Hebrews 2:9

From the Eisegetical Violence Shelter

An Exegetical Defense of

Hebrews 2:9

One of the most popularly abused texts by the Anti-Calvinists is Hebrews 2:9. Let's begin by reviewing the text in question:

Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Hebrews 2:9 is frequently appealled to by anti-Calvinists as suggesting that Christ died for each and every person. That is not what the verse says, and that is not what the verse means. However, given the KJV's translation of the verse, and given a rabid Anti-Calvinist mentality, it is easy to see why it is pressed into service. To combat this abuse, we must read the verse in context and analyze it exegetically.

Read the Verse in Context

Hebrews 2:7-17
7Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: 8Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. 9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. 13And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. 14Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 17Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Address the obvious idiom in verse 9

Verse 9 contains the phrase: "taste death." This phrase means to experience death, that is to say, "to die." It is an indirect, figurative way of talking. Death is not something that can literally be tasted. Nevertheless, this idiom is used to express the sense of experience death. It's not unique to Hebrews 2:9.

Here are some other examples:

• Matthew 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
• Mark 9:1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
• Luke 9:27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.
• John 8:51-52
• 51Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.

The word used here is the Greek word geuomai, which literally means to taste or eat.

In addition to the examples above it is used both literally and figuratively in other Scriptures, as shown below:

Literally:

• Matthew 27:34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
• Luke 14:24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
• John 2:9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
• Acts 20:11 When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.
• Acts 23:14 And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.
• Colossians 2:21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;

Figuratively:

• Hebrews 6:4-5
• 4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
• 1 Peter 2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

In the literal examples above, what is being tasted/eaten is food/drink. In the figurative examples, something is being analogized to food/drink.

As an aside, it is interesting to note that this symbology is central the Lord's supper, in it we taste Christ and His death (figuratively) by tasting the bread and cup's contents (literally):

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

There is a parallel figure of speech relating to another of the senses, "see."

For example:

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

This parallel can also be seen in some of the other verses we saw above:

• John 8:51-52
• 51Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
• Luke 9:27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.
• Matthew 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

And, of course, in the verse we are discussing:
Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

And, indeed, the figurative use of "see" is - like "taste" - applied to death:

• Psalm 89:48 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
• Luke 2:26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

And, as well, the verse from John 8 that we have seen a few times now:
John 8:51-52
51Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.

The conclusion of this discussion of the figurative language in Hebrews 2:9 is to see the contrast between our experience of Jesus and Jesus experience of death, as well as just to show that the expression means to experience not just to sort of nibble at, or take a tiny crumb of.

Address the preposition in the phrase "for every man" and the sense of the phrase as a whole

The sense of the phrase as a whole is something akin to that of the same phrase (in English, and in the LXX) here:

Jeremiah 29:26 The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.

To be more precise the phrase "for every man" contains the preposition "for" which is being used, as in Jeremiah 29:26 substitutionarily. Thus "for every man" means "in place of every man" or "in the stead of every man."

The Greek word translated "for" here is huper. Like almost all prepositions it has a lot of senses. However, the one that fits here is the substitutionary sense.

Acknowledge that "every man" is not the direct literal translation

The Greek word translated by the KJV and other translations as "every man" is a single Greek word "panta" which is the genative, masculine, singular form of the word "all." It is an adjective being used substantively. That is to say, it is standing as though it were a noun.

Determine whether panta refers to each and every person as the universal atonement crowd claims, or whether panta means something else

Avoid unwarranted conclusory self-serving eisegesis

Only someone who was completely ignorant would think that pas usually means each and every person who has or ever will live. In fact, of the 1200 or so uses of the word pas few refer to all of humanity without exception.

Consider the objects of God's discussion in the passage

So, rather than impose this relatively rare meaning on the word pas simply to fit one's theology, let's examine the context (shown above). Let's identify candidates for who, in the context, the panta can be referring to, after all, Hebrews 2:9 is not a lone proverb with no context, but part of a message that extends at least from verses 7-17:

Hebrews 2:7-17
7Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: 8Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. 9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. 13And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. 14Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 17Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Consider those objects in the verses preceding the verse in question.

In the verses preceding verse 9, we see discussion of "all things" being placed under subjection to Christ, and verse 8 explains that if "all" are in subjection then none are not in subjection. In other words, the "all" is an exhaustive sense of the word all. It is not merely a general sense of the word "all."

(One should note that it would be tempting for a Reformed reader to take panta in verse 9 in a general sense, as in "all kinds of men" or "every sort of man." That would resolve the apparent conflict between verse 9 and the verses that more particularly say that Christ died for His sheep or His people, since His elect are from all nations and are of every kind of men, even politicians.)

But verse 8 continues that we can see that not "all things" are put under Christ yet. We know from verse 8 that they will be, and we are tantalized with the question of how we get from not all thing to all things being subjected to Christ.

Consider the verse itself.

With the prefatory verse in mind, and the question of how Christ will go from not all things to all things being in subjection to him, we read:

Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

How do all things come to be in subjection to him? They become subjected to him by his Incarnation (made a little lower than the angels), his Sacrifice (for the suffering of death), and his Resurrection and Ascension (crowned with glory and honor). More specifically, they become subjected by experience death for this "all things" ("that he ... should taste death for every man").

Now we can see how the "all things" come to be subject through him. And what are those "all things"? The verses following verse 9 tell us.

Examine the verses that follow verse 9

Hebrews 2:10-17
10For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. 13And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. 14Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 17Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Verse 10:

From verse 10, we can see that these "all things" are "for" Christ and "all things" are "by" Christ, and that these are the "many sons" that he will bring to glory. And that Christ's purpose was to become the captain of "their" salvation through suffering.

One interesting point at the front end of this discussion. The Greek uses the same preposition in both cases ("for" and "by" are both indicated in Greek by dia). Like most prepositions, dia has a lot of different senses, and here the two different senses are conveyed by the declension of the prounoun hos or "whom" (in the first case the accusative declension, and in the second case the genative declension).

This way of differentiating does not convey well in English or many other languages, because many languages either do not differentiate between accusative and genative through declension or because many languages that do so decline have more rigid rules regarding objects of prepositions. Thus, for example, the Vulgate (in Latin) uses two different prepositions ("because of whom" and "through whom") as does the Old Slavonic ("for whom" and "from/through/by whom").

The "through/by whom" seems to be appropriate here, and follows the sense of John 1:3

John 1:3 (KJV) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Compare:

John 1:3 (ESV) All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In both cases the phrase "by/through him" is dia plus a genative.

Likewise the dia plus the accusative has the sense of cause - thus "because of" seems to be a very precise translation, and is one of the senses of the English word "for" in verse 10. For more discussion, see M. Zerwick's Biblical Greek, page 37, section 112 (Caution, Roman Catholic printer).

If you are interested in seeing how Greek conveys different senses with the same pronouns using genative versus accusative, see this link (which also mentions dia):http://www.bcbsr.com/greek/gprep.html

The upshot of all of this is that verse 10 is making Christ both the cause (for whom) and the agent (through whom) of the "all things." Thus he is the captain of "their" salvation - he is the agent and cause of their salvation.

Verse 11: This thought is continued in the eleventh verse, with explanation as to the mechanism.

Verse 11 explains that the way in which Christ is cause and agent of salvation for the "all" is through unity: "he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one." This unity and union is expressed elsewhere in Scripture with the terminology "in Christ." You may recall from our previous discussion of Hebrews 10 that "sanctifying" generically means to make holy. One should not assume that it is being used the way a seminary professor would use the term in class. It means to purify them. And this work is ascribed to Christ, the captain of their salvation, not to the Holy Spirit who is the person of the Trinity that sanctifies in the seminarial/academic sense.

Verse 11 continues by explaining that on account of this - this unity and purification - Christ is not ashamed to call "them" brethren. Finally we have an identification of who the "all" is - who "they" are. "They/Every man/all things/all" are those for whom Christ suffered and died, of whose salvation Christ is the captain, and who are in Christ, namely those whom He calls His brethren.

Verse 12: More detail is provided in verse 12.

In case there was any question as to whom Christ's brethren are, verse 12 makes it clear through parallelism, equating "my brethren" and "the church." And verse 12 does so by citing as Jesus' words, the words of Psalm 22. Let's see what Psalm 22 says:

Psalm 22:22-31
22I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. 23Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. 24For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. 25My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. 26The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. 27All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 28For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations. 29All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. 30A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. 31They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

What is Psalm 22 speaking of? It is speaking somewhat in shadow, somewhat in prophecy, of the harvest of the elect. It calls them the seed of Jacob/Israel. We know from Paul's writings that Israel is a type of the elect - of all true believers. Thus, we are by faith in Christ, children of Abraham. Likewise, Psalm 22 uses some broad language ("all" in extensive, general sense here - the Psalmist is not claiming that there will be universal salvation) to describe the "seed" that will be "accounted to the Lord for a generation." These are those who are attributed to Abraham.

The Psalmist tells us not that they may come, or they might come, or that they will come if they in their individual sovereignty decide to come, but the Psalmist says with absolute certainty "they will come." But they won't just come, they will declare his righteousness to future generations. They will testify to the righteousness of God. And how will they testify to the righteousness of God? They will do so by attributing the "doing" of salvation to Him!

But I have digressed, verse 12 has clarified that this exhaustive "all" and "all things" and "them" and "their" - those whom he calls "brethren" are the church.

Verse 13: Further examples prove the point.

Verse 13 continues to provide Scriptural proof. The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 91 and 18:

Psalm 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

The illustration is of a castle. We who trust in God view Him as our castle, fortress, high wall, strong tower, and so forth. We know that we are "in Him" (there's the proof of the idea that He that sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of one) and therefore we are safe. We trust in Him, the way that natural man trusts in his fortifications, his armor, and his watchmen.

And the author of Hebrews ties those two together and strengthens them with a quotation of Isaiah 8:

Isaiah 8:17-18
17And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. 18Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

The author of Hebrews analogizes the seed, the church, the "all" to the "children whom the hath given me" with "me" and "I" pointing to Christ. Will someone suppose that Isaiah's children came to him by their own will? If so, then one can attribute the "all"s salvation to the will of man. But if they came to Isaiah by God's will, and without any contribution from the children, then we can see that the author of Hebrews is making a Reformed analogy.

Verse 14: The Reformed analogy from Isaiah's children to the children God gave Jesus is expanded upon.

Verse 14 expands on the children analogy. It says that because "the children" (the "all things/all/brethren/church/them/their") are flesh and blood, and therefore He became flesh and blood for the purpose of destroying death and the devil.

Verse 15: The reason set forth in verse 14 is continued.

Verse 15 continues that the purpose in destroying death and the devil was to deliver "them" who were subject to bondage by fear of death. Notice that purpose is to destroy death and to deliver those who were captive on account of the fear of death. Death is to be feared because it triggers judgment for sins. Thus, we can see that Christ's work for the "them" is to free them for that fear of death, from the guilt of their sins.

Verse 16: Verse 14 is tied back to verses 7 and 9, as well as to 13 and Psalm 22.

Verse 16 essentially rephrases verse 14 but does so by saying that Jesus was incarnate not as an angel (cf. verses 7 and 9) but as one of the "seed of Abraham" which we recall frm verse 13 and Psalm 22 point toward the "them/all/etc." that the passage is talking about - the group that the Reformed generally refer to as the elect. We should also notice that this ties back to the first chapter of Hebrews, in which Christ is compared with the angels.

Verse 17: Summarizes the theme of the passage by rewording verse 10 and working in the other aspects of the passage.

Verse 17 states:
"Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."

In case there was any doubt that the "made like the seed of Abraham" did not mean "made like his brethren" verse 17 clarifies that point. Verse 17 then explains that purpose of the Incarnation and sacrifice was for Christ to serve as high priest of God, and specifically to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."

This "people" is the Greek word laos, which means essentially a "nation." What nation? It is the chosen nation, the elect nation, namely the people of God. Just as Aaron the High Priest made reconciliation for physical Israel ceremonially and outwardly, even more so Christ the True High Priest made reconciliation for spiritual Israel, the elect, really and completely. This sets up much of the remaining discussion about Christ as High Priest in the remainder of Hebrews.

Step 6: Conclusion

Having seen the passage, the context, the way that panta is paralleled with "the seed of Abraham" and "his brethren" and even "the church," we can conclude that all is a reference to every last one of the elect, both those who are already his subjects, and those who will be. Thus, we can consistently understand Hebrews 2:9 as describing Christ's priestly atoning work for the church, the congregation, the elect.

Let us remember the words of the Lord, who said:

• Luke 15:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
• Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
• John 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

So then, we affirm the consistency of Hebrews 2:9 with the context, as well as with Jesus' purpose and mission of actually saving those who are his. All 100 sheep will be saved, nothing will be lost, for such is the Father's good pleasure.

Objections Answered
I think the explanation above should answer most questions, but I welcome objections, corrections, comments, and rebukes.

Praise be to our Substitute, Jesus Christ the Righteous!

-Turretinfan

Life of John Calvin

One kind reader recently requested that I provide a biography of John Calvin. This is something that I'd rather leave to other people. Here are some links to excellent brief biographies of Calvin.

Some interesting contextualization of Calvin here:
http://www.lgmarshall.org/Daubigne/daubigne_refhistory12_15.html

Here's a fairly good, quick, biography:
http://www.apuritansmind.com/Reformation/McMahonLifeOfCalvin.htm

And here is a slightly more lengthy one:
http://www.gtc.ac.nz/publications/John%20Calvin.pdf

However, the bottom line is that I, for one, am not persuaded to agree with Calvin on the many points where I agree with him, because he said it, nor because he lived a virtuous life of devotion to the truth. I agree with him because study of Scripture confirms that his doctrines - at least most of them - have them as their source. For the same reason, I have no plans to write a biography of Turretin.

May the Holy Spirit, who provided us with Scripture, be praised!

-Turretinfan

Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans

The same Internet poster, Agomemnon, cited a second passage that is sometimes attributed Ignatius, from a "Letter to the Smyrnaeans."

Agomemnon quoted Ignatius as saying:
"Take note of those who hold heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God. . . . They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes" (Letter to the Smyrnaeans 6:2–7:1 [A.D. 110])."

Another Internet poster brought this alternative version that is also floating out there in cyberspace:
"In about 106, Saint Ignatius of Antioch criticized those who 'abstain from the Eucharist and the public prayer, because they will not admit that the Eucharist is the self-same Body of our Savior Jesus Christ, which [flesh] suffered for our sins, and which the Father in His goodness raised up again' (Epistle to the Smyrnaeans 6, 7)."


Quotations Inaccurate:

Like Agomemnon's quotation from Ignatius, this quotation is not a particularly accurate quotation for two reasons that will be discussed below. Furthermore, there is some difficulty here, because there is a difference between the longer and shorter forms of the letter. In other words, there is some textual critical questions about whether the shorter or longer version is original.

The first of the two reasons that the quotation is inaccurate is that it combines the thoughts in chapter 6 with those of chapter 7. Furthermore, the translations of the respective portions of chapter 6 and 7 are not particularly accurate.

Suffice that the shorter version of the quoted portion of chapter 6 is translated by Schaff as:

"But consider those who are of a different opinion with respect to the grace of Christ which has come unto us, how opposed they are to the will of God. They have no regard for love; no care for the widow, or the orphan, or the oppressed; of the bond, or of the free; of the hungry, or of the thirsty."

And the longer version of the quoted portion of chapter 6 is translated by Schaff as:

"Do ye, therefore, notice those who preach other doctrines, how they affirm that the Father of Christ cannot be known, and how they exhibit enmity and deceit in their dealings with one another. They have no regard for love; they despise the good things we expect hereafter; they regard present things as if they were durable; they ridicule him that is in affliction; they laugh at him that is in bonds."

Similarly, the shorter version of chapter 7 is translated by Schaff as:

"They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again. Those, therefore, who speak against this gift of God, incur death in the midst of their disputes. But it were better for them to treat it with respect, that they also might rise again. It is fitting, therefore, that ye should keep aloof from such persons, and not to speak of them either in private or in public, but to give heed to the prophets, and above all, to the Gospel, in which the passion [of Christ] has been revealed to us, and the resurrection has been fully proved. But avoid all divisions, as the beginning of evils."

And the longer version of chapter 7 is translated by Schaff as:

"They are ashamed of the cross; they mock at the passion; they make a jest of the resurrection. They are the offspring of that spirit who is the author of all evil, who led Adam, by means of his wife, to transgress the commandment, who slew Abel by the hands of Cain, who fought against Job, who was the accuser of Joshua the son of Josedech, who sought to “sift the faith” of the apostles, who stirred up the multitude of the Jews against the Lord, who also now “worketh in the children of disobedience; from whom the Lord Jesus Christ will deliver us, who prayed that the faith of the apostles might not fail, not because He was not able of Himself to preserve it, but because He rejoiced in the pre-eminence of the Father. It is fitting, therefore, that ye should keep aloof from such persons, and neither in private nor in public to talk with them; but to give heed to the law, and the prophets, and to those who have preached to you the word of salvation. But flee from all abominable heresies, and those that cause schisms, as the beginning of evils."


Critical Portion of Quotation In Doubt:

The reason for quoting the entirety of chapter 7 (both versions) is to show that I am not simply quoting the wrong portion of the long version. Why would I worry that someone might think that? Because the long version makes no mention of the Eucharist.

Thus, while many scholars view the shorter reading of the letters (in general) as the better reading (because the longer version tends to exhibit interpolation in many places), there is a serious textual critical question about whether Ignatius' Letter to the church at Smyrna even mentions the Eucharist in chapter 7.

Accordingly, one response is simply to say that we cannot even be confident that Ignatius wrote what is here attributed to him. However, let's see whether the shorter version teaches the RCC claims of transubstantiation or the "real absence" of the bread and wine.

Context of Quotation - Debate over Christ's Incarnation:

For context and ease of reference, here are the entire combined 5th-7th chapters in the shorter reading:

"5. Some ignorantly deny Him, or rather have been denied by Him, being the advocates of death rather than of the truth. These persons neither have the prophets persuaded, nor the law of Moses, nor the Gospel even to this day, nor the sufferings we have individually endured. For they think also the same thing regarding us. For what does any one profit me, if he commends me, but blasphemes my Lord, not confessing that He was [truly] possessed of a body? But he who does not acknowledge this, has in fact altogether denied Him, being enveloped in death. I have not, however, thought good to write the names of such persons, inasmuch as they are unbelievers. Yea, far be it from me to make any mention of them, until they repent and return to [a true belief in] Christ’s passion, which is our resurrection. 6. Let no man deceive himself. Both the things which are in heaven, and the glorious angels, and rulers, both visible and invisible, if they believe not in the blood of Christ, shall, in consequence, incur condemnation. “He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.” Let not [high] place puff any one up: for that which is worth all is faith and love, to which nothing is to be preferred. But consider those who are of a different opinion with respect to the grace of Christ which has come unto us, how opposed they are to the will of God. They have no regard for love; no care for the widow, or the orphan, or the oppressed; of the bond, or of the free; of the hungry, or of the thirsty. 7. They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again. Those, therefore, who speak against this gift of God, incur death in the midst of their disputes. But it were better for them to treat it with respect, that they also might rise again. It is fitting, therefore, that ye should keep aloof from such persons, and not to speak of them either in private or in public, but to give heed to the prophets, and above all, to the Gospel, in which the passion [of Christ] has been revealed to us, and the resurrection has been fully proved. But avoid all divisions, as the beginning of evils."

The Gist of Ignatius' Complaint:

The gist of Ignatius' complaint is that these heretics denied Christ's incarnation. He establishes that this makes them heretics and provides evidence of support for his charge against them of unbelief and heresy.

The Detail of Ignatius' Argument:

Ignatius begins by saying that there are people who ignorantly deny Christ. He states that these people are not persuaded by Scripture (Moses, the prophets, and the Gospel) or by persecution of Christians to believe the truth. He states that deny that Christ has a body is to blaspheme the Lord. Indeed, Ignatius refuses to mention these people by name because they are unbelievers. He says that he will continue not to mention their names until they will repent and return to a belief in the Incarnation, which provides our hope of resurrection.

Ignatius repeats the Apostle Paul's warning to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3:18, "Let no man deceive himself." Then he restates the Apostle John's warning to in 1 John 3:18, "... he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Then he added a variation on the letter to the Angel of Smyrna in the Apocalypse, Revelation 2:17 "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches ...." And continued by mentioning the pre-eminence seeking that is apparently referenced in Revelation 2:15 ("the doctrine of the Nicolaitans") or possibly a reference to I Corinthians 13:4 "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up."

But, in any event, Ignatius teaches the primacy of faith and love, as Paul puts it: 1 Timothy 1:14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

Then Ignatius sets forth several evidences of these folks' non-Christianity:
1) They despise the grace of God.
2) They are opposed to the will of God.
3) They are not interested in love, or its expression toward the needy.
4) They do not participate in the Eucharist or prayer. And this, Ignatius claims, is because they do not confess the Eucharist to be the flesh of Christ, which suffered for our sins and was raised by the Father.

Ignatius notes ironically that these very blasphemers die while making these anti-Incarnation arguments, and it would be better for them to believe in the Incarnation and be resurrected with Christ.

With that description and warning, Ignatius calls on the people of Smyrna to stay away from such teachers but instead to cling to Scripture (prophets and especially the Gospel) which teaches us of both the Incarnation and Resurrection. Finally he mentions that they should avoid divisions, which starts into the next topic he discusses.


Examination of the Statement in question in light of the context:

Considering the statement: "They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again." in light of the context of Ignatius' argument, we can see that Ignatius is providing evidence of their departure from the truth of Scripture and its link to their practices. They do not pray or partake of the Eucharist. Why? Because they do not believe Christ was made flesh, died, and was resurrected!

There is nothing here about the bread and wine being really absent, or about the elements physically transforming into the substance of flesh and blood. Indeed, that view would make little sense in context.

Suppose that Ignatius was trying to say that the heretics denied that the Eucharist was the flesh and blood of Christ (a mistaken notion that some Catholic apologists attempt to establish). If that were the case, why would the heretics refuse to eat the Eucharist? Why would they not do as all Christians do and eat the Eucharist as a reminder of Christ's death? The answer should be obvious: they refused to eat because they did not believe Christ was body, and therefore that Christ either died or was resurrected. Thus, any memorial to the death of Christ was alien to them. That is the contextual, reasonable, explanation for their refusal to partake of the Eucharist.

Conclusion:

Thus, we can see that Ignatius Letter to the Smyrnaeans, if it even mentions the Eucharist (which is in doubt), discusses heretics who deny the Incarnation, not with transubstantiation or the "real absence" of the bread and wine. Furthermore, we observe Ignatius relying on Scripture both as the grounds of his argument and some of the words of his argument, but also the authority for the Christians to whom he is writing. Scripture, according to Ignatius, proves the Resurrection, so don't believe the heretics who fail to observe Scripture's teachings.

Praise be to our Incarnate Christ!

-Turretinfan

Ignatius writes to the Romans, Relying on John 6

An Internet poster using the handle "Agomemnon" recently posted a list of apparently cut-n-paste quotations from the Early Church Fathers that Agomemnon alleged supported the Roman Catholic doctrines of transubstantiation and the "real absence." The first, and thus, presumptively, the strongest earliest support that Agomemnon provided was a quotation dreived from Ignatius' letter to the Romans, seventh chapter.
Agomemnon quoted Ignatius of Antioch (circa 110 a.d.) as saying, in his Letter to the Romans:
"I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire his blood, which is love incorruptible" (Letter to the Romans 7:3).

Accuracy of the Translation Challenged
I should point out that this is an inaccurate quotation. A more accurate quotation (from Philip Schaff's translation) reads:
"I have no delight in corruptible food, nor in the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, the heavenly bread, the bread of life, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became afterwards of the seed of David and Abraham; and I desire the drink, namely His blood, which is incorruptible love and eternal life." (boldface added to show the omissions in the translation Agomemnon was using)

If, however, Agomemnon disagrees with Schaff's translation (which is the most popular English translation of the ECF's) I invite Agomemnon, or any other Roman Catholic apologist, to identify the source of Agomemnon's translation, so that we can compare scholarly credentials between Schaff and Agomemnon's source.

Context of the Quotation Examined
Let's also look at this context. Chapter 7 is about the reason that Ignatius desires to die. In the preceding sentence, Ignatius writes:

"For though I am alive while I write to you, yet I am eager to die for the sake of Christ. My love has been crucified, and there is no fire in me that loves anything; but there is living water springing up in me, and which says to me inwardly, Come to the Father."

And the following sentence, the first sentence of Chapter 8, reads:

"I no longer wish to live after the manner of men, and my desire shall be fulfilled if ye consent."

Thus, in context, we can see that Ignatius is not speaking of an earthly experience that he desires, but a heavenly experience. This is reinforced by two of the portions Agomemnon's quotation omitted: "heavenly bread" and "eternal life."

Use of Metaphorical Language Seen in the Context and Quotation Itself
Furthermore, we can see from the context and quotation itself that Ignatius uses metaphorical language.

Use of Metaphorical Language in the Context
The preceding sentence speaks of his love (an intangible thing) being crucified. There is simply no way to take that literally. It must be understood in one figurative sense or another. For example, it may mean that the object of his love has been crucified (i.e. Christ), or more likely that his love of the world has been crucified (cf. Galatians 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.)

Use of Metaphorical Language in the Quotation itself
Furthermore, the quotation itself uses figurative language:

(1) "I desire the bread of God, the heavenly bread, the bread of life, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became afterwards of the seed of David and Abraham;"

In this portion of the quotation we see the flesh of Jesus referred to as (a) "bread of God" (b)"heavenly bread" and (c)"bread of life."

These (all of (a), (b), and (c)) seem most clearly to be drawn from the Gospel of John, sixth Chapter, where it reads:

John 6:31-35
31Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Anyone can see how verse 35 concludes: "he that cometh ... and ... believeth ... ." Jesus spiritualizes the symbol of bread. It is not by physically eating physical bread that we are nourished, but by coming in faith to God. That Ignatius is aware of this symbolism can be seen from the preceding sentence which concluded that the spring within him was telling him to "Come to the Father."

(2)"I desire the drink, namely His blood, which is incorruptible love and eternal life."

This portion of Ignatius' statement is even more clearly figurative. To Ignatius the drink is not just the blood of Christ but (a) "incorruptible love" (an intangible) and (b) "eternal life" (another intangible).

The reference with regard to (b) seems to be again to the sixth chapter of John's Gospel:

John 6:53-58
53Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Notice the figurative language in this passage.

For example, verse 56 indicates that whoever consumes Jesus' body and blood "dwelleth in me, and I in Him." If it were only "I in Him," we could imagine that Jesus was speaking literally and that he meant that his literal flesh was literally dwelling in the person. But Jesus says also that the person dwells in Him! What a strange idea! We can imagine eating a burger and having a cow in us, but we would not speak of being in the cow.

Furthermore, verse 57 provides an explanation by way of comparison: "As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me." The "as ... so ..." provides the explanatory comparison.

But the Father is a Spirit, not flesh (See John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. and Cf. John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.). Thus, Christ's life by the Father is not through corporeal consumption, but by Spiritual nourishment.

By this comparison, therefore, we can see that our nourishment from Christ is also Spiritual nourishment. As it is written, 1 Peter 4:6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. And again, it is written, Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

For so it was prophesied: Ezekiel 37:14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

Conclusion - Ignatius was simply using the Biblical metaphors, proving that he had read John's Gospel, and understood the sixth chapter

So then, in Ignatius' Epistle to the Romans, we do not see any deviation from the Scriptural teachings that we are nourished by the Spirit, nor any deviation from the metaphors of Scripture, but a repetition of the same metaphors that Christ taught his disciples, and which the disciple whom Jesus loved recorded in Scripture by inspiration of that same Spirit.

Praise Him who Proceeds from the Father and the Son!

-Turretinfan

We please God because He works it!

We Please God Because He Works It

The following was an exchange between two Internet posters ("DuckyGlenn" and "FreeGrace"):

DuckGlenn wrote:

GRACE, You see that you used the word "reward"- Salvation is not a reward for having faith, it is a gracious gift. If God gives it because of something we do, it is no longer grace. It is a reward.

FreeGrace replied:

I think you are missing what Heb 11:6 is saying. The author is addressing believers, and yes, even believers are commanded to live by faith. It is our faith that pleases God. And it is clear from 11:6 that God rewards those who seek Him. That isn't about salvation. It's about seeking God.

I respond:

Ultimately, it is Christ's righteousness that pleases God. All of our righteousness is as filthy rags.

However, we sometimes do please him:

1 John 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

Colosians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Colosians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

Hebrews 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

2 Timothy 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

1 Corinthians 7:32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

But this is because it Christ working in us:

Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Hebrews 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

And contrary to the Pelagianism preached by some, it is not in man's natural ability to please God:

Romans 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Applying those principles of Scripture to Hebrews 11:6

First, let's read Hebrews 11:6 in context:

Hebrews 11:1-13
1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 4By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. 5By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 7By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 8By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 13These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

As laid out in verse 1, Faith is the substance of the hoped-for and the evidence of the unseen. Verse 2 explains that the elders (men of old time) were justified ("received a good report") by faith. Verse 3 provides a major example of the things that we know by faith (Creation), and further states the principle that we can know the unseen, although we can only perceive the seen.

Verse 4 provides an example of an elder who was justified by faith (Abel), by presenting the act that can be seen which proceeded from the unseen faith (offering a blood sacrifice), and by presenting the result (he obtained testimony as to his righteousness). Verse 4 adds that the testimony is from God, meaning that Abel's faith is recorded in divinely inspired Scripture, in which God testifies to Abel's righteousness.

Verse 5 continues with another example of an elder who was justified by faith (Enoch), by presenting the act that can be seen which proceeded from the unseen faith (walking with God), and presenting the result (he was translated, and before the translation he obtained testimony as to his righteousness).

Verse 6, the verse in question, address the second part of that result, which was phrased in verse 5 as "he pleased God." Verse 6 explains that we can derive the information that Enoch had faith from this statement "he pleased God" because without faith, it is impossible to please God. In other words, verse 6 teaches the general principle that if you are pleasing God it is proof of your faith.

James makes the same point in James 2.

James 2:1-26 (the entire chapter)
1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 7Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? 8If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 9But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 10For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. 14What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

James is explaining the relationship between faith and works. A live, real faith should produce works. Indeed, it is the works that testify to the faith. As Hebrews 11 is saying, we see faith in works.

Verse 7 continues with another example of an elder who was justified by faith (Noah), by presenting the acts that can be seen which proceeded from the unseen faith (prepared an ark / condemned the world), and presenting the result (to the saving of his house / became heir of the righteousness that is by faith).

Notice that the righteousness is by inheritance. This points us to Christ, for it is by his death that we receive the inheritance of His righteousness.

Hebrews 9:15-17
15And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 16For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

Verses 8-10 continue with another example of an elder who was justified by faith (Abraham), by presenting the acts that can be seen which proceeded from the unseen faith (went out to a unknown place / sojourned in tents), and presenting the result (the promised land).

Of course, the promised land points us toward heaven:

2 Peter 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Verses 11-12 continue with another example of an elder who was justified by faith (Sarah), by presenting the acts that can be seen which proceeded from the unseen faith (Judge Him faithful who promised), and presenting the result (bore a child from whom Abraham's seed spring).

Isaac and the seed of Christ points us toward Christ and the elect.

Romans 9:7-8

7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

Galatians 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

Verse 13 ties things up by summarizing that all of these people finished their earthly lives in faith, without having received the promises, but seeing them (by faith) afar off, and with an understanding that they were strangers and pilgrims in the earth.

So, having looked at verse 6 in context, we can see that it giving the proof that Abraham had faith. Even so, James also points to Abraham's acts (in this case, the sacrifice of Isaac) as the proof of his faith. Thus, we should understand verse 6 as showing the faith-revealing effect of good works. Here it is the good works that please God, and therefore demonstrate faith.

Maybe you are wondering where our faith comes from? Turn to the first part of the next chapter of Hebrews:

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

May our Holy God be praised!

-Turretinfan

Reward for Doing Righteousness

Are we Rewarded for Doing Good?

Affirmed from Scripture

Clarification: We are not Saved by Anything we Do - Salvation depends on God's Mercy not his Justice

It is important to know that nothing we do saves us. Scripture is clear:

2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Neither our salvation in general, or our particular inward calling (John 10:3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.) is based on what we did, we are doing, or what we will do.

God, as Judge and Father, does Reward both Good and Evil
Nevertheless, God is both a just judge and a loving Father.

Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Hebrews 12:5-11
5And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

There are rewards for righteousness:

Psalm 58:11 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

There are also rewards for wickedness:

Psalm 9:16 The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.

Some are temporal:

Psalm 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.

Matthew 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Mat 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Some are eternal, and based on Christ's righteousness:

Colosians 3:24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Some are eternal, and based on the grace we receive to do good works:

I Corinthians 3:11-15
11For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:19-21
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

I hope everyone will realize that Christ's righteousness so far exceeds our own that any heavenly rewards we may receive for obedience to Him will seem as nothing compared with the reward given to us for Christ's righteousness.

Will we have a bigger mansion in heaven (or a place to stand closer to the Lamb) based on how many good works we do? Who knows. Who knows how God will reward good deeds in heaven. That is not the main reason we should do good works. In fact, though we can take comfort in the fact that it will be rewarded, we should not have any expectation of the reward:

Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

The main reasons we should good works are (1) to be like our Father God and our Savior Jesus Christ (as pointed out in the verse above); and (2) that we are commanded to obey the law of God. Thus, both our love of God and the command should be our primary motivations.

God requires perfect holiness and righteousness. Thus, even if we do everything we are supposed to do, we are "unprofitable servants," as Scripture says:

Luke 17:10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

Accordingly, we should do good, and we can know that we will be rewarded. How exactly we will be rewarded, Scripture is not clear, and we cannot be dogmatic. Nevertheless, there is a reward in a heaven.

Degrees of Reward

Some have asked whether there will be degrees of reward in heaven. While this should not be a focal point, as explained above, it is the case. Consider, for example, Hebrews 12:5-11, set forth above. We are to build something on the foundation of Christ. What we build may be of precious stones or of straw. Furthermore, we should remember the parable of the talents:

Matthew 25:14-30
14For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 16Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 17And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 18But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. 19After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 21His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The primary thing we can learn from this parable is that Sanctification is an essential aspect of the Christian walk. If we are not making use of the talents given us, we are not God's faithful servants. Nevertheless, a secondary lesson we can draw from this parable is that there is greater reward in greater sanctification. As noted above, what that reward will be, is not clearly set forth in Scripture.

All Reward is by Justice but on account of Grace

We should not be confused by the fact that we may be rewarded for sanctification into thinking that therefore this sanctification is of ourselves or comes from us, any more than our inheritance comes from us. Instead, any such reward is "grace for grace."

John 1:15-17

15John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Praise be to our Just and Merciful Judge Who sits enthroned on high,

-Turretinfan

The Book of Life of the Lamb

A Challenge to Anti-Calvinists:

Declare the Meaning of

The Book of Life of the Lamb

If you are able.

How do you understand this verse:

Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

My understanding is that it is referring to the non-elect at the time this prophesy will be fulfilled. That is to say those "whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb" are the non-elect, and the elect are those whose names are written in the book of life of the Lamb.
To me, that means particular, individual election. After all, what can be more particular than a name?

Only two NT writers refer to the book of life as such, Paul (once) and John (seven times):

Philippians 4:3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Revelation 5:1-14 (the entire chapter)
1And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 6And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 7And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 11And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

There are also two references to this book in the Old Testament, one in Daniel, and one in Psalms:

Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Psalm 139:16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

It is so plain and obvious to Reformed believers that the book of life contains the names of those whom God will save, and that they are saved because they are in the book. For this book is written in blood: not just any blood, but the blood of the Lamb of God. It is his blood that brings us life eternal. We will live because we were written in that book before we ever existed. We will live because the Lamb died for us. And ALL for whom the Lamb died will live.

All praise be to the Lamb of God!

-Turretinfan