree with this interpretation. Commenting on the usage of the words soma and hamartia in Romans 6:6, Douglas Moo writes, “The ‘body’ to which Paul refers is naturally often understood to refer to the physical body. If so, the qualification ‘of sin’ would not mean that the body is inherently sinful (a Greek notion rejected by the Bible) but that the body is particularly susceptible to and easily dominated by, sin…There is little evidence that Paul conceived of the physical body as the source or reigning seat of sin. However, we should not go so far as to say simply that ‘body of sin’ means ‘man in his fallenness.’ Paul chooses soma to connote the person as the instrument of contact with the world, a choice especially appropriate in a context that speaks of crucifixion. It is that ‘aspect’ of the person which ‘acts’ in the world and which can be directed by something else: either by that person’s new, ‘higher nature’ or by ‘sin.’ Here, then, Paul wants to say that our capacities to interact with the world around have been rescued from the domination of sin.” 111 Some like Dodd define soma in Romans 6:6 as “the self as the organization of the sinful impulses inherent in the flesh.” Murray, Lloyd Jones and others contend that it means that the body is dominated by sin. The body is sin’s body; it belongs to sin; sin has made it its own. 112

111 The Epistle to the Romans, pages 375-376; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Grand Rapids, Michigan/Cambridge, U.K. 112 Cited by Morris, The Epistle to the Romans; page 251; W. B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 188 Mounce contends that the expression to soma tes hamartias , “ the body of sin ” refers “not to the physical body as inherently sinful but to the whole person under the control of sin.” 113 J.R.W. Stott interprets as “our fallen, self-centered nature.” 114 Morris contends that the expression “ body of sin ” in Romans 6:6 refers to the human body, which so easily responds to sinful impulses. As we can see from Moo’s statement, in order for him to come to his interpretation of this expression “ body of sin ” he must interpret soma , “ body ” as being “the person as the instrument of contact with the world.” If he doesn’t then as he even noted, then this expression means that the body is inherently sinful. The problem with Moo’s interpretation is that soma is never used this way by the apostle in all of his writings. In the writings of the Paul, the noun soma refers to the following: (1) The human body whether the body of mortals or Christ’s human body (Romans 1:24; 4:19; 6:6, 12; 7:24; 8:10, 11, 13, 24; 12:1; 1 Corinthians 5:3; 6:13, 15, 18, 19, 20; 7:4, 34; 9:27; 12:14, 15, 16, 17, 18; 13:3; 15:35, 40, 44; 2 Corinthians 4:10; 5:6, 8, 10; 12:2; Galatians 6:17; Ephesians 5:28; Philippians 3:21; Colossians 2:11, 23; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 10:5, 10, 22) (2) Figuratively for the body of Christ (Romans 12:4, 5; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17; 12:12, 13, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27; Ephesians 1:23; 2:16; 4:4, 12, 16; 5:23, 30; Colossians 1:22, 24; 2:17, 19; 3:15; Hebrews 13:3 (3) Figuratively for the Person of Christ in the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:24, 27, 29) (4) Resurrection body of the believer (1 Corinthians 15:37, 38, 44) (5) Moon, stars and planets (1 Corinthians 15:40). (6) Bodies of animals (Hebrews 13:11). Furthermore, up to this point in the book of Romans, soma has always been used with reference to the human body by Paul with no reference whatsoever that it denotes the person as the instrument of contact with the world. Romans 1:24 Therefore, God gave them over in the lust of their hearts to impurity, namely, they degraded their bodies between themselves. (NASB95) Romans 4:19 In fact, without becoming weak with respect to his faith, after careful consideration and observation he was thoroughly aware of his own physical body as now being sexually impotent while already being approximately a hundred years of age as well as the impotence of Sarah’s womb. (Author’s translation) Also, the noun soma is used in Romans 6:12, 7:4, 24, 8:10, 11, 13 and 23 and in every instance, it refers to the human body and not the person as the instrument of contact with the world.

113 The New American Commentary, volume 27, Romans, page 151; Broadman and Holman Publishers 114 Romans [Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1994], page 175

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 189 Romans 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts. (NASB95) Romans 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (NASB95) Notice that Paul calls the human body, the “ body of this death ” meaning that the sin nature is the reason why human beings are born spiritually dead and eventually die physically. Romans 8:10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. (NASB95) Notice again, Paul says that the “body is dead” because of the sin nature. Paul could not be more explicit. Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Paul not only teaches that the sin nature resides in the genetic structure of the human body but also the Holy Spirit indwells the believer’s body and will raise the believer’s body at the resurrection. Romans 8:13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (NASB95) Romans 8:23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. (NASB95) Although an excellent and able expositor of the Scriptures, Moo’s exegesis in this particular instance is strained to say the least. It seems that maybe there were some preconceived notions as to what the body of sin is, rather than letting the text speaks for itself. The body is inherently sinful. As we noted earlier, the fact that the sin nature resides in the human body is further indicated in that Jesus Christ’s human body was not the result of the sexual union between Mary and Joseph but rather the result of the Holy Spirit impregnating Mary (Luke 1:35; cf. Hebrews 10:5-7). He could not have a human body that was the result of human copulation because the sin nature is passed down in this manner and resides in the body. This is significant in that it makes clear that Jesus Christ did not have the principle of the sin nature residing in Him since the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary. He did not have a human father who could pass down the sin nature in sex. This makes clear that our Lord was not under the headship of Adam like the rest of the human race. Every member of the human race is under the headship of Adam due to physical birth. However, Jesus Christ did not have a sin nature because He did not receive a human body as a result of human copulation.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 190 Now, because He did not have a human father and that His human body did not have a sin nature residing in it, it is then clear that the rest of the human race are sinners due to the fact that they possess a sin nature that resides in their physical bodies since it is passed down through copulation. The human body of Adam became corrupted as a result of his disobedience, which he passed down to his posterity. Also, in Romans 6:6, the noun hamartia could also be interpreted as a “genitive of production,” which takes place when the genitive substantive “produces” the noun to which it stands related. Therefore, we could translate the expression to soma tes hamartias , “the body, which produces sin.” Either way you slice it, the text makes clear that the sin nature is resident in the physical body, thus making the human body inherently sinful. Genesis 3:18-19 teaches that the fall of Adam not only affected his fellowship with God but also it effected his environment and his physical body! The physical body of human beings eventually ceases to function and decompose into the dust of ground because it is inherently sinful. They are inherently sinful because of the curse the Lord put on Adam and his posterity. Therefore, in Romans 6:6, the noun soma is obviously a reference to the human body. In Romans 6:6, commenting on the meaning of the noun soma in Romans 6:6, Thayer writes, “Since the body is the instrument of the soul (2 Corinthians 5:10) and its members the instruments of righteousness or of iniquity (Romans 6:13, 19), soma tes hamartias , the body is subject to, the thrall of, sin.” 115 Bauer, Gingrich and Danker say that soma in Romans 6:6 refers to man’s mortal body “because it is subject to sin and death.” 116 Therefore, we can see that every member of the human is born into this world, physically alive yet spiritually dead and in need of justification. Thus, the status of spiritual death was passed down to Adam’s posterity since spiritual death entered the human race through the sin nature. So, spiritual death is the status of possessing a sin nature due to the imputation of Adam’s original sin in the Garden of Eden. Physical death is passed down to the entire human race through the sin nature. Adam died spiritually first (Genesis 3:6- 8) and then physically (Genesis 5:5). This pattern holds true for his posterity, the human race. Now, personal sin is the result of obeying the desires of the sin nature. It is a manifestation that one has a sin nature. The penalty for committing personal sin is spiritual death. This is what Adam and Eve suffered the moment they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

115 The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon, page 611 116 A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, page 799

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 191 Spiritual death is the result of possessing a sin nature and committing personal sin perpetuates this status. Physical death is the result of possessing a sin nature that resides in the genetic structure of the human body. Spiritual death is the product of the sin nature and personal sin perpetuates this status of spiritual death. The human race is under the status of real spiritual death because of the sin nature, which was passed down from Adam. Therefore, spiritual death is the consequence of not only possessing a sin nature but also obeying its desires and committing personal sin. Spiritual reigned over the entire human race because of Adam’s transgression. Romans 5:17a For if, and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that by means of the transgression committed by the one, spiritual death reigned as king through this one. Of course, we know this is true. (Author’s translation) The entire human race was condemned because of Adam’s transgression. Romans 5:18a Therefore, as previously stated, just as through the one who committed the transgression resulted in condemnation affecting each and every member of the human race without exception. (Author’s translation) Eternal condemnation, the second death (Revelation 20:11-15) is the ultimate consequence of possessing a sin nature, committing personal sin, being spiritually dead. Therefore, the problems of the sin nature, spiritual, death, physical death, personal sins and eternal condemnation are all interconnected. Jesus Christ’s spiritual and physical deaths dealt with all of these. Instead, of the human race suffering the consequences of possessing a sin nature and obeying its desires and committing personal sin, Jesus Christ died spiritually in their place as their Substitute. Thus, His spiritual death negates one of the effects of Adam’s sin, which is spiritual death that is the result of possessing a sin nature and committing sin. Our Lord had to die physically to solve the problem of the sin nature since the sin nature resides in the body of every human being. Our Lord’s resurrection body replaces the sinful body of Adam. The believer will receive a resurrection body like Christ in order to replace his physical body that possesses the sin nature, the Adamic body. Christ also died physically in order to deprive the indwelling sin nature its power over the justified sinner. He was raised from the dead to permanently eradicate the indwelling sin nature in the human race and that eradication of the sin nature from the human race will take place with the creation of the new heavens and new earth. The sinner who is declared justified through faith in Christ is identified with Christ in His spiritual death in order to solve the sinner’s problem of real spiritual death. Therefore, God the Father viewed His Son’s spiritual death as negating spiritual death in the human race (see Romans 6:3). Christ’s spiritual death also

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 192 addressed and solved the problem of personal sins, which perpetuates the status of spiritual death. The Father viewed His physical death as negating the sin nature. The sinner is identified with Christ in His physical death in order to solve the sinner’s problem with the old sin nature (cf. Romans 6:4-7). Therefore, Christ’s spiritual and physical death resolved the human race’s problem with the sin nature, personal sins, spiritual and physical death and eternal condemnation. The first Adam sinned and then, he died spiritually while simultaneously acquiring a sin nature and then he died physically (Genesis 5:5) and this sin nature is passed down to his posterity at physical birth. The last Adam obeyed the Father, died spiritually as a Substitute for Adam and his posterity, and then died physically to break the power of the sin nature. Then, the last Adam was raised from physical death and received a resurrection body, which would be passed down to His spiritual posterity, namely, those who trust in Him as Savior.

Substitutionary Spiritual Death of Jesus Christ

Often in the New Testament, when the word “death” is used for Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, the word contains the figure of speech called “heterosis of number,” which means that the singular form of a word is put for the plural form of the word. The New Testament writers use this figure many times when referring to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross indicating that when they are speaking of this death, they are referring to both His spiritual and physical deaths on the cross. This is indicated by the fact that the first Adam died first spiritually as a result of his disobedience in the Garden of Eden and then physically. Therefore, the Last Adam, Jesus Christ had to die spiritually first and then physically to negate the fall of Adam and to reconcile the first Adam and his progeny, i.e. the human race to a holy God. His spiritual death was “unique” in that He suffered spiritual death as a “sinless” human being whereas every member of the human race suffers spiritual death the moment they are born into the world. His physical death was “unique” in that He died physically of His own volition. The Lord Jesus Christ did “not” die from suffocation or exhaustion, nor did He bleed to death, or die of a broken heart but rather He died unlike any person in history, namely by His own volition according to John 10:18. Our Lord’s spiritual death is recorded in Matthew 27:46. Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” (NASB95)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 193 When the Lord Jesus Christ cried out “ My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me ? He was experiencing spiritual death meaning that in His human nature he was separated from His Father. In John 19:30, the Lord triumphantly said “ It is finished ” while He was still alive and which statement refers to the payment of our sins. John 19:30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” (NASB95) Therefore, it was His spiritual death that was the payment for our sins and not His physical death since the consequences of the human race possessing a sin nature and committing personal sins is spiritual death. In His sinless human nature, our Lord suffered the loss of fellowship with the Father during those last three hours of darkness on the Cross so that we might never suffer the second death in the eternal lake of fire, which is eternal loss of fellowship with God. Therefore, God the Father considers Christ’s spiritual death to be the believer’s since this death dealt with the believer’s problem of spiritual death. Every person that is born into the world is physically alive yet spiritually dead and possesses a sin nature as a result of God imputing Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden to his posterity, i.e. the human race. This sin nature and spiritual death manifest itself in the life of a human being through the function of the volition in obeying the desires of the sin nature. The fact that our Lord’s spiritual death was the payment for our sins and not His literal blood is illustrated in Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53:10 But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. (NASB95) “Anguish of His soul ” refers to the intense suffering of our Lord’s human soul as a result of being separated from the Father on the Cross and experiencing spiritual death as a perfect sinless human being. This suffering no angel or man will ever be able to identify with since no angel or man has kept themselves experientially sinless. Notice that Isaiah says that the anguish of the Son’s soul while experiencing spiritual death “ satisfied ” the Father, which refers to propitiation. This passage further substantiates that it was the Lord Jesus Christ’s spiritual death that propitiated the Father and not His literal blood. The greatest suffering the humanity of Christ endured on the cross was “not” the physical and mental torture of the cross but rather when He experienced separation from His Father during those last three hours on the Cross as a result of

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 194 receiving the imputation of the sins of the entire world by the justice of God the Father. The physical suffering that our Lord endured through the scourging and beatings at the hands of the Jews and Romans as well as the crucifixion itself were in fact part of His bearing the judgment for our sins. Remember, the unbeliever will suffer eternity in the Lake of Fire in a resurrection body according to Daniel 12:1, Romans 2:7, Revelation 20:11-15 and many other passages. This suffering is not only spiritual death but also physical suffering. Thus, since our Lord died spiritually so that no human being will be separated from God for all of eternity in the Lake of Fire, so Christ suffered the physical torture so that no human being will suffer physically forever in the Lake of Fire. Our Lord’s loss of fellowship with His Father in His humanity during those last three hours in darkness on the Cross was infinitely more painful to our Lord than the physical suffering He had endured and was enduring. Our Lord’s loss of fellowship with His Father in His humanity during those last three hours in darkness on the Cross was valued infinitely more by the Father than the shedding of His literal blood or His physical suffering. This is not to say that the Father did not value the physical suffering of His Son, or His literal blood, which was sinless, He did, but literal blood though sinless cannot resolve man’s problem of separation from God under spiritual death. A sinless human being suffering the loss of fellowship with the Father was the penalty that had to be paid in order to redeem human souls from the curse of Adam sin of disobedience and spiritual death. Our Lord died spiritually and was separated from His Father during those last three hours on the cross so that we might never be separated from God for all of eternity due to sin. During the last three hours on the cross, God the Father imputed every sin in human history-past, present and future to the impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union. Consequently, Christ voluntarily suffered the penalty for this imputation as our Substitute, which was spiritual death (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13). This spiritual death served as the propitiation for these sins, the reconciliation of the world to God, the redemption of the entire human race out of the slave market of sin and the basis for the forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation. Imputation is the function of the justice of God in crediting something to someone for cursing or for blessing. Sin is any thought, word or action that is contrary to the will and holy character of God and is thus disobedience to the commands and prohibitions of God. Therefore, during the last three hours on the cross, God the Father imputed every sin in human history-past, present and future to the impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 195 During the last three hours on the cross, God the Father credited to the impeccable humanity of Christ something, which did not belong to Him, namely the sins of the entire world-past, present and future! When the sins of mankind were imputed to the impeccable humanity of Christ, the justice of God took action and pronounced a guilty verdict. Therefore, when Christ was receiving the imputation of the sins of the world, God was not projecting into the soul of the human nature of Christ the sins of the world, nor does imputation put Him into contact with sin. This imputation made the Lord a curse for us and set Him up to receive the penalty for our sins, which is spiritual death, i.e. separation from God. When Christ cried “ My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me ?” He was suffering the “consequences” for our sins, which was separation from the Father and was “not” coming into contact with our sins, nor was He becoming literal sin. Christ could not experience or come into contact with sin unless He Himself chose to sin. You cannot experience or come into contact with sin unless one chooses to sin. Therefore, there is no way possible that the Lord could come into contact with our sins or experience them. Furthermore, the imputation of every sin in history to Christ does “not” mean that Christ became literal sin, which is a heretical statement. If the Lord did become literal sin, then He would no longer be qualified to be our perfect Substitute. Therefore, Jesus Christ died spiritually meaning that in His human nature, He was separated from His Father in the sense that He lost fellowship with His Father during those last three hours on the Cross. He suffered this spiritual death so that no member of the human race should have to for all of eternity. Thus, the believer is identified with our Lord’s spiritual death since this death spared the believer from the second death in the eternal lake of fire.

Substitutionary Physical Death of Jesus Christ

The physical death of our Lord is recorded in the Gospels (Matthew 27:47-50; Mark 15:22-40; Luke 23:33-49; John 19:16-30). The Lord Jesus Christ did “not” die from suffocation or exhaustion, nor did He bleed to death, or die of a broken heart but rather He died unlike any person in history, namely by His own volition. Remember what our Lord said in John 10:18. If He had bled to death, He would have fainted. The Lord Jesus Christ was in total control of His faculties and was totally and completely alert throughout all His suffering on the cross. Our Lord’s voluntary physical death was another indication to those observing Him at the Cross that He was indeed the Son of God. He died like no other man in history, namely, of His own choosing. This is why the centurion stated that our Lord was the Son of God.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 196 Matthew 27:50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. (NASB95) “Yielded up ” is the aorist active indicative form of the verb aphiemi , “to dismiss, to release, to let go.” The aorist tense of the verb is a culminative aorist, which views an event from its existing results, the Lord Jesus Christ's physical death. The active voice expresses the fact that the Lord Jesus died of His own volition since the active voice indicates that the subject produces the action of the verb. The Lord is the only human being in history to dismiss His own spirit from His body. Every human being that dies physically as a result of a sovereign decision of God but here the Lord chooses to die physically. Our Lord’s voluntary physical death was another indication to those observing Him at the Cross that He was indeed the Son of God. He died like no other man in history, namely, of His own choosing. Our Lord’s burial is recorded in John 19:38- 42. The perfect sinless humanity of Christ was born trichotomous: (1) Body (2) Soul (3) Spirit. Therefore, our Lord’s physical death was unique because it was a trichotomous separation: (1) His physical body went to the grave (Luke 23:50-53). (2) His human spirit went to heaven (Luke 23:46; John 19:30). (3) His human soul went into Paradise a compartment of Hades (Luke 23:43; Acts 2:27; 2:31; Eph. 4:9). The Lord was brought back from the dead by three categories of divine omnipotence: (1) Omnipotence of God the Father sent back our Lord’s human spirit to the body in the grave (Acts 2:24; Rom. 6:4; Eph. 1:20; Col. 2:12; 1 Thess. 1:10; 1 Pet. 1:21). (2) Omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit sent back our Lord’s human soul to the body in the grave (Rom. 1:4; 8:11; 1 Pet. 3:18). (3) Omnipotence of God the Son raised His physical body from the grave (John 2:20- 23; 6:39-40, 54 10:17-18). The Lord Jesus Christ died physically in order to deal with the problem of the sin nature in the human race, which is located in the physical body of a person as a result of God imputing Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden to every person at the moment of physical birth. Therefore, the Christian’s problem with their indwelling Adamic sin nature is resolved when they are identified with Christ in His physical death through the baptism of the Holy Spirit the moment they were declared justified through faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior (Romans 6:1-10).

The Blood of Christ

The “blood of Christ” is a reference to the spiritual and physical deaths of Jesus Christ on the cross, which redeemed sinful humanity, reconciled them to a holy God and satisfied the holy demands of a holy God (cf. 1 Pet. 1:17-19).

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 197 Ephesians 1:7 In whom (the Beloved) we have the redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. (NASB95) The blood of Christ does not refer to the literal blood of Christ but is part of a representative analogy between the physical death of the animal sacrifice in the Mosaic Law and the spiritual death of Christ. The animal blood was the means of teaching the doctrine of redemption in the Old Testament (Ex. 12:7; 12-13; Heb. 9:22). The animal sacrifice is a “representative” analogy in which the physical death of the animal on the altar represents the spiritual death of Christ on the cross. The animal sacrifice is also a “real” analogy which would be a literal death compared to a literal death. The physical death of the animal is compared to the physical death of Christ. A “representative” analogy is the physical death of the animal on the altar representing the spiritual death of Christ on the cross. A “real” analogy is that the physical death of the animals is compared to the physical death of Christ. The analogy requires that the blood of Christ be taken figuratively and metaphorically. Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines figurative, “representing by a figure or resemblance: emblematic; of or relating to representation of form; expressing one thing in terms normally denoting another with which it may be regarded as analogous: metaphorical.” The term “the blood of Christ” is a metaphor. Webster’s defines metaphor, “a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them.” Animal blood was used to represent the figurative blood of Christ. This was done from Genesis 3:21 to the Levitical offerings of Leviticus 1-5. The blood of the animal is the seat of animal life (Lev. 17:10-14). The blood of the animal was used to represent redemption to Old Testament believers (Heb. 9:18-22). The animal was real and literal but it did not represent the literal blood of Christ shed on the cross. The animal blood represents the spiritual and physical deaths of Christ on the cross (Col. 1:20; Heb. 10:19; 13:20; 1 Pet. 1:2). The blood of the animal sacrifices were merely a shadow pointing to the reality of the cross (Heb. 9:12-24). Therefore, the phrase “ His blood ” refers to our Lord’s substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the Cross as our Substitute. “The blood of Christ” is analogous to: (1) Redemption (2) Reconciliation (3) Propitiation. Our Lord was still alive on the Cross-when He finished making the payment for our sins (John 19:30). Our Lord did not bleed to death like the animals in the Mosaic sacrifices. He didn’t pass out on the Cross-from loss of blood, but in fact was in total command and was totally alert when He said, “It is finished.” He didn’t die like ordinary men who die involuntarily, but instead, He did voluntarily (John 10:17-18).

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 198 Therefore, the blood of the animal sacrifices was merely a shadow pointing to the reality of the Christ’s spiritual death on the Cross (Heb. 9:12-24). So, the Lord’s spiritual death on the Cross was the payment for our sins and not His physical or shedding of his literal blood. His physical death dealt with the sin nature.

Redemption

One of the results of our Lord’s substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross is that He redeemed the entire human race out from the slave market of sin. “Redemption” refers to that aspect of Christ’s finished work on the Cross-that “purchased” all of humanity out of the slave market of sin. It is appropriated through the non-meritorious decision to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. Redemption is one of the three major doctrines of Soteriology: (1) Redemption: inward (2) Reconciliation: manward (3) Propitiation: Godward. The doctrine of redemption refers to the fact that Jesus Christ’s spiritual and physical deaths on the cross were a substitutionary ransom for the benefit of each and every member of the human race. These unique substitutionary deaths redeemed the entire human race out from the slave market of sin in which each and every member of the human race was born physically alive but spiritually dead. There are many references in the New Testament to the Lord Jesus Christ “purchasing” the entire human race out of the slave market of sin by means of His voluntary, substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the Cross. Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (ESV) Matthew 20:28 “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (ESV) Acts 20:28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. (ESV) Romans 3:24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. (NASB95) 1 Corinthians 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption. (NASB95) 1 Corinthians 6:20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (ESV) 1 Corinthians 7:23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. (ESV)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 199 Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (ESV) Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (ESV) Ephesians 1:7 In whom (the Beloved) we have the redemption through His blood (Christ’s substitutionary spiritual death), the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. (NASB95) Colossians 1:13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (NASB95) 1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. (NASB95) Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. (NASB95) Hebrews 9:11 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? 15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 200 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. (NASB95) 1 Peter 1:17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth, 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. (NASB95) 2 Peter 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. (ESV) Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. (ESV) Revelation 14:1 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. (ESV) The Lord Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of the entire human race. He is mankind’s Kinsman-Redeemer. The Lord is the Redeemer of Israel (Ps. 78:35; Isa. 43:14; 44:24; 49:7; 54:5, 8; 60:16). He is redeemer of the Church (1 Cor. 1:30; Gal. 3:13; Eph. 1:7, 14; Col. 1:14; Titus 2:14). A Kinsman-Redeemer must be related to the one who is being redeemed and must be able to afford the ransom price and thus fulfill its righteous demands. Our Lord fulfilled this in His incarnation by becoming true humanity. As our Kinsman- Redeemer, our Lord had to be like us. The second Person of the Trinity became a man (John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 1:1). The Lord Jesus Christ is the one and only Redeemer of mankind and the only sacrifice that God will accept (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45; 1 Tim. 2:6). He is the only one qualified to be mankind’s Redeemer due to the fact that He is impeccable (1 Pet. 1:19).

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 201 The doctrine of the Kinsman-Redeemer originates in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for Redeemer is goel . Kinsman redemption was of persons, estates, and inheritance (Lev. 25:25, 48; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:7, 11, 14). The Lord Jesus Christ is a type of Kinsman-Redeemer in that He became like one of us-human. He was able to afford and pay the ransom price which was His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths, and was also willing to pay the ransom price. Christ as the Kinsman-Redeemer fulfills the type of being willing to redeem. The Kinsman-Redeemer type states that the Redeemer: (1) Must be a kinsman or related by blood (Lev. 25:48-49; Ruth 3:12-13; Heb. 2:14-15) (2) Must be able to pay the redemption price (Ruth 4:4-6; cf. Jer. 50:34; John 10:11, 18) (3) Must be able to pay the righteous demands (Lev. 25:27; Gal. 3:13; 1 Pet. 1:18-19) (4) Must be “willing” to pay the redemption price (John 10:18). Romans 3:24 teaches that justification is a gift of God’s grace and is made possible by the work of redemption that Jesus Christ accomplished with His voluntary, substitutionary spiritual death on the Cross. Romans 3:24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. (NASB95) “Through the redemption ” is composed of the preposition dia ), “ through ” and the articular genitive feminine singular form of the noun apolutrosis , “ the redemption .” The noun apolutrosis , which means, “to buy back a slave thus making him free by payment of a ransom, the act of release or state of being resulting in release or redemption” (Luke 21:28; Rom. 3:24; 8:23; 1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 1:7; 1:14; 4:30; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:15; 11:35). The noun apolutrosis is a compound word composed of the preposition apo , which intensifies the meaning of the verb lutrosis , “redemption.” The word was used was used in secular Greek as a technical term for money paid to buy back and set free prisoners of war or to emancipate, to liberate a person from subjection or domination, to free from restraint, control, or the power of another) slaves from their masters. Apolutrosis appears ten times in the Greek New Testament where its usage can be divided into three categories: (1) Soteriological: The study of salvation (Romans 3:24, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14, and Hebrews 9:15) (2) Eschatological: The study of future things (Luke 21:28; Romans 8:23; Ephesians 1:14; 4:30). (3) Release of a prisoner (Hebrews 11:35-36). So, in Romans 3:24, Paul employs the word in a soteriological sense. In Romans 3:24, the preposition dia , “ through ” is employed with the genitive form of the noun apolutrosis , “ redemption ” as a marker of the means by which makes another event possible. Therefore, it indicates that redemption is the means

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 202 which makes possible the justification of the sinner who exercises faith in Jesus Christ. The noun apolutrosis functions as a “genitive of means” indicating the “instrumentality” or “means” by which God declares a sinner justified. Therefore, as a “genitive of means” the noun apolutrosis indicates that the redemption is “the means, which makes possible for God to declare the sinner justified. Where the instrumental of means charis , “ grace ” answers the question as to “why” or on “what basis” God can declare the sinner justified, the genitive of means apolutrosis , “ redemption ” answers the question as to “how” God can justify the sinner. Where the instrumental of means charis , “ grace ” indicates that God’s grace is the “basis” in which He can declare the sinner justified, the genitive of means apolutrosis , “ redemption ” indicates the “means” by which He can do so. This is not a “genitive of agency” even though apolutrosis is the object of the preposition dia , which ordinarily indicates “intermediate agency” with the genitive case. The reason for this is that the noun apolutrosis does not signify a personal agent by whom the action in view is accomplished. The definite article preceding the noun apolutrosis is “kataphoric” meaning that it is pointing to something in the text that immediately follows. The “kataphoric” article before the noun apolutrosis is anticipatory and is followed by a phrase that qualifies for the reader who accomplished this redemption for the sinner so that he might be declared justified by God. “Which is ” is the genitive feminine singular form of the definite article ho , which functions as a “substantiver” meaning it nominalizes (i.e. converts to a noun) the prepositional phrase en Christo Iesou , “ in Christ Jesus ” and thus we can translate it with the noun phrase “ which is .” “In Christ Jesus ” is composed of the preposition en , “ in ” and the dative masculine singular form of the proper name Christos , “ Christ ,” which is followed by the dative masculine singular form of the proper name Iesous , “ Jesus .” The preposition en is a marker of means indicating that the Lord Jesus Christ and His substitutionary spiritual death on the Cross was the “instrument” or “means” that God the Father employed to redeem mankind out of the slave market of sin. Therefore, the proper name Christos functions as a “dative instrumental of means” indicating that substitutionary spiritual death of Jesus Christ on the Cross was the “instrument” or “the means” that God the Father used to redeem mankind out of the slave market of sin. Thus, we will translate the preposition en , “ by means of ” and the proper name Christos , “ spiritual death of Christ .” “Jesus ” is the dative masculine singular form of the proper name Iesous , which refers to the impeccable human nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. This word functions as a “dative of simple apposition” meaning that it stands next a noun in

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 203 the same case and clarifies who is mentioned. Therefore, the proper name Iesous , “Jesus ” stands in apposition to the proper noun Christos , “ Christ ” and clarifies for the reader that Jesus is the Christ. Since there were many in the first century who claimed to the be the Messiah, the Christ, Paul clarifies for us who He is, namely, Jesus of Nazareth. Christos , “ Christ ” precedes Iesous , “ Jesus ” emphasizing that redemption was accomplished by the Lord Jesus functioning in His role as the Savior of all men as denoted by the former. The impeccable human nature of the incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ accomplished the work of redeeming mankind out of the slave market of sin since deity can never die a spiritual death, only a human being can. The spiritual death of the impeccable human nature of Jesus Christ redeemed the entire human race out of the slave market of sin in which they were born physically alive but spiritually dead and yet qualified for God’s grace, which is for the undeserving. 1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. (NASB95) “Who gave Himself as a ransom for all ” is composed of the articular nominative masculine singular aorist active participle form of the verb didomi (δίδωμι ), “ given ” and the dative third person masculine singular form of the reflexive pronoun heautou (ἑαυτοῦ), “ Himself ” and the accusative neuter singular form of the noun antilutron (ἀντίλυτρον ), “ as a ransom ” and the preposition huper (ὑπέρ ), “ on behalf of ” and the genitive masculine plural form of the adjective pas (πᾶς), “ of all .” The verb didomi means “to give” in the sense of dedicating oneself for a specific purpose of canceling a debt on someone’s behalf. Here it is used of the Lord Jesus Christ dedicating Himself to the specific purpose of canceling the sin debt of the entire human race. The aorist tense of the verb is a “constative” aorist describing in summary fashion the period of time when Jesus Christ was on the cross and suffered both a spiritual and physical death. The former cancelled the debt of mankind with respect to personal sins whereas the latter cancelled the debt of mankind with respect to the sin nature, which resides in the genetic structure of mankind (cf. Genesis 3:19; Romans 6:6). The active voice of the verb indicates that the Lord Jesus Christ as the subject performed the action of giving Himself for the specific purpose of

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 204 canceling the sin debt of the entire human race. The verb functions as a substantive participle as indicated by the definite article preceding it, which functions as a substantiver meaning that it converts the participle into a substantive. Therefore, this can be reflected by translating the article with a relative pronoun “who.” The word also functions as a nominative subject. We will translate the verb didomi , “who gave .” The reflexive pronoun heautou refers to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is used to highlight the participation of the subject, in the verbal action, as indirect object. Its force is frequently to indicate that the subject is also the object of the action of the verb or in other words, it reflects back on the subject. Therefore, the reflexive personal pronoun heautou means “Himself” and emphasizes the action of Jesus Christ giving Himself in the sense of dedicating Himself for the specific purpose of solving the human race’s problem of the sin nature and personal sins. The word denotes that the Lord dedicated Himself to the Father’s will in order to provide the offer of salvation for the entire human race. It also indicates that the Lord dedicated Himself to deliver the human race from the sin nature, personal sins, spiritual and physical death, condemnation from the Law, Satan and his cosmic system and eternal condemnation. The word emphasizes the voluntary nature of Christ’s spiritual and physical deaths on the cross. Our Lord’s spiritual and physical deaths on the cross were “voluntary” in that He “chose” to suffer these deaths in order to solve the human race’s problem with sin. He also chose to suffer in order to accomplish the Father’s will and provide salvation for the entire human race. These deaths were also self- sacrificial in nature in that the Lord was willing to deny self in order to serve the Father and the human race and come to the aid of the human race to deal with their sin problem. The word antilutron does not appear in classical Greek or the Septuagint and only once in the Greek New Testament, namely here in 1 Timothy 2:6. However, the combination of the anti and lutron does appear in other literature. 117 It also occurs in Mark 10:45 and Matthew 20:28. The combination of anti and lutron in these two passage describes Christ’s spiritual and physical deaths as a substitutionary ransom on behalf of the entire human race. In 1 Timothy 2:6, the noun antilutron means “substitute-ransom” and like Mark 10:45 and Matthew 20:28, it describes Jesus Christ’s spiritual and physical deaths on the cross as a substitutionary ransom for the benefit of each and every member of the human race. These unique substitutionary deaths redeemed the entire human

117 Josephus, Antiquities 14.7.1

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 205 race out from the slave market of sin in which they were born physically alive but spiritually dead. Redemption results in the forgiveness of sins (Isa. 44:22; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:12-15). It is the basis of justification (Rom. 3:24). It delivers from the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13; 4:4-6). Redemption is the basis for sanctification (Eph. 5:25-27). It is the basis for the eternal inheritance of believer (Heb. 9:15). Redemption is the basis for the strategic victory of Christ in the angelic conflict (Col. 2:14-15; Heb. 2:14-15). Redemption of the soul in salvation leads to redemption of the body in resurrection (Eph. 1:14). Redemption is the ultimate status of regenerated human beings forever (Rom. 8:23; Eph. 4:30).

Reconciliation

Another thing that our Lord’s spiritual and physical deaths on the cross accomplished is that they reconciled sinners to a holy God. Reconciliation is God’s peace treaty with the entire human race. Reconciliation removes the Barrier, which separates God from man (Eph. 2:14-16). The peace offering in the Old Testament depicts reconciliation (Lev. 3; 7:11-38; 8:15). The peace offering emphasizes the Person of Christ. The peace offering sets forth God as propitiated and the sinner reconciled. The Author of the Peace Treaty is God the Father (2 Cor. 5:18a; Eph. 1:3-7; 2:14-16). Man was the enemy of God (Rom. 5:6-10; Eph. 2:1-5). God the Father is the Initiator of the peace treaty with man. Man is totally helpless to make peace with God (Rom. 3:10, 23; 8:5-8; Eph. 2:1). The Lord Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the Peace Treaty (2 Cor. 5:18b; 1 Tim. 2:5). The Lord is the peacemaker (Eph. 2:14). This peace treaty took place inside the Person of Christ, the God-Man (2 Cor. 5:19a; Eph. 2:14-16; Col. 1:22; 1 Pet. 2:24). God offers the entire world a full pardon of their sin through faith in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:19b; Acts 13:38; Eph. 1:7; 4:32b; Col. 1:14; 2:13; 1 John 2:12). Every believer in the Church Age has been an ambassador for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20a). The terms of the Peace Treaty are to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31; John 3:16, 36). Reconciliation is totally the work of God. It is God’s peace treaty with the entire human race or the removal of the Barrier, which separated God from man and is a result of the finished work of Christ on the Cross (2 Cor. 5:18; Eph. 2:14-16; Col. 1:20-21). Romans 5:10 For if, while we were enemies (spiritual death), we were reconciled to God by the (spiritual) death of His Son, much more now being reconciled, we shall be delivered by His life. (NASB95) 2 Corinthians 5:18 Now all these things (New Creation) originate from the God (the Father), the One who reconciled us to Himself through the

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 206 intermediate agency of Christ and gave to us for our benefit the ministry of this reconciliation (our Royal Ambassadorship), 19 specifically, that God the Father was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not charging their personal sins to their account and has deposited in us (the right lobes of born- again believers) the doctrine of this reconciliation (the Gospel). 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since the God (the Father) is urgently appealing through us: We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He (Christ) who never knew sin experientially (Christ was impeccable), on behalf of us (as our Substitute), was made (the representative of) sin in order that we might become the very righteousness of God in Him. (Author’s translation) Ephesians 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, Who (the Lord Jesus Christ) made both one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His physical body the enmity, the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself (the Lord Jesus Christ) He might make the two (Jews and Gentiles) into one new man, establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it (the Cross) having put to death the enmity (the Mosaic Law). (NASB95) Colossians 1:20 And through Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) to reconcile all things to Himself (God the Father), having made peace through the blood (substitutionary spiritual death of Christ) of His cross, through Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven. 21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, in evil deeds, 22 yet He (Lord Jesus Christ) has now reconciled you in His human body through death (spiritual death), in order to present you before Him (God the Father) holy (spiritual life after salvation) and blameless (in a resurrection body) and beyond reproach. (NASB95) A peace treaty is when two enemies agree to stop fighting against each other. We are no longer enemies of God because of the Work of our Lord on the Cross. 2 Corinthians 5:18 Now all these things (New Creation) originate from the God (the Father), the One who reconciled us to Himself through the intermediate agency of Christ and gave to us for our benefit the ministry of this reconciliation (our Royal Ambassadorship), 19 specifically, that God the Father was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not charging their personal sins to their account and has deposited in us (the right lobes of born- again believers) the doctrine of this reconciliation (the Gospel). 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since the God (the Father) is urgently appealing through us: We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He (Christ) who never knew sin experientially (Christ was impeccable), on behalf of us (as our Substitute), was made (the representative of) sin in order

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 207 that we might become the very righteousness of God in Him. (Author’s translation) Outline of the Peace Treaty (2 Cor. 5:18-21): (1) Author of the Peace Treaty: 2 Corinthians 5:18a, “Now all these things (New creation) originate from the God (the Father), the One who reconciled us to Himself.” (2) Mediator of the Peace Treaty: 2 Corinthians 5:18b, “through the intermediate agency of Christ” (3) Gift for the Pardoned: 2 Corinthians 5:18c, “and gave to us for our benefit the ministry of this reconciliation (our Royal Ambassadorship)” (4) Initiator of the Peace Treaty: 2 Corinthians 5:19a, “Specifically, that God the Father was reconciling the world to Himself” (5) Location of the Peace Treaty: 2 Corinthians 5:19a, “in Christ” (6) Full Pardon for the Enemy: 2 Corinthians 5:19b, “not imputing their personal sins to their account” (7) Acceptance of the Terms of Peace: 2 Corinthians 5:19c, “and has deposited in us (the hearts of born-again believers) the doctrine of this reconciliation (the Gospel).” (8) Ambassadors of Peace: 2 Corinthians 5:20a, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ” (9) God’s Appeal for Peace: 2 Corinthians 5:20b, “Since the God (the Father) is urgently appealing through us: We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (10) Work of the Mediator: 2 Corinthians 5:21a, “He (Christ) who never knew sin experientially (Christ was impeccable), on behalf of us (as our Substitute), was made (the representative of) sin.” (11) Purpose of the Peace Treaty: 2 Corinthians 5:21b, “in order that we might become the very righteousness of God in Him.”

Propitiation

Propitiation is the Godward side of salvation whereby the voluntary substitutionary spiritual death of the impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union satisfied the righteous demands of a holy God that the sins of the entire world -past, present and future be judged. Leviticus 1:4 “And he (sinner) shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering (picturing the imputation of our sins to Christ), that it may be accepted for him to make atonement (propitiation) on his behalf. (NASB95) Romans 3:21 But now, independently of seeking to be justified by obedience to the Law, the righteousness originating from God is being manifested at the present time while simultaneously being attested to by the Law and the Prophets. 22 Namely, the righteousness originating from God through faith in Jesus who is the Christ for the benefit of each and every person who does believe for there is, as an eternal spiritual truth, absolutely no distinction. 23 For each and every person has sinned consequently they are always failing to measure up to the glory originating from God 24 with the

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 208 result that they might, as an eternal spiritual truth, be undeservedly justified based upon His grace by means of the redemption, which is by means of the spiritual death of Christ who is Jesus 25 whom God the Father offered publicly as a propitiatory gift through faith by means of His blood in order to demonstrate His righteousness because of the deliberate and temporary suspension of judgment of the sins, which have taken place in the past on the basis of the tolerance originating from the character and nature of God the Father. 26 Correspondingly, in relation to the demonstration of His righteousness during this present distinct period of history, that He Himself is, as an eternal spiritual truth, inherently righteous, even while justifying anyone by means of faith in Jesus. (Author’s translation) Hebrews 2:17 Therefore, He (the Lord Jesus Christ) had to be made like His brethren (humanity) in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (NASB95) 1 John 2:2 And He Himself (the Lord Jesus Christ) is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. (NASB95) 1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God (the Father), but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (NASB95) Romans 3:25 whom God the Father offered publicly as a propitiatory gift through faith by means of His blood in order to demonstrate His righteousness because of the deliberate and temporary suspension of judgment of the sins, which have taken place in the past on the basis of the tolerance originating from the character and nature of God the Father. (Author’s translation) “As a propitiation ” is the accusative neuter singular form of the adjective hilasterion , which means, “propitiatory gift.” The adjective hilasterion has the following cognates: (1) hilaskomai , “propitiate, conciliate, make gracious, be gracious” (Luke 18:13; Hebrews 2:17) (2) hileos , “gracious, merciful” (Matthew 16:22; Hebrews 8:12) (3) hilasmos , “propitiatory sacrifice” (1 John 2:2, 4:10) (4) hilasterion , “that which propitiates, means of propitiation, mercy-seat, propitiatory gift” (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:5). Hilasterion is related to hilasterios and belongs to a group of words, which includes the verb hilaskomai , “to make propitiation for,” and the noun hilasmos , “propitiatory sacrifice.” In classical Greek, “propitiation” refers to the act of appeasing the Greek gods by a sacrifice and was an effort to, as Wuest writes, “to buy off the anger of the gods and buy his love.”

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 209 Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament has this remark, “Hilasmos includes various cultic acts such as prayers, sacrifices, purifications, dances and games. These may be repeated annually. Since the deities are the guardians of order, of law and morality, offences against demand hilasmos (propitiation) of the deity.” Of course, this is not the case with the God of the Bible since His justice must be satisfied before He can do anything for us. The LXX uses the word hilasterion 22 times for the Hebrew kapporeth , which functions as a technical term for the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant in both the LXX and NT. The mercy seat was the golden lid of the Ark of the Covenant. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament commenting on the Hebrew term kapporeth , state the following, “is not related to mercy and of course was not a seat. The word is derived from the root “to atone.” The Greek equivalent in the LXX is usually hilasterion , “place or object of propitiation,” a word which is applied to Christ in Romans 3:25. The translation ‘mercy seat’ does not sufficiently express the fact that the lid of the ark was the place where the blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement. ‘Place of atonement’ would perhaps be more expressive.” 118 Exodus 25 records God’s instruction to Israel regarding the Ark of the Covenant to cover it with a mercy seat. Exodus 25:10 “They shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. 11 You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it. 12 You shall cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it. 13 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. 15 The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. 16 You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you. 17 You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. 18 You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. 20 The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the

118 Harris, R. L., Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., & Waltke, B. K. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament Moody Press

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 210 ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. 22 There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.” (NASB95) The ark was the most important and sacred object of Israel’s worship. Verses 10-15 provide the reader the instructions for building it. Verse 16 presents instructions for placing the Ten Commandments in it. In verses 17-21, we have the instructions for the mercy seat and verse 22 the meeting above it. aw-rone´ ), which was a chest or ornate box ) ( אֲרֹון) Ark ” is the noun ʾǎrôn“ containing sacred artifacts of worship. The ark was the only piece of furniture within the Holy of Holies. It was called the “Ark of the Covenant” (Hebrew: ‘ aron berit , Num. 10:33), or “Ark of the Testimony” (Hebrew: ‘aron ha`edut , Ex. 25:22), from the law that was kept therein. It was made of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits broad, and one and a half cubits high (external dimensions) and was plated inside and out with pure gold. Running around each side was a gold border extending above the top of the Ark, so as to keep the lid from moving. This lid was called the “mercy seat” (Ex. 25:20, 22, Hebrew: kapporet , a “covering”), and was the same size as the Ark itself, and was made of acacia wood covered with gold. The ark was transported by means of two gold-covered poles run through two gold rings on each side, from which they were not to be moved (25:15) unless it might be necessary to remove them in order to cover the Ark when the Tabernacle was moved (Num. 4:6). Upon the lid, or mercy seat, or at the ends of the ark, as in the temple, were placed the cherubim, probably figures beaten out of gold, as was the lampstand. In shape, they were probably human, with the exception of their wings, though some authorities think they were of the same complex form as the cherubim mentioned in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:5-14). They were no doubt the normal or full height of a man and are always spoken of as maintaining an upright position (2 Chronicles 3:13). They stood facing each other, looking down upon the mercy seat, with their wings forward in a brooding attitude (Ex. 25:20; cf. Deut. 32:11). The golden censer, with which the high priest once a year entered the Most Holy Place, was doubtless set upon this lid. The ark contained the two tables of stone on which Yahweh wrote the Ten Commandments, or rather those prepared by Moses from the original, broken by him when he heard of Israel’s idolatry (Ex. 31:18-34:29; Deut. 9:10-10:4); and the copy of the law, written by Moses (31:26), presumed by some to be the Pentateuch in full, and thought to be the same as was afterward discovered in the time of Josiah (2 Kings 22:8).

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 211 The law must, in the meanwhile, have been removed, together with all the contents, because in the days of Solomon the ark contained the two tablets only (1 Kings 8:9). The ark also contained a golden jar of miraculously preserved manna (Ex. 16:33-34) and “Aaron’s rod which budded” (Heb. 9:4; cf. Num. 17:10). The materials, contents and employment of the ark of the covenant (Ex. 25:10- 22) were significant. In its materials, acacia wood and gold, the ark was a type of the humanity and deity of Christ. The ark portrays the Lord Jesus Christ in hypostatic union as the God-Man, in other words, undiminished deity and true humanity in one person forever. Acacia wood grew in the desert and fittingly portrayed Christ’s humanity as a “root out of parched ground” (Isaiah 53:2). The fact that the Ark was overlaid with pure gold (Ex. 25:11) suggested deity in manifestation. The employment of the ark, particularly the mercy seat, typified the divine throne. It was transformed from a throne of judgment to a throne of grace as far as the sinner in Israel was concerned by the blood of the atonement that was sprinkled upon it. The blood sprinkled on the mercy seat on the Day of Atonement typified the substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths of Jesus Christ on the Cross, which propitiated the holy demands of the Father. The cherubim with outstretched wings guarded the integrity or holiness of the mercy seat. One cherubim typified the righteousness of God and the other cherubim typified the justice of God. Therefore, the cherubims typified the integrity of God which cannot compromise with sin but has been perfectly dealt with and satisfied by the voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths of Jesus Christ on the Cross, which was typified itself by the blood of the animal. The Ark was the commencement of everything in the tabernacle symbolism. It was placed in the Holy of Holies, showing that God begins from Himself in His outreach toward man in revelation (John 1:18; Heb. 1:3). On the other hand, in the human approach the worship begins from without, moving toward God in the very center of the holiest place. Man begins at the bronze altar, that is, the cross, where atonement is made in the light of the fire of God’s judgment. Exodus 25:10 says that the ark was to measure two and a half cubits by one and a half cubits. The cubit is the Egyptian royal cubit equal to approximately 20.625 inches and the common estimate for the cubit is 18 inches. A cubit was the distance from the tip of a man’s middle finger to the end of his elbow when his hand was held flat and straight in the plane of his forearm, which is about 18 inches. Verse 12 makes clear that the ark was not to touch the ground since it would have feet. Only the bottom of the feet could touch the ground. The feet had rings attached to them. One ring protruded to the side from each of the feet. This was so

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 212 a gilded acacia wood pole could be run through the rings on each side (verses 13- 14). The ark was lifted by the ends of the poles and thus transported. The special quality of the ark was protected by having the rings in the feet and not in any other part of the ark. Thus, only the feet would be scratched. The poles were to remain in the rings of the ark to minimize the possibility of damage as well as wear and tear to the poles. The ark symbolized God’s presence as well as His holiness and in addition His covenant blessing upon the Israelites who were to respect this symbol, which portrayed the reality of God’s presence. The Shekinah glory appeared in the Tabernacle in Israel (Exodus 33:9-11, 18- 23; 40:34-38). Between the cherubim was the Shekinah (Hebrew: shekina , “residence”), the cloud in which Yahweh appeared above the mercy seat (Ex. 25:22; cf. Lev. 16:2). It was not the cloud of incense (16:13), but the manifest appearance (pre-incarnate appearance of Christ or theophany of Christ) of the divine glory. Yahweh manifested His essential presence in this cloud; therefore, no unclean and sinful man could go before the mercy seat. Not even the anointed high priest could go before it of his own pleasure or without the expiatory blood sacrifice or he would be killed by the Lord instantly. However, the ark not only had a symbolic value but also a practical value as well in the sense that it held something extremely important, namely the Ten Commandments. ay-dooth´ ), which is the Decalogue or ) ( ﬠֵדוּת) Testimony ” is the noun ʿē∙ḏûṯ“ Ten Commandments according to Exodus 24:12; 31:18 and Deuteronomy 4:13; 9:9 as well as 1 Kings 8:9. This word identifies the Ten Commandments as the witness or affirmation of God’s commandments belonging to His covenant with Israel. It also expressed God’s will and the duty of the Israelites. In other cultures important documents were put at the feet of the gods in the temples. 119 kap-po´-reth ), which means ) ( כַּפֹּרֶ ת) Mercy seat ” is the noun kǎp∙pō∙rěṯ“ “covering” and was a lid on top of the Ark of the Testimony and was the place where sins were forgiven. It was the same size as the Ark itself, and was made of acacia wood covered with gold. Now, in Romans 3:25, Paul’s use of the adjective hilasterion , “propitiation ” recalls the “ gift offering ” in Leviticus chapter two and not the “ burnt offering ” in Leviticus chapter one. The reason this is the case is that the word refers to the fact that Jesus Christ is the “propitiatory gift” from the Father whose spiritual death satisfied the demands of His holiness, which required that human sin be judged.

119 Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Ex 25:12–16). Biblical Studies Press.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 213 There were five Levitical offerings authorized by the Mosaic Law (Lev. 1-6). The “ burnt offering ” taught propitiation with emphasis on the work of Christ (Lev. 1) whereas the “ gift offering ” taught propitiation but this bloodless offering portrayed the perfect Person of Jesus Christ (Lev. 2). The “ peace offering ” called for the shedding of blood and taught the doctrine of reconciliation (Lev. 3). The “sin offering” taught the forgiveness of unknown sins, which John calls in 1 John 1:9, “ all unrighteousness .” The “ trespass offering ” taught the confession of known sins (See 1 John 1:9; Psalm 32:1-5). Therefore, hilasterion , “propitiatory sacrifice” corresponds to the gift offering in Leviticus 2:1-16, which emphasizes the Person of Christ. The “ grain ” offering is really a gift offering since it is mistranslated in the NASB. The word in the Hebrew is minchah , which is from manach , “to give.” Manach is used in secular contexts of gifts to superior persons particularly kings and conveyed the attitude of homage and submission to the king. The spiritual use of the term derives its meaning from the secular, thus, minchah is a gift of grain. The gift offering viewed propitiation from the aspect of the Perfect Person of Christ. The minchah communicates the fact that it takes a perfect gift Jesus Christ, the God-Man to satisfy or propitiate a perfect Giver (God the Father). The significance of the gift offering is that it pictured approaching God on the basis of the merits of the promised Messiah. In Romans 3:25, Paul’s use of the adjective hilasterion also recalls the one of the seven feasts of Israel called “the Day of Atonement.” Israel was commanded by the Lord in the Old Testament to observe seven Feasts: (1) Passover (Leviticus 23:4-5; 1 Corinthians 5:7); (2) Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6-8; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8); (3) First Fruits (Leviticus 23:9-14; 1 Corinthians 15:23); (4) Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-22; Acts 2:1-4); (5) Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25; 1 Corinthians 15:52); (6) Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26- 32; 1 John 2:2); (7) Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-44; John 7:2). The Feast of Atonement was a day of confession and will represent that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Messiah and represents the Second Advent (Documentation: Leviticus 23:24-32; Zechariah 12:10; 13:1, 6). The Day of Atonement was a most solemn of these great Feasts (Lev. 16:26-32) and is derived from the Hebrew Yom Kippur . The Day of Atonement was the only day in which anyone was ever permitted to enter the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle, or in the Temple. Only the high priest was permitted to enter it, and then only after he had brought an offering on behalf on his own sins (Lev. 16:13). Sacrificed on the Day of Atonement was a young bull (Lev. 16:6), which was for the sins of the high priest.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 214 Also, two goats were sacrificed for the sins of the people (Lev. 16:7-10; 15-16). The high priest sacrificed the bull on the brass altar as a sin offering for himself (Lev. 16:11). The blood of the animal represented Christ’s spiritual death on the Cross and was collected in a basin and carried past the huge curtain into the Holy of Holies and then sprinkled on the mercy seat ( kapporeth ). The mercy seat was the golden lid that fit over the top of the Ark of the Covenant, which contains the emblems of Israel’s sin. The three items in the Ark: (1) A pot of manna that called to mind man’s rejection of divine provision (2) Aaron’s rod that budded that exhibited rejection of God’s plan regarding the authority of the Levitical priesthood. (3) Tables of the Law that were a reminder of Israel’s violations of the Law. The Ark of the Covenant was overlaid with gold and stood in the Holy of Holies. The acacia wood of the box spoke of Christ’s humanity and the gold spoke of His deity. Together these materials represented Christ in hypostatic union or His uniqueness as the God-Man. Now, on each end of the mercy seat stood the golden figure of a cherub with one representing God’s righteousness and the other His justice. Righteousness and justice looked down on sin (the emblems in the Ark) and condemned it. Once a year, the blood of the young bull was sprinkled on top of the mercy seat. When righteousness and justice looked down, they saw the completed work of Christ covering the sins of the high priest. The high priest sacrificed one of the goats as an offering for the people. The live goat was sent off into the wilderness after Aaron had laid both of his hands on its head thus transferring the iniquities of the people to the goat (Lev. 16:20-22). The “scapegoat” represents that aspect of Christ’s work, which puts away our sins (John 1:29). The goat that was slain (the Lord's lot) is that aspect of Christ's death, which satisfies the demands of God’s holiness that required sin be judged. Aaron took the goats blood and entered into the Holy of Holies a second time to sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat. This time the spiritual death of Christ on the cross was dramatized as covering the sins of all the people. God does not remember our sins for they were put away and paid for by our Lord’s spiritual death (Psa. 103:12). The fulfillment of the Old Testament ritual came in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ has obtained a much greater ministry than Aaron (Heb. 8:6) whose priesthood was a mere shadow of Christ’s Royal Priesthood (Heb. 8:1-6). Our Lord did not have to offer a sacrifice for Himself as the Levitical high priest had to for himself for He was without sin, impeccable (Heb. 9:26-27).

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 215 Instead, the Lord Jesus Christ offered Himself up once as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of all mankind (Heb. 9:27; 9:28a). The Tabernacle made on earth, which was made with human hands, was just a picture of the real one in heaven. The animal blood sacrifices were shadows or copies of the true sacrifice that was to take place on Calvary when our Lord died spiritually for our sins (Heb. 9:23-26). Our Lord’s sacrifice on the Cross-fulfilled completely the Mosaic sacrifices. His spiritual death paid for or covered our sins permanently, as the blood on the mercy seat covered the sins of Israel temporarily (Heb. 9:12-14; 10:4). The Lord Jesus Christ entered the real Holy of Holies and not the shadow one on earth (Heb. 10:24). The Lord Jesus Christ entered heaven one time and sat down at the right hand of God the Father (Heb. 10:12). The animal sacrifices in the Old Testament pictured the future sacrifice of Christ and were merely shadows of Christ’s work on the cross (Heb. 10:1). The phrase in Romans 3:25, “ sins previously committed ,” teaches that the sins committed in the Old Testament were not paid for by the animal sacrifices but with our Lord’s sacrifice on the Cross at Calvary. The rituals performed in the Old Testament were not the reality. The reality or the sacrifice that propitiated God was the sacrifice of His Son on the Cross and not the animal sacrifices (Heb. 10:4-10). Ritual without reality is meaningless. The animal sacrifices were merely teaching aids to communicate the doctrines of propitiation, redemption and reconciliation to those who lived in OT dispensations. The adjective hilasterion appears in only two passages in the Greek New Testament (Romans 3:25 and Hebrews 9:5). Many expositors consider hilasterion as functioning in Romans 3:25 as a substantive rather than as an adjective, thus effecting their interpretation and translation of the word. Thus, they translate hilasterion , “the place of propitiation” or “mercy seat” referring to the fact that Jesus Christ is the “place of propitiation” or the fulfillment of the “mercy seat” in the Old Testament. They substantiate this interpretation and translation on the basis that the word is used in the Septuagint to translate kapporeth , which referred to the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant. However, as Robertson pointed out, citing Deissmann and even Scofield suggested hilasterion should be translated as an adjective meaning “propitiatory gift,” or “the gift which procures propitiation.” This indicates then that Jesus Christ is the “propitiatory gift” from the Father whose spiritual death on the Cross satisfied the demands of God’s holiness, which required that human sin be judged. Therefore, the noun hilasmos in 1 John 2:2 and 4:10 refers to the “propitiatory sacrifice” of Jesus Christ.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 216 Hilaskomai in Hebrews 2:17 refers to the act of propitiating the Father through Jesus Christ’s spiritual death. Whereas hilasterion in Romans 3:25, refers to the fact that Jesus Christ is the “propitiatory gift” from the Father. In Hebrews 9:5, the adjective hilasterion should be translated as a substantive since it is clearly referring to the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant in Old Testament Israel. However, in Romans 3:25, the adjective should not be translated as a substantive but rather as an adjective since the verb protithemi in this same passage means, “to offer publicly,” thus indicating that God the Father gave His Son as a “propitiatory gift” to sinful mankind. The adjective “propitiatory” means “serving or intended to propitiate.” Therefore, Jesus Christ was a gift from God the Father to sinful mankind whose purpose was to serve mankind by propitiating the demands of God’s holiness that required that human sin be judged. Therefore, we can conclude in Romans 3:25 that Paul is saying that God the Father offered His Son Jesus Christ publicly at the Cross of Calvary as a propitiatory gift in the sense that His spiritual death on the Cross satisfied the demands of God’s holiness that required that human sin be judged. The adjective hilasterion , “ propitiatory gift ” along with the words hilasmos and hilaskomai help to form the doctrine of propitiation and recall the Day of Atonement and the Burnt and Gift Offerings in the Leviticus 1 and 2. Propitiation along with redemption and reconciliation form the “Finished Work” of Jesus Christ on the Cross. “Propitiation” is the Godward side of salvation whereby the voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths of the impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union satisfied the righteous demands of a holy God that the sins of the entire world-past, present and future be judged. “Propitiation” means that our Lord’s spiritual and physical deaths on the cross “satisfied” God’s holiness, which demanded that the sins of the entire human race be judged. Remember Paul teaches in Romans 1:18-3:20 that God’s wrath or righteous indignation is against all men due to sin. The wrath or righteous indignation of God needed to be satisfied and Christ and His spiritual and physical deaths did just that. Christ’s spiritual and physical deaths satisfied God’s righteous indignation against human sin. The fact that Jesus Christ’s spiritual and physical deaths satisfied the demands of God’s holiness, which required that human sin be judged, permitted God to extend grace to the human race, enabling Him to offer to the entire human race the gift of salvation through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Once God’s righteous indignation towards human sin had been satisfied by our Lord’s spiritual death on the Cross, God was free to extend grace to the entire human race the offer of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 217 The fact that Jesus Christ’s spiritual and physical deaths propitiated the demands of God’s holiness, which required that sin be judged provided the following: (1) Basis for the unlimited atonement (1 John 2:2; 1 Tim. 2:5; 2 Pet. 3:9). (2) Basis for the forgiveness of sins (2 Cor. 5:19; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:12-15). (3) Basis for the imputation of divine righteousness (Rom. 3:25-26). (4) Basis for justification (Rom. 3:28; 2 Cor. 5:21). (5) Basis for reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18; Eph. 2:14-16; Col. 1:20-21). 1 John 2:2 And He Himself (“Jesus Christ the righteous”) is the propitiatory sacrifice for our (personal) sins, but in fact, not for ours only, but also for sins of the whole world (unlimited atonement) . (NASB95) Only a “Righteous” Person can satisfy the justice of a “Righteous” God. Only a “Righteous” Person can produce a “righteous” act. The sins of the world are no longer an issue with God because His righteous demands that our sins be judged have been satisfied by a “Righteous” Person’s action (propitiatory sacrifice). The propitiatory sacrifice of Christ resolves the problem of the demands of God’s righteousness and justice.

Unlimited Atonement

Our Lord’s substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross were on behalf of all of sinful humanity. This is called the “unlimited” atonement, which is taught by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:4. 1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore, based upon my previous statements, I first of all urgently request specific detailed requests, reverential prayers, intercessory prayers, thanksgivings be regularly offered up on behalf of each and every member of the human race, 2 on behalf of kings as well as each and every one of those individuals who are in authority in order that we may continue to live a peaceful and tranquil life with absolute godliness as well as dignity. 3 This is, as an eternal spiritual truth noble as well as pleasingly acceptable in the judgment of God the Father, our Savior 4 who, as an eternal spiritual truth desires each and every member of the human race to be saved as well as to enter into knowing experientially the truth. (Author’s translation) “Who, as an eternal spiritual truth desires each and every member of the human raced to be saved ” is a relative pronoun clause that is connected to verse 3, which itself is connected to verse 1. It reveals that the reason why intercessory prayer for each and every member of the human race is noble and pleasingly acceptable to the Father is that He desires each and every member of the human race to be saved. The expression πάντας ἀνθρώπους , “ each and every member of the human race ” in verse 4 is picked up from verse 1 where it mean the same thing. Thus, as

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 218 noted in verse 1 Paul taught that it is the Father’s will that the Ephesians intercede in prayer for all people or each and every member of the human race. Now in verse 4 he teaches that the Father wants the Ephesians to do this because it is His will that each and every member of the human race be saved and to come to an experiential knowledge of the truth. This expression refers to “common” or “universal grace.” God the Holy Spirit, in common or universal grace, makes the Gospel understandable to unbelievers, so that they may make a decision to either accept or reject Jesus Christ as Savior. When Paul says that the Father desires each and every member of the human race to be saved does not imply that all will be saved automatically. Rather, he is simply teaching that the Father desires this to be the case and made it possible by making salvation possible for everyone through the gospel of His Son Jesus Christ. The offer salvation is made possible to every member of the human race because the Father’s Son Jesus Christ died on the cross for each and every member of the human race. The fact that the sinner has to make a volitional decision in relation to this offer is clearly taught by Paul in Romans 3:21-5:1 and many other passages such as Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:16 and John 3:16-17 just to name a few. “To be saved ” speaks of the act of the Father delivering each and every member of the human race without exception from personal sin, the sin nature, Satan, his cosmic system, condemnation from the Law, spiritual and physical death and eternal condemnation through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. This statement in 1 Timothy 2:4 teaches the “unlimited” atonement and refutes those who adhere to a “limited” atonement. The latter is a false doctrine that is actually an attack instigated by Satan upon the integrity of God. The “limited” atonement doctrine contends that Christ died for only the elect or in other words, believers whereas the “unlimited” atonement contends that Christ died for “all” men, all-inclusive, without exception and thus “without racial, sexual or social distinction.” This doctrine states that Jesus Christ died for every sin committed by every single member of the human race-past, present and future (John 1:29; Rom. 5:6-8; 1 Tim. 4:10; Titus 2:11; 1 John 2:2). The Bible emphatically states that God desires for all men to be saved and that Christ died for all people. The apostle Paul taught the Roman believers that Christ died for the ungodly, which refers to unbelievers and reconciled us meaning believers, while we were God’s enemies. Therefore, if Christ reconciled the believer to God while he was an enemy of God, then Christ died for unbelievers as well (Romans 5:6-10). Thus, in order for God’s desire for all men to be saved to ever have any chance of becoming a reality, He would have to send His Son into the world to die for all men. Therefore, Christ’s death on the Cross was the propitiation for the sins of both believers and

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 219 unbelievers. Of course, all men will not be saved because many will reject Jesus Christ as Savior. The “limited” atonement doctrine contends that Christ died for only the elect or in other words, believers whereas the “unlimited” atonement contends that Christ died for “all” men, all-inclusive, without exception and thus “without racial, sexual or social distinction.” This doctrine states that Jesus Christ died for every sin committed by every single member of the human race-past, present and future (John 1:29; Rom. 5:6-8; 1 Tim. 4:10; Titus 2:11; 1 John 2:2). John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (NASB95) John 4:41 Many more believed because of His word; 42 and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.” (NASB95) Hebrews 2:9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. (NASB95) Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared (the Lord Jesus Christ), bringing salvation to all men. (NASB95) 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you (unbeliever), not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to a change of mind about Christ. (NASB95) 2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ motivates us, having concluded this, that one (Jesus Christ) died for all men, therefore, all died (as a result of Adam’s sin). 15 And He (the Lord Jesus Christ) died for all men, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf! (Author’s translation) 2 Corinthians 5:18 Now all these things are from God the Father, the One who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave to us for our benefit the ministry of this peace treaty (the Gospel). 19 Specifically that God the Father was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not charging their personal sins to their account, and has deposited in us (believers) the doctrine of this peace treaty (the Gospel). (Author’s translation) John 3:16 For God the Father so loved the world that He gave His uniquely virgin born Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish (go to the Lake of Fire), but have eternal life (live with God forever and ever)! (Author’s translation)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 220 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. (NASB95) 1 Timothy 4:10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. (NASB95) 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all (the entire human race), the just (the believer) and the unjust (unbeliever), in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. (NASB95) 1 John 2:2 Furthermore, He Himself is the propitiation with regards to our sins. In fact, He Himself is the propitiation not with regards to our sins only in contrast with the rest of unregenerate humanity, absolutely not, but also with regards to the entire world, without exception and without distinction. (Author’s translation) 1 John 4:14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. (NASB95) In Romans 1:16, Paul teaches that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to “everyone” who believes. Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (NASB95) Therefore, the expression “ who believes ” refers to making the non-meritorious decision to trust or place one’s complete confidence in the Person of Jesus Christ for salvation. Then the apostle Paul notes the universal nature of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ with the phrase “ to the Jew first and also to the Greek .” This phrase demonstrates that God desires all men to be saved and that Christ died for all men. The expression “ to the Jew first and also to the Greek ” does “not” mean that every Jew must be evangelized before the gospel can be presented to the Gentiles but rather means that the Jews were elected by God as noted by Paul in Romans 9-11. Also, this expression “ to the Jew first and also to the Greek ” places the Jew on equal footing with the Gentile with respect to the need for salvation. In Romans 1:16, the apostle Paul reveals three principles: (1) The effect of the gospel is salvation. (2) The extent of the gospel is that it is for all men. (3) The condition attached to the gospel is faith in Christ.

In Union with and In Fellowship with the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

In 1 Thessalonians 1:1, the apostle Paul describes the Thessalonian Christian community as en the ō patri kai kyri ō I ēsou Christ ō (ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ καὶ κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 221 Χριστῷ), “in union and fellowship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ .” This prepositional phrase is describing the Thessalonian Christian community as experiencing their sanctification and thus experiencing their position in Christ, which constitutes experiencing fellowship with God. They were in union with the Father because they were in union with Jesus Christ. They were able to experience fellowship with the Father through Jesus Christ and specifically through their union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session. 1 John 2:23 Anyone who does at any time reject the Son, unequivocally does not possess a relationship with the Father. The person who does at any time acknowledge the Son, does possess a relationship with the Father also. 24 In contrast to them, what each of you have heard from the beginning must continue to remain in each of you. If what each of you have heard from the beginning remains in each of you, indeed each of you will also live in fellowship with the Son as well as in fellowship with the Father. (Author’s translation) The Thessalonians were able to experience fellowship with Jesus Christ because of this union and identification. They were able to experience this union and identification and thus fellowship with the Father and the Son because they were obedient to Paul’s Spirit inspired commands and prohibitions (cf. 1 Thess. 1:6-8; 3:6; 4:1, 10). Notice in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 that the Holy Spirit is not mentioned by name in this greeting as is the Father and the Son since He is the one who inspired Paul to write this epistle according to the will of the Father and this was made possible by Paul’s union with the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Fee writes “They are ‘in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’ Indeed, this is the only place in the entire corpus where believers are thought of as having their existence ‘in God.’120 This is most easily accounted for as Paul’s way of collapsing into one phrase what he elsewhere tends to keep apart. That is, the church’s present position is “in God” the Father, precisely because it is also ‘in the Lord Jesus Christ.’ Thus both the source (the work of Christ) and goal (God the Father) of their existence as God’s people are expressed together in this compact phrase.”121 Wanamaker writes “ ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ καὶ κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ (“in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”) specifies which assembly is being addressed, as in about twenty percent of the other occurrences of ἐκκλησία in Paul’s letters (cf. 1 Cor. 1:2; 15:1; Gal. 1:13). What is unusual, however, is the idea that the church is somehow ‘in God.’ Paul characteristically uses ‘in Christ ’ to indicate the

120 In Col 3:3, Paul does speak of believers as “having died,” and their present life as now “hidden with Christ in God”; but that is quite different from this usage, which hereafter is “in Christ (Jesus).” For this reason, Best (62) sees the present usage as primarily instrumental (“salvation lies in what God accomplished” through Christ); but that is especially unlikely here. See 2:14 below. 121 Fee, G. D. (2009). The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians (p. 15). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 222 incorporation of the Christian into Christ’s life in all its dimensions (cf. Rom. 6:11; see Best, One Body ; Bouttier, En Christ ; Moule, Origin of Christology, 47–96 on the use of “in Christ” in Paul’s letters), but he does not use ‘in God’ in a similar spatial sense, except, as here, with ἐκκλησία . For this reason Best ( Commentary, 62) suggests that “in God” should be understood instrumentally and that the whole phrase should be rendered ‘the Christian community brought into being by God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Bruce (7) on the other hand argues that if ‘in … the Lord Jesus Christ’ has its customary meaning here, then ‘in God the Father’ should be understood in the same fashion. No definitive solution to this question can be offered on grammatical grounds. It is certain, however, that whether the instrumental or the spatial sense of ἐν was intended, Paul sought to link the Christian community in Thessalonica to both God and Christ because it had its origin in divine activity, its existence was to be determined by God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, and its members were to live out their lives in the presence of the divine.”122 Gene Green writes “But insofar as this title church of the Thessalonians echoed common Greek usage, clarification was necessary to distinguish this assembly, and so the apostles added that this is the ekkl ēsia in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ . In his homily on the epistle, Chrysostom comments, ‘For there were many assemblies, both Jewish and Grecian; but he says, “to the (Church) that is in God.” It is a great dignity, and to which there is nothing equal, that it is “in God.”’ While some would understand in as instrumental (“God establishes the church”), others interpret the preposition as locative/spatial (“the church that is in the presence of God” or “that is in union with him”). Best argues that the spatial sense is never communicated by the expression ‘in God’ in the NT, but Bruce responds by observing that the phrase should be understood in line with Paul’s normal use of ‘in Christ’ and its variants (“in Christ Jesus,” “in the Lord,” “in him”). In this sense the meaning would be that the believers participate ‘in Christ’s risen life or their membership in his body.’123 The church of the Thessalonians finds its unique identity in its union or relationship with God the Father and the exalted Lord Jesus Christ . The social dimension ( church ; cf. 5:26–27) and the vertical (in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ) are thus inseparably joined. The importance of this dual relationship is highlighted by their alienation from their contemporaries in the city (2:14) and the abandonment of their ancestral and civic deities (1:9).”124 The Christian’s “position in Christ” refers to the fact that at the moment they believed in Christ, the omnipotence of the Spirit caused them to become identical and united with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session,

122 Wanamaker, C. A. (1990). The Epistles to the Thessalonians: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 70). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans. 123 Best, First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians , 62; Bruce, 1 and 2 Thessalonians , 7. “In Christ” expresses both the sphere of salvation (Rom. 3:24; 8:1; 1 Cor. 15:22; Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:14) and the unity of believers (Gal. 3:26–28; Rom. 12:5). 124 Green, G. L. (2002). The letters to the Thessalonians (p. 85). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 223 and which ministry of the Spirit is called in Scripture, the “baptism” of the Spirit. This means that when Christ was crucified, God crucified the Christian with Him and when Christ died and was buried, God considers them to have died and been buried with Christ. It also means that when Christ was raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father (the session of Christ), God raised and seated the Christian with Him. “Sanctification” is a technical theological term for the believer who has been set apart through the baptism of the Spirit at the moment of conversion in order to serve God exclusively and is accomplished in three stages: (1) Positional (2) Experiential (3) Perfective. All three stages of sanctification refer to the process of conforming the believer into the image of Jesus Christ, which is the Father’s plan from eternity past (Romans 8:28-30). Sanctification is all about the believer experiencing the holiness or perfect character of God in his life through his thoughts, words and actions. It demands holiness or perfect character from the believer. It demands that the believer live by the power of the Spirit and the Word through the process of fellowship. It demands that the believer lives in the new Christ nature that he received through regeneration. He cannot experience fellowship with God without experiencing the holiness of God. If God is holy and He is, then the believer must be holy as well. In fact, every believer is commanded in Scripture to be as holy as God (1 Peter 1:14- 16). Fellowship means being in the presence of God and being in the presence of God means that one is holy as God. God is holy and because He is holy the believer must be as holy as God in order to come into His presence. Therefore, fellowship with God demands that the believer approach God with reverence. This is accomplished by acknowledging any known sin to the Father in order to be restored to fellowship and maintaining that fellowship by obedience to the Spirit’s teaching which is found in the Word of God. It demands that the believer be honest with God since God is light and can reveal the hidden motives and thoughts of the believer as well as knowing all his actions (1 John 1:5-10). Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines “holiness” as “the quality or state of being holy; sanctity” and they define “sanctity” as, “sacred or hallowed character.” One of the definitions that Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary gives for the adjective “holy” is, “entitled to worship or profound religious reverence because of divine character or origin or connection with God or divinity.” One of the definitions for the noun “character” that Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary provides that applies to the context of our passage is the

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 224 following: “the aggregate of features and traits that form the apparent individual nature of some person or thing.” If we paraphrase these definitions, we would say that the God’s holiness refers to “the aggregate (i.e. sum total) of perfect features and traits that form the divine nature of God.” Thus, God’s holiness is related to all of His divine attributes or in other words, it is simply the harmony of all His perfections or attributes. The holiness of God is the aggregate of perfect divine attributes that form the nature of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Thus, God’s holiness is related to all of His divine attributes. Therefore, the term “holiness” refers to the absolute perfection of the character of God, expressing His purity of character or moral perfection and excellence, thus making God totally separate from sin and sinners. He is totally separate from sin and sinners unless a way can be found to constitute them holy and that way has been provided based upon the merits of the impeccable Person and Finished Work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. The presence of evil, sin and injustice are totally absent in the character of God, thus God does not tolerate evil or sin because it is contrary to His character, i.e. His inherent moral qualities, ethical standards and principles. Holiness is used often to describe the Person of God. Leviticus 22:2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate to Me, so as not to profane My holy name; I am the LORD.” (NASB95) 1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” (NASB95) 1 Chronicles 16:10 “Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.” (NASB95) Psalm 30:4 Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name. (NASB95) Psalm 97:12 Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones, and give thanks to His holy name. (NASB95) This absolute perfection of God’s character is celebrated throughout the Scriptures. Isaiah 6:3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” (NASB95) Revelation 4:8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.” (NASB95)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 225 The title “ His Holy Name ” refers to the perfect character of the Person of God. The Lord Jesus Christ revealed the holiness or character of God during His 1 st Advent. John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” (NASB95) Therefore, holiness pertains to the sum total of God’s invisible attributes, which compose the absolute perfection of His character. Holiness for the believer is Christ-likeness, which is the reproduction of Christ- like character in the believer, i.e. spiritual maturity. It is the reproduction of the character and life of Christ in the believer, which is accomplished by the Holy Spirit in the believer who obeys the Spirit’s voice, which is heard through the communication of the Word of God. Being holy is being like Christ who is holy. We are holy when we are thinking, speaking and acting like Christ and this all begins with adopting the mind of Christ in your thinking. The more the believer matures, the more he will experience the holiness of God in his life. The believer who obeys the voice of the Spirit, which is heard through the Word of God will reflect the holiness of God. The more the believer reflects the holiness of God by being obedient to the Spirit, the more he will reflect the holiness of God thereby glorify Him. The more he reflects the holiness of God, the more intimate the believer’s fellowship with God will be. The believer’s intimacy with God will grow in direct proportion to his reflecting the holiness of God. The believer who is obedient to the Spirit’s voice, which is heard through the communication of the Word of God enables the Spirit to reproduce the life and character of Christ in him and to empower and guide him in doing the will of the Father, which is to be conformed to the image of Christ. The will of the Father from eternity past is that the believer be conformed to the image of Christ (Rm. 8:28-29; 12:1-2; Phlp. 3:2-21; Eph. 4:12-24). Thus, the will of the Father from eternity past is that the believer be perfectly holy as the Lord Jesus Christ is. Therefore, the responsibility of us as members of the body of Christ is to manifest the Person of Christ. The Spirit enables us to, but this is hindered and brought to a complete stop when we sin and are out of fellowship. So the church’s function as the body of Christ is to manifest the Person of Christ or in other words, the Light of Christ and this is why Paul desired that Christ would be manifested in his physical body in Philippians 1:21. This is why Paul exhorts the Philippians in Philippians 2:14-16 to exhibit the Word of life. When we sin and get out of fellowship we are in effect hindering the Spirit’s work of manifesting the Light or the perfect character of Christ in our physical bodies!

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 226 Holiness for the believer is not morality although morality will be the result of experiencing the holiness of God in one’s life. Morality is not the basis for experiencing the holiness of God in one’s life but rather it is the result of fellowship with God that is the result of obeying the Spirit’s voice in the Word of God. During the dispensation of the church age when a sinner exercises faith alone in Christ alone, the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit places that person in an eternal union with Christ. The Spirit at conversion identifies the believer positionally with Christ in His crucifixion, death, resurrection and session. This results in making the believer a permanent member of the royal family of God, a new spiritual species and eternally secure (Mark 16:16; John 7:37-39; 14:20; Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 4:5; Col. 2:11-13; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is called the “baptism of the Spirit.” To be identified with Christ means that the Holy Spirit has made the justified sinner identical and united with the Lord Jesus Christ and also means that the Spirit ascribes to the believer the qualities and characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ. This does not mean that the believer becomes the second person of the Trinity, but rather it means that God views the believer has having been crucified, died and buried with Christ two thousand years ago as well as raised and seated with Him. The baptism of the Spirit results in positional sanctification and the potential to experience sanctification in time and the guarantee of the completion of sanctification at the resurrection of the church. This ministry of the Spirit never took place before the day of Pentecost in June of 32 A.D. and will not take place after the rapture of the church. The completion of the royal family of God at the rapture will mark the end of the baptism of the Spirit. The baptism of the Spirit distinguishes the church age from other dispensations. There was no church before the baptism of the Spirit. Understanding the nature of the baptism of the Spirit and its implications is so very important for the Christian to understand and apply to his own life. The Father’s viewpoint of the believer is directly related to the baptism of the Spirit. As we have noted the believer is identified with Christ in His crucifixion, His deaths, His burial, His resurrection and session. God views the believer as He views His Son in the sense that He looks at the believer as having been crucified with His Son, to have died and been buried with Him and raised and seated with Him at His right hand. This is all the result of the work of the Spirit. The believer’s responsibility is to appropriate by faith this fact! Doing so, results in the believer experiencing his sanctification and deliverance from the sin nature, Satan and his cosmic system. Ultimately, it leads to the glorification of the Father since if the believer appropriates by faith His position in Christ, he will manifest the character of Christ and to manifest the character of Christ is to glorify God. To glorify God

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 227 is to manifest His character. No wonder the devil has done enormous amount of work in this area to cloud and confuse Christendom’s knowledge of this truth. In Romans 6:3, 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Galatians 3:27, Paul is using the verb baptizo in a figurative or metaphorical sense to denote the Holy Spirit causing the believer to be “identified” with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13 By means of one Spirit, we are all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greek (Gentiles), slaves or free, and we are all made to drink into one Spirit. (NASB95) Galatians 3:27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with the nature of Christ. (Author’s translation) Romans 6:3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? (NASB95) “Have been baptized ” is the first person plural aorist passive indicative form of the verb baptizo , “to cause the believer to be identified with the Lord Jesus Christ.” At the moment of conversion, the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit causes the believer to become identical and united with the Lord Jesus Christ and also ascribes to the believer the qualities and characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ. The baptism of the Spirit results in positional sanctification and the potential to experience sanctification in time and the promise of perfective sanctification at the resurrection of the church. By positionally, I mean that God views the believer as crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ since at the moment of conversion, the Holy Spirit placed the believer in union with Christ, identifying him with Christ’s crucifixion (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20), His death (Romans 6:2, 7-8; Colossians 2:20; 3:3), His burial (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12), His resurrection (Romans 6:5; Ephesians 2:6; Philippians 3:10-11; Colossians 2:12; 3:1) and His session (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1). Therefore, in 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Galatians 3:27 and Romans 6:3, the verb baptizo does not refer to water baptism but rather it refers to the act performed by the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit on behalf of those sinners who exercise faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. This act places the believer in Jesus Christ in an eternal union with Jesus Christ and identifies them with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session. The omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit causes the believer to become identical and united with the Lord Jesus Christ and also ascribes to the believer the qualities and characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans 6:3, the aorist tense of the verb baptizo is a “constative” aorist describing in summary fashion the moment that Paul and his fellow Christians

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 228 were identified with Christ, which was when they were declared justified by the Father through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. The passive voice means that the subject receives the action of the verb from either an expressed or unexpressed agency. Therefore, the passive voice means that the sinner who trusts in Jesus Christ as their Savior as the subject received the action of being identified with Christ by the unexpressed agency of God the Holy Spirit. Although the Holy Spirit is not explicitly mentioned as the agency as identifying the believer with Christ, Matthew 3:11, John 7:37-39, Acts 2 and 10 and 1 Corinthians 12:13 make clear that He was the member of the Trinity that performed this act. As we noted, the church age believer’s “sanctification” is directly related to the baptism of the Spirit. “Sanctification” is a technical theological term for the believer who has been set apart through the baptism of the Spirit at the moment of conversion in order to serve God exclusively and is accomplished in three stages: (1) Positional (2) Experiential (3) Perfective. Sanctification deals with conforming the believer to the holiness of God and reproducing it in the believer. At the moment of the moment the believer was declared justified through faith in Jesus Christ, the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit caused the believer to become identical and united with the Lord Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, His spiritual and physical death, His burial, resurrection and session. It also ascribes to the believer the qualities and characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ. The baptism of the Spirit results in positional sanctification and the potential to experience sanctification in time and the guarantee of perfective sanctification at the resurrection of the church. By positional, I mean that God views the believer as crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ since at the moment of conversion, the Holy Spirit placed the believer in union with Christ, identifying him with Christ’s crucifixion (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20), His death (Romans 6:2, 7-8; Colossians 2:20; 3:3), His burial (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12), His resurrection (Romans 6:5; Ephesians 2:6; Philippians 3:10-11; Colossians 2:12; 3:1) and His session (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1). “Positional sanctification” is the believer’s “entrance” into the plan of God for the church age resulting in eternal security as well as two categories of positional truth (1 Corinthians 1:2, 30; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Ephesians 5:26-27; Hebrews 2:11; 10:10; Acts 20:32; 26:18; Romans 6:3, 8; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). “Retroactive” positional truth is the church age believer’s identification with Christ in His death and burial (Romans 6:3-11; Colossians 2:12). In other words, when Christ, died God considers the believer to have died with Him.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 229 Romans 6:4 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. (NASB95) 1 Corinthians 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption. (NASB95) Colossians 2:12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (NASB95) “Current” positional truth is the church age believer’s identification with Christ in His resurrection, ascension and session (See Ephesians 2:4-6; Colossians 3:1-4). In other words, when Christ was raised and seated at the right hand of the Father, the Father considers the believer to have been raised and seated with Christ as well. “Positional sanctification”: (1) What God has done for the church age believer. (2) His viewpoint of the church age believer. (3) Sets up the potential to experience sanctification in time. (4) Provides the believer with the guarantee of receiving a resurrection body. “Experiential sanctification” is the function of the church age believer’s spiritual life in time through obedience to the Father’s will, which is revealed by the Spirit through the communication of the Word of God (John 17:17; Romans 6:19, 22; 2 Timothy 2:21; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4, 7; 1 Timothy 2:15). The will of the Father is for the believer to obey the Spirit’s teaching in the Word of God that he has been crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ, which constitutes experiencing sanctification. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. (NASB95) “Experiential sanctification” is the post-conversion experience of the believer who is in fellowship with God by confessing any known sin to the Father when necessary followed by obedience to the Father’s will, which is revealed by the Spirit through the Word of God. Experiential sanctification is only a potential since it is contingent upon the church age believer responding to what God has done for him at the moment of conversion, therefore, only believers who are obedient to the Word of God will experience sanctification in time. The believer who experiences sanctification is walking in “ newness of life ” and he does this by obeying the teaching of the Word of God, which states that the believer has been crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ and which teaching is inspired by the Holy Spirit (See Romans 6).

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 230 The believer can experience this victory and deliverance by appropriating by faith the teaching of the Word of God that he has been crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ (Romans 6:11-23; 8:1-17; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:5-17). This is what Paul did. The believer’s faith in the teaching of the Word of God that he has been crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ will express itself in obedience, which results in the believer experiencing sanctification. The believer who appropriates by faith the teaching of the Word of God that he has been crucified, died and buried with Christ will experience deliverance from the lust patterns of the old sin nature. Galatians 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (NASB95) The believer is to consider the members of his body to be dead to these lust patterns of the old sin nature since they were crucified at the cross and he has died with Christ. Colossians 3:5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. (NASB95) The Lord Jesus Christ was crucified so that the believer might not live for the lusts of the old sin nature but for the will of God (See 1 Peter 4:1-3). Prior to conversion, the believer was enslaved to the lust patterns of the old Adamic sin nature since he was under real spiritual death meaning he had no capacity to experience fellowship with God (See Ephesians 2:1-3). At the moment of conversion, through the baptism of the Spirit, the omnipotence of the Spirit identified the believer with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session (See Romans 6:4-7; Ephesians 2:4-6). Also, at the moment of conversion, God gave the believer a new divine nature that gives him the capacity to experience deliverance from the lust patterns of the old Adamic sin nature (See 2 Peter 1:4). Galatians 3:27 For all of you who were identified with Christ have clothed yourselves with the nature of Christ. (Author’s translation) 1 Corinthians 15:45 So also it is written, “‘The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (NASB95) 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new spiritual species; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (NASB95) 2 Peter 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. (NASB95)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 231 1 John 3:9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (NASB95) The new Christ nature that indwells every believer is the holiness of God and is perfectly holy just as Christ is and thus cannot sin. Believers sin because they choose to obey the temptations of the old sin nature and the lies of Satan’s cosmic system. The new Christ nature provides the believer the capacity to experience the holiness of God in his life and Christ-likeness is the production or the result of having a lifestyle of living in the new Christ nature. The new Christ nature functions when the believer is obedient to the voice of the Spirit, which is heard through the communication of the Word of God and constitutes putting on the new man or the new self or new nature. Ephesians 4:24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. (NASB95) Fruit bearing, i.e. Christ-like character is the result of experiencing the holiness of God, which is synonymous with “experiential sanctification” since the believer cannot experience fellowship with a holy God unless he himself is holy. Sanctification is experiencing the holiness of God or in other words manifesting the character of God through one’s thoughts, words and actions. Since the believer has been crucified with Christ and has died with Him, he is commanded to consider himself dead to the sin nature. Romans 6:11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (NASB95) Therefore, since the believer has been crucified, died and buried with Christ and has been raised and seated with Him and has been given a new divine nature, he is commanded to abstain from the various lust patterns of the old sin nature, which wage war against the believer’s soul and is to flee them. 1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. (NASB95) 2 Timothy 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. (NASB95) The believer is prohibited from obeying the lust patterns of the old Adamic sin nature and is commanded to put on the nature of Christ, which is accomplished by obeying the Word of Christ and this constitutes walking by means of the Spirit (See Romans 6:12-13; 13:14; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 4:17-24). The believer sins because he chooses to disobey the teaching of the Word of God that his sin nature was crucified with Christ at the Cross and thus allows the sin nature to control and influence his soul so that he produces mental, verbal and overt acts of sin (See James 1:13-15).

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 232 The believer’s sin nature will not be totally eradicated until he physically dies or when the rapture of the church takes place when the believer will receive a resurrection body to replace the body he now has, which contains the old sin nature (See 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Philippians 3:20-21). In the meantime, the believer has a battle raging within him since he has two natures, which are diametrically opposed to one another and he must choose between the two since the old sin nature wars against the Spirit. Galatians 5:17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. (NASB95) Having died with Christ and being raised with Christ and possessing the new Christ-nature sets the Christian free from the old Adamic nature. We utilize the new Christ-nature by obeying the Word of God, which constitutes experiencing fellowship with God (1 John 2:3-5) and walking by means of the Spirit since the Spirit speaks to the believer through the Word of God. Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. (NASB95) The believer loses fellowship through obeying the sin nature and committing personal sins. However, he is restored through the confession of sin (1 John 1:9). 1 John 1:9 If any of us does at any time confess our sins, then, He (God the Father) is faithful and just with the result that He forgives us our sins and purifies us from each and every wrongdoing. (Author’s translation) This fellowship is maintained by bringing one’s thoughts into obedience to the teaching of Jesus Christ, which constitutes obeying the commands of Ephesians 5:18 to be influenced by means of the Spirit and Colossians 3:16 to let the Word of Christ richly dwell in your soul since both produce the same results. Ephesians 5:18 And do not permit yourselves to get into the habit of being drunk with wine because that is non-sensical behavior, but rather permit yourselves on a habitual basis to be influenced by means of the Spirit. (Author’s translation) Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (NASB95) Therefore, obedience to the Word of God will enable the believer to experience fellowship with God, which is synonymous with experiencing sanctification. 1 John 2:5 But, whoever, at any time does observe conscientiously His Word, indeed, in this one, the love for the one and only God is accomplished. By means of this we can confirm that we are at this particular moment in fellowship with Him. (Author’s translation) This obedience constitutes loving the Lord.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 233 John 14:15 If you love Me, you will observe conscientiously My commandments. (Author’s translation) So this battle rages between the flesh, the sin nature and the Spirit. The believer’s soul is a battleground. The battle in the soul is related to whether they will live for self in the old sin nature or live for God in the new nature. Paul relates this battle in his own life as a believer in Romans 7:14-25. “Experiential” sanctification is experiencing the holiness or in other words manifesting the character of God through one’s thoughts, words and actions (1 Peter 1:14-16). “Perfective sanctification” is the perfection of the church age believer’s spiritual life at the rapture, i.e. resurrection of the church, which is the completion of the plan of God for the church age believer (1 Corinthians 15:53-54; Galatians 6:8; 1 Peter 5:10; John 6:40). It is the guarantee of a resurrection body and will be experienced by every believer regardless of their response in time to what God has done for them at salvation. All three stages of sanctification refer to the process of conforming the believer into the image of Jesus Christ, which is the Father’s plan from eternity past (Romans 8:28-30). The Christian’s “position in Christ” also refers to the fact that through the Spirit’s ministry of “regeneration,” the qualities and characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ were ascribed to them by giving them the nature of Christ (Galatians 3:27). The church age believer’s spiritual wealth and prosperity resides in His union and identification with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection and session (Ephesians 3:8). Infinite spiritual wealth resides in the believer’s union and identification with Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14). In Ephesians 1:18-23, Paul prayed that the Ephesian believers would receive enlightenment and insight into the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in the saints, which is the result of their union and identification with Christ in His death, resurrection and session. In Ephesians 2:1- 10, the apostle taught the Ephesian believers that the surpassing riches of God’s grace are manifested to the believer through his union and identification with Christ in His death, resurrection and session. In Colossians 1:24-28, he taught the Colossian believers that the indwelling Christ is a mystery doctrine for the church age and is the riches of God’s glory. The prepositional phrase en the ō patri kai kyri ō I ēsou Christ ō (ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ καὶ κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ), “ in union and fellowship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ .” in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 not only speaks of the Thessalonians’ sanctification but also their justification as well since the believer was placed in union with Christ, the moment he was declared justified by the Father as a result of exercising faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 234 “Justification” is a judicial act of God whereby He declares a person to be righteous as a result of crediting or imputing to that person His righteousness the moment they exercised faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Consequently, God accepts that person and enters that person into a relationship with Himself since they now possess His righteousness. The mechanics of justification are as follows: (1) God condemns the sinner, which qualifies them to receive His grace. (2) The sinner believes in Jesus Christ as His Savior. (3) God imputes or credits Christ’s righteousness to the believer. (4) God declares that person as righteous as a result of acknowledging His Son’s righteousness in that person. Justification is God declaring a person to be righteous as a result of acknowledging or recognizing His righteousness in that person, and which righteousness He imputed to that person as a result of their faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. It is a once and for all declaration, which never changes or can be rescinded since God is a perfect Judge who because He is immutable, always makes perfect decisions. Justification causes no one to be righteous but rather is the recognition and declaration by God that one is righteous as He is. To be justified by God through faith alone in Christ alone means that God can never condemn us for our sins. It means that a believer can never lose his salvation because of any sin since God, who is a perfect judge, rendered a perfect decision when he declared righteous the person, who exercised faith in His Son Jesus Christ! Thus, Paul declares: Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now, as an eternal spiritual truth, never any condemnation, none whatsoever for the benefit of those in union with Christ who is Jesus. (Author’s translation) There is absolutely never any condemnation whatsoever for the Christian because of a legal decision rendered by the Father the moment they exercised faith in His Son Jesus Christ as their Savior. The Father is a perfect judge and once He renders a decision, it can never be rescinded. It is a once and for all, final decision. He never makes a mistake. He saves the Christian based upon the merits of His Son and His Son’s deaths (spiritual and physical) on the Cross. The Christian has no merit with God. The object of his faith, Jesus Christ has all the merit with God the Father. Therefore, the Christian salvation and the fact that he avoids eternal condemnation is based upon the merits of the Person of Christ and what He did at the Cross for sinners.

Grace

In 1 Thessalonians 1:1, charis , “ grace ” refers to the means by which grace might be received, namely through the mind and thinking of Christ, the Word of

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 235 God, which is inspired by the Spirit of God. The Spirit, through the communication of the Word of God to the believer reveals God the Father’s grace policy to the believer. This word in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 refers to the Holy Spirit speaking through the communication of the Word of God to the believer’s human spirit or new Christ nature regarding the will of the Father. By responding in faith to the Spirit’s appeal here in 1 Thessalonians 1:1, the recipients of First Thessalonians, would be obedient to the commands in Ephesians 5:18 and Colossians 3:16, which when obeyed produce the same results. In 1 Thessalonians 1:1, we have a figure of speech with this word charis , “grace ” which is called metonymy meaning the effect is put for the cause or in other words, the thing effected for the instrument which effects it. Here grace is put for the Word of God which effects grace. Therefore, the Spirit of God speaking through the communication of the Word of God to the believer’s human spirit regarding the will of the Father is the means by which grace is received by the believer. The greeting is more than just that, but rather it is in fact, a Spirit inspired desire that the recipients of this letter, namely the Thessalonian Christian community would respond to his apostolic teaching in this epistle regarding the will of the Father for them. The apostle Paul under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit is appealing to the church to respond to his doctrinal teaching in this epistle, which originates from the Lord Jesus Christ. He is not speaking of grace at conversion but the grace or God’s provision for after conversion. The grace of God is God’s provision of eternal salvation relationship and a post-conversion fellowship with Him. Paul states that the Thessalonian Christian community would experience the peace of God in and among themselves as a result of appropriating the grace of God as it’s communicated by the Spirit through the teaching of the Word of God. Grace is all that God is free to do in imparting unmerited blessings to those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior based upon the merits of Christ and His death on the Cross. It is God treating us in a manner that we don’t deserve and excludes any human works in order to acquire eternal salvation or blessing from God. Grace means that God saved us and blessed us despite ourselves and not according to anything that we do but rather saved us and blessed us because of the merits of Christ and His work on the Cross. It excludes any human merit in salvation and blessing (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) and gives the Creator all the credit and the creature none. By means of faith, we accept the grace of God, which is a non-meritorious system of perception, which is in total accord with the grace of God. Grace and faith are totally compatible with each other and inseparable (1 Tim. 1:14) and

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 236 complement one another (Rom. 4:16; Eph. 2:8). Grace, faith and salvation are all the gift of God and totally exclude all human works and ability (Eph. 2:8-9). Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds, which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. (NASB95) The unique Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross- is the source of grace (2 Cor. 8:9) and He is a gift from the Father (2 Cor. 9:15). 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. (NASB95) 2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (NASB95) Jesus Christ was full of “ grace and truth ” (John 1:17) and the believer receives the grace of God through Him (John 1:16). John 1:16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. (NASB95) It is by the grace of God that Jesus Christ died a substitutionary spiritual death for all mankind (Heb. 2:9). Therefore, the throne in which Christ sits is a “ throne of grace ” (Heb. 4:16). Hebrews 2:10 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. (NASB95) The grace of God has been extended to every member of the human race because of the act of love and justice on the Cross. At the Cross, the Father imputed the sins of every person in history-past, present and future to the impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union on the Cross and judged Him as a substitute for the entire human race (Titus 2:11). Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. (NASB95) The message of God’s saving act in Christ is described as the “ gospel of the grace of God ” (Acts 20:24), and the “ word of His grace ” (Acts 20:32; cf. 14:3). By His grace, God justifies the undeserving and unworthy through faith in His Son Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24). Grace is an absolute and is no longer grace if we are saved on the basis of human works (Rom. 11:6). Ephesians 1:3-14 teaches that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are the recipients of three categories of grace: (1) “Antecedent” grace: The Father’s work in eternity past. (2) “Living” grace: Our spiritual life and its accompanying invisible assets. (3) “Eschatological” grace: Resurrection bodies and our eternal inheritance.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 237 Therefore, since God has dealt graciously with the believer, the believer is in turn commanded to be gracious with all members of the human race, both believers and unbelievers (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13; 4:6; 1 Thess. 3:12). A Christian is someone who is a “ partaker ” of the grace of God (Phil. 1:7) and he is to live by the same principle of grace after salvation (Col. 2:6; Rom. 6:4). Grace is the Christian’s sphere of existence (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; Col. 1:2). The believer who rejects this principle is said to have “ fallen from grace ,” (Gal. 5:1- 5). God in His grace and love disciplines the believer in order to get the believer back in fellowship with Himself (Heb. 12:5-12). He also trains the believer through undeserved suffering in order to achieve spiritual growth (2 Cor. 12:7-11). The believer is commanded to “ grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ ” (2 Pet. 3:18). The believer experiences the grace of God while in fellowship with God, which is accomplished by obedience to the Word of God. God in His grace has given the believer the ability to learn and apply bible doctrine through the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in order to achieve spiritual maturity (Jn. 16:13-15; 1 Cor. 2:9-16). God in His grace has provided the church with the spiritual gift of pastor- teacher to communicate the mystery doctrine for the church age, which produces spiritual growth (Eph. 3:1-5; 4:8-12, 16). The Christian life from beginning to end is built upon God's policy of grace (2 Cor. 6:1-9; Rom. 5:2; John 1:16). The grace of God has been manifested and revealed to the entire human race in time through the following: (1) Unique Theanthropic Person of Jesus Christ (2) Salvation work of Christ on the Cross (3) Word of God (4) Holy Spirit’s various salvation and post-conversion ministries. God the Father according to His grace policy has provided the unbeliever the spiritual gift of evangelism and the royal ambassadorship of believers as the vehicles that God the Holy Spirit employs to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ for their salvation (Jn. 16:7-11; Eph. 4:11; 2 Cor. 5:17-21). God the Father according to His grace policy has provided the believer with the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher as the vehicle, which the Holy Spirit employs to communicate the Word of God, which produces spiritual growth (Eph. 3:1-5; 4:8- 12, 16). God the Father according to His grace policy has provided the human race the Word of God and the Spirit of God, which reveal His plan from eternity past (Word: 2 Pet. 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 3:15-16; Spirit: Jn. 16:13-15; 1 Cor. 2:9-16). In relation to the unbeliever, God the Father’s gracious provision of salvation based upon faith in the merits of the Person and Work of Christ on the Cross-is revealed by the Holy Spirit through the communication of the Gospel. In relation

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 238 to the believer, the Holy Spirit through the communication of the Word of God reveals all the benefits of God the Father’s gracious provision for their salvation. The Spirit of God through the communication of the Word of God reveals all that the Father has graciously done and provided for the believer to do His will. Therefore, we learn about the grace of God by listening to the Spirit’s voice, which is heard through the communication of the Word of God (Colossians 1:3-6). The Word of God informs the believer of all that God the Father has provided for the believer through Person, Work and Life of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit reveals the will of the Father through the communication of the Word of God (Acts 21:11; 28:25; 1 Cor. 12:3; 1 Tim. 4:1; Heb. 3:7; Rev. 2:7, 11, 17; 3:6, 13, 22). The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is not only His impeccable unique Person and Work on the Cross but also it is the gift of His Words, His thoughts as communicated to the believer by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we possess the mind of Christ. (NASB95) The Spirit does not operate independently from the Word of God when He is actively working on behalf of the believer (John 16:13-15). God the Holy Spirit in common grace makes the Gospel message understandable to the unbeliever (John 16:7-11; 1 Cor. 2:10-15). God in His grace has to seek after spiritually dead human beings who have no ability to seek Him (Rom. 3:11; 5:6-11; Eph. 2:1-5). In the Greek New Testament, the term charis is used in the expression “grace and peace” that appears in the introduction to his epistles. Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, slaves owned by Christ Jesus, to all the saints in union with Christ who are presently located in Philippi including the overseers and deacons. 2 Grace to all of you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Author’s translation) Romans 1:7 To those who are presently located in Rome, loved by God, set apart ones, elected to privilege: Grace to all of you and peace that originates from God our Father and the Lord Jesus who is the Christ. (Author’s translation) In Philippians 1:2 and Romans 1:7, charis , “ grace ” refers to the revelation of the blessings and benefits given to the believer at the moment of justification, and which blessings and benefits are imparted by the Holy Spirit through the communication of the Word of God, which is the mind of Christ. These blessings and benefits would include the revelation of the following: (1) character of God and the Lord Jesus Christ; (2) blessings effected by the work of the Trinity; (3) will of the Father; (4) provisions to perform the Father’s will, (5) rewards for executing the Father’s will.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 239 The impartation of these blessings to the believer pivots off his obedience to the will of the Father. Both the believer and the unbeliever “learn” of the grace of God (i.e. His unmerited favor) by “listening” to the voice of the Spirit, which is heard through the communication of the Word of God. The unbeliever receives the grace of God at the moment of justification by obeying the voice of the Spirit, which is heard by the unbeliever through the communication of the Gospel for salvation by an evangelist or a believer operating under his royal ambassadorship. The believer receives the grace of God by obeying the voice of the Spirit who speaks to the believer regarding the will of the Father through the communication of the Word of God by the believer’s divinely ordained pastor-teacher, or fellow- believer. The Holy Spirit reveals the Word of God to the believer making it understandable to the believer since the Word of God is spiritual phenomena (Jn. 16:13-15; 1 Cor. 2:10-16). The human race would have no knowledge of who and what God is, what He has graciously done for the human race through the death, resurrection, ascension and session of Jesus Christ if it were not for the Spirit of God. He inspired the Scriptures, which reveals these things and who speaks to humanity through the communication of the Word of God. Nor would the human race know the extent to which and manner in which God has loved the entire human race if it were not for the Spirit of God inspiring the Scripture which reveals these things and who speaks to humanity through the communication of the Word of God. Believers would not know the deliverance that they can experience in time from Satan, his cosmic system and the old sin nature if it were not for the Spirit revealing through the communication of the Word of God the will of the Father and what the Father did on their behalf through Christ’s death and resurrection, ascension and session. They would know nothing of the fantastic future that the believer has if it were not for the Spirit revealing it to the believer through the communication of the Word of God (1 Cor. 2). The believer could not experience fellowship with God if it were not for the Spirit and the Word. The believer is able to experience a relationship with His Master, the Lord Jesus Christ by obeying the Spirit’s voice, which is heard through the communication of the Word of God. The believer experiences the blessings of having the character of Christ reproduced in their lives by obeying the Spirit’s revelation of the Father’s will, which is accomplished through the communication of the Word of God. Obedience to the Father’s will as it is revealed by the Holy Spirit through the communication of the Word of God in turn enables the Holy Spirit to reproduce the life and character of Christ in the believer, which is the Father’s will for the believer from eternity past.

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 240 God the Father is the author of the salvation plan of God for sinful mankind that is based upon His grace policy and is executed by God the Son and revealed by the Holy Spirit. The attributes of each member of the Trinity are involved in grace in that the grace of God is expressed through the harmonious function of all God’s divine attributes in relation to both men and angels. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are co-equal, co-infinite and co-eternal and all with the same divine essence. God is not only a unity of three Persons, all with same divine essence but also the essence of God is a unity of invisible attributes, never working independently of each other. If they did work independently of each other, this would corrupt the integrity of the divine essence. Each of the divine attributes has a role to play in man’s salvation. Grace involves the attributes of each member of the Trinity providing in imparting unmerited blessings to the believer at the moment of justification without compromising the divine integrity. They are also involved in providing the unbeliever the opportunity to receive these unmerited blessings by exposing them to the Gospel of grace. Grace is God giving of Himself (His holiness) in order to benefit all mankind. Grace is the sum total of unmerited benefits, both temporal and spiritual, imparted to the sinner through the harmonious function of the sum total of divine attributes of each member of the Trinity as a result of the sinner making the non-meritorious decision to trust in the Person and Work of Christ on the Cross. This is why John writes the following: John 1:16, For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. (NASB95)

Peace

“Peace ” (eir ēnē) in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 refers to the peace of God that is produced by the Spirit in and among believers. The Spirit does this when believers obey the commands and prohibitions that He guides Paul in issuing them in this epistle. God as to His divine nature and essence is peace (Rm. 15:33; 16:20; 1 Th. 5:23) since. He brought about through His Son’s death a reconciliation between Himself and the other two members of the Trinity and sinful humanity. The sinner appropriates this peace treaty through faith alone in Christ alone (Acts 10:36; Rm. 5:1; Eph. 2:14, 15, 17). This reconciliation is presented in the gospel message that God has made a peace treaty with the entire human race and the terms of that peace treaty is accepting the Gospel message through faith alone in Christ alone. The noun is used to describe the content of the Gospel message in Ephesians 6:15,

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 241 which when accepted by means of faith alone in Christ alone results in peace with God. In relation to the unbeliever, the gospel is God’s victorious proclamation of God’s love in delivering the entire human race from sin, Satan, his cosmic system and eternal condemnation and has reconciled them to Himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). This reconciliation with God and deliverance and victory over sin, Satan, his cosmic system and eternal condemnation that God accomplished through His Son’s crucifixion, burial, death, resurrection and session is received as a gift and appropriated through faith in Christ (John 3:16-18; Acts 16:31; Romans 5:1-2). The peace treaty is the direct result of the spiritual death of Christ on the Cross since it propitiated the holiness of God that expresses itself in righteous indignation against sin and sinners. Therefore, it broke down the barrier, which separated man from God and is composed of the following: (1) Mankind commits acts of sin (Isa. 64:6b; Rom. 3:23). (2) The penalty of sin is spiritual death (Rom. 5:12; 6:23a). (3) All are born spiritually dead at physical birth (Gen. 2:17; Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:1). (4) Man’s relative righteousness cannot compare to God’s perfect righteousness (Isa. 64:6a; Rom. 9:30-33). (5) The character of God demands that our personal sins be judged (Isa. 46:9b; 64:6b; Rom. 8:8). (6) Man’s position in Adam as a result of the imputation of his sin (1 Cor. 15:22a). The Removal of the Barrier: (1) Redemption resolves man’s problem with sin (1 Pet. 1:18-19; Eph. 1:7; Titus 2:14; 1 Tim. 2:6a). (2) The Unlimited Atonement also resolves man’s sin problem (1 John 2:2). (3) Expiation resolves man’s problem with the penalty of sin, which is spiritual death (Col. 2:14). (4) Regeneration resolves man’s problem with being born spiritually dead (John 3:1- 18). (5) Imputation resulting in justification resolves the problem of man’s relative righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 4:1-5; Gal. 2:16). (6) Propitiation resolves man’s problem with the perfect character of God (Rom. 3:22-26; 1 John 2:2). (7) Our position in Christ resolves man’s position in Adam (1 Cor. 5:22b; 2 Cor. 5:17). The Author and thus Initiator of the peace treaty is God the Father (2 Cor. 5:18a; Eph. 1:3-7; 2:14-16). Man was totally helpless to make peace with God (Rom. 3:10, 23; 8:5-8; Eph. 2:1) since he was the enemy of God because of his sin and rebellion but God reconciled man to Himself through the death of His Son (Rom. 5:6-10; Eph. 2:1-5). The Lord Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the Peace Treaty (1 Timothy 2:5). The Lord is the peacemaker (Eph. 2:14) since this peace treaty took place was accomplished through Him (2 Cor. 5:19a; Eph. 2:14-16; Col. 1:22; 1 Pet. 2:24).

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 242 God offers the entire world a full pardon of their sin through faith in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:19b; Acts 13:38; Eph. 1:7; 4:32b; Col. 1:14; 2:13; 1 John 2:12). Therefore, the terms of the Peace Treaty are to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31; John 3:16, 36). At the moment of conversion, the church age believer was given a royal ambassadorship in which he is to represent the absent Christ who sits as the right hand of the Father and presents the gospel message of peace with God to the unsaved through faith alone in Christ alone (2 Cor. 5:17-21). The spiritual and physical deaths of Christ not only reconciled God to man but also it reconciled the Jew with the Gentile, establishing peace with the two groups. In Ephesians Paul emphasized that salvation was made available to the Gentiles. In Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul teaches that God the Holy Spirit is building a spiritual temple, which is the church and it is composed of both Jew and Gentile races. The church in Ephesus was composed primarily of Gentiles racially rather than those of Jewish descent. Ephesians 2:11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands. (NASB95) The term “circumcision” refers to people who are Jewish racially whereas the term “uncircumcision” refers to those people who are not Jewish in racial descent, which is synonymous with the term “Gentiles.” The term “uncircumcision” was actually a derogatory term used by the Jews among themselves when referring to the Gentiles. Circumcision is the act of cutting of the foreskin of the male’s penis and was given as a sign to Abraham that he was set apart by God and was not given to justify him. Abraham was first justified by his faith and then he was given circumcision as a badge or a mark that he was saved and set apart by God. Your faith in Christ is what is important to God and not whether you are circumcised or not (Romans 3:28-30; Galatians 6:15). Circumcision of the flesh is useless unless there is a circumcision of the heart. Philippians 3:2 Beware of those dogs, beware of those evil workers, beware of the mutilation. (Author’s translation) “The mutilation ” was a term used by Paul to mock the Judaizers who taught one must be circumcised in their flesh in order to be saved. The first church council that is recorded in Acts 15 determined that faith alone in Christ alone and not circumcision was the way a person got saved. Philippians 3:3 because we are the circumcision those who are serving (God the Father) by means of the Spirit of God, who are priding themselves in the nature of Christ Jesus, who have no confidence in the flesh. (Author’s translation)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 243 God is concerned about the condition of the heart and not the male phallus. 1 Corinthians 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God. (NASB95) Ephesians 2:12 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. (NASB95) In Ephesians 2:11, Paul gives five-fold description of the Gentiles: (1) “Separate from Christ”: The Gentiles were not saved and under condemnation since salvation is received through faith alone in Christ alone. (2) “Excluded from the commonwealth of Israel”: The Gentiles were not citizens of the nation of Israel, which God had specifically separated from the heathen to represent Him in the world. (3) “Strangers to the covenants of promise”: The Gentiles were “not” the beneficiaries of the four unconditional covenants to Israel: (1) New (2) Palestinian (3) Davidic (4) Abrahamic. (4) “Having no hope”: The Gentiles were under the deception and tyranny of Satan, in fear of death and having no understanding of the true meaning and purpose of human life, which is to love and serve and worship the Lord Jesus Christ. (5) “Without God in the world”: The Gentiles did not know or have a relationship or fellowship with the true and living God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you (Gentiles) who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall. (NASB95) Ephesians 2:14 teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ’s substitutionary spiritual death on the cross demolished the barrier that separated Jew and Gentile races from being united. Our Lord’s death united both Jew and Gentile races and made both groups into one new entity and organic unit. “The barrier ” is a reference to the Jewish Temple, which was divided into various courts: (1) Holy of Holies (2) Holy Place (3) Priests (4) Israel (5) Women (6) Gentiles. A wall, about 3 or 4 feet high, ran through the temple area separating the Court of the Gentiles from the inner court into which Jews only were permitted. This wall contained an inscription, which read: “No foreigner may enter within the barricade which surrounds the sanctuary and enclosure. Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.” The inner court is where the worship of God took place and the Gentiles were not allowed but Christ’s work has enabled the Gentiles to worship God. Ephesians 2:15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace. (NASB95)

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 244 The term “ His flesh ” refers to the perfect “human nature” of our Lord. “The enmity” is a reference to the Mosaic Law. The cause of the enmity was the Mosaic Law, because the Law made a definite distinction between Jews racially and Gentiles. The Mosaic Law was perfectly fulfilled by the impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union during His First Advent (Rm. 10:4). The Law was designed to show man his total helpless and hopeless condition before a righteous and just God and to lead him to the Savior (Galatians 3:24-25). Ephesians 2:16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. (NASB95) Ephesians 2:16 teaches that one of the purposes of Christ’s death was to not only fulfill the righteous demands of the Mosaic Law but also make effect a reconciliation between the Jewish and Gentiles races into one body. Both Jews and Gentiles were reconciled into the body of Christ through the baptism of the Spirit, which takes place exclusively during the dispensation of the church age. It is accomplished at the moment of justification when the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit places the believer in an eternal union with Christ, thus identifying the believer positionally with Christ in His death, resurrection and session (1 Corinthians 12:13). Ephesians 2:17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR. (NASB95) Where Ephesians 2:14 teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ is our peace, Ephesians 2:17 teaches that He proclaimed God’s peace treaty to those were “far away ,” which refers to the Gentiles and to those “near,” which refers to the Jews. The Gospel means, “good news” and is God’s victorious proclamation of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, which delivers the believer from the power of the old sin nature and Satan and eternal condemnation. Ephesians 2:18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household. (NASB95) Paul is teaching the Ephesians that their citizenship is in heaven and they are now members of God’s household. Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship exists from eternity past in the realm of the heavens, out from which also we ourselves at the present time are eagerly anticipating as Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Author’s translation) Ephesians 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone. (NASB95) The phrase “ the foundation of the apostles and prophets ” refers to the “teaching” of the mystery doctrine for the church by the apostles and the “New” Testament prophets who proclaimed the mystery doctrine for the church age until

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 245 the New Testament canon was closed in 96 A.D. The Person of Jesus Christ and His teaching is the Chief Cornerstone of the church (Psalm 118:22). Ephesians 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord. (NASB95) Both Jewish and Gentile believers are said to be growing into a holy temple in the Lord, which is accomplished by growing up spiritually and becoming like Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16). Ephesians 2:22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (NASB95) God does not dwell now in a temple built with human hands but now dwells in His new temple, which is constructed not from inanimate materials but of living believers. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit now permanently indwell every church age believer, both Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 4:4-6; Colossians 1:25-27; Romans 8:11). True peace is having a relationship with God, which can only be acquired by an unregenerate human being through faith alone in Christ alone. After conversion, eir ēnē for the believer is the tranquil or serene state or condition of the soul of the believer who obeys the Father’s will, which is revealed by the Spirit through the communication of the Word of God (1 Corinthians 14:33). The peace of God is accomplished in the believer in three stages: (1) Positionally: The believer has peace with God because of his eternal union and identification with Jesus Christ, which received through faith alone in Christ alone. (2) Experientially: The believer can experience the peace of God by being obedient to the Word of God. (3) Perfective: The believer is guaranteed that he will experience permanently the peace of God in a resurrection body. By “positionally” I mean that God views the believer as being at peace with Him as a result of faith in Christ and his eternal union with His Son, which sets up the “potential” to experience this peace in time. It also sets up the “guarantee” or experiencing permanently this peace when the believer receives his resurrection body. After conversion, experiencing the peace of God is only a “potential” since it demands obedience to God whereas the believer is “guaranteed” that he will experience the peace of God permanently in a resurrection body. The believer is eternally united with the Lord Jesus Christ at the moment of justification through the Baptism of the Spirit (Romans 5:1-2; Galatians 3:26-28) and has peace positionally at the moment of justification. This eternal union with Jesus Christ serves as the basis for the believer having the privilege and opportunity to have fellowship with God. After being delivered from sin, Satan, his cosmic system and eternal condemnation, in respect to his self, the believer can experience the peace of God in time by having fellowship with God, which is

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 246 accomplished by obedience to God’s Word (Colossians 3:15; 1 John 2:3-5). Obedience to God not only constitutes experiencing the peace of God in time and fellowship with God but also it constitutes loving God (John 14:23-24). Obedience to God also constitutes walking by means of faith (Hebrews 11:8). Obedience to God’s Word also constitutes experiencing sanctification (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Obedience to God’s Word is equivalent to obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit since He reveals the Father’s character, will, provisions for doing His will and the consequences for doing His will and not doing His will. The voice of the Holy Spirit is heard through the communication of the Word of God by the believer’s divinely ordained pastor-teacher (Romans 8:1-8). When the believer is obeying the Spirit’s voice, which is heard through the communication of the Word of God, he enables the Holy Spirit to reproduce the peace of God in him. Therefore, reproducing the peace of God in the believer is one of the objectives of God the Holy Spirit in the process of experiential sanctification and is thus produced by Him (Galatians 5:22-23). The peace of God is also produced in the believer by the Holy Spirit when the believer goes to the Father in prayer in order to worship and adore Him and to present his needs and concerns in life (Philippians 4:6-7). Experiencing the peace of God in time is also accomplished by trusting in the promise that God is for you and not against you (Romans 8:31-39). This promise is based upon the fact Christ has died as the believer’s substitute in order that the believer might have fellowship with God. Therefore, the cosmic system of Satan can not give this peace with God since it can only be acquired as a permanent possession through faith alone in Christ alone. Since the believer has peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ and his eternal union and identification with Christ, he has a peace that is unique to God and something the unbeliever does not possess. John 14:27 Peace ( eirene ) I leave with you; My peace (soul prosperity in the humanity of Christ) I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your right heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (NASB95) John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace ( eirene ). In the world (cosmic system) you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (cosmic system). (NASB95) The peace of God is synonymous with the Sabbath Rest in Hebrews 4:1-16, which the believer is urged to be diligent in applying the promises of God so that they might have peace in their souls. The believer who is diligent to enter God’s reset expresses faith in God by being obedient to God’s Word whereas the disobedient believer will not experience this rest since he is operating in unbelief. Therefore, it is possible to not experience

2018 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 247 the peace of God in time like the Exodus generation through disobedience, which constitutes unbelief in God’s promises. As we noted every believer has peace with God positionally because of their eternal union and identification with Jesus Christ but in order for the believer to experience that peace he must obey God’s Word, which constitutes loving God (Deut. 6:5; Mk. 12:28-30; Rm. 8:28). Therefore, believers are commanded in the Scriptures to pursue this peace or soul prosperity that originates from God (1 Pet. 3:11). 2 Timothy 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace ( eirene ), with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. (NASB95) 2 Peter 3:14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless. (NASB95) The peace of God is also experienced by the believer in time by being content with what he has in life. It is also experienced by living life in view of eternity and equating time with eternity, which constitutes true contentment and happiness in life (Phil. 1:21; 4:10-13). Also, the believer is not only commanded to experience the peace of God with respect to his own walk with the Lord but also he is commanded to experience peace with other believers, which constitutes unity in the body of Christ experientially (Romans 12:18; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Hebrews 12:14). The believer pursues this peace by being obedient to the Lord’s command to love one another as He has loved you and treating one’s fellow human being as God in Christ has treated you, which produces unity experientially among believers (John 13:34). The peace of God is accomplished experientially among believers by exercising patience and tolerance and forgiveness with each other just as God through Christ Jesus exercised these virtues towards all men (Eph. 4:3, 31- 32; 5:1-2). When the believer exercises patience, tolerance and forgiveness of his fellow believer because God has exercised these virtues with him, this not only produces peace among believers but also constitutes obeying the Lord’s command to love one another as He has loved all believers. The peace of God is experienced among believers when they reflect God’s love in not judging each other regarding non-essentials such food, drink and certain days (Romans 14).

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