Post on 03-Jun-2018
8/12/2019 1992 Issue 8 - Sermon on I Peter 3:17-22 - The Consequences of Christ's Suffering - Counsel of Chalcedon
1/11
,
,
PART II: lHE CONSEQUENCES
OF CHRISTS SUFFERING
Every
human being has in some way
benefited from the undeserved,
incomparable
sufferings
and
death of
Jesus Christ. Hence,
He
can
be
called,
theSaviorq[allmen,
especially
qfbelievers,
I
Tim.
4:
10.
Therefore, we, as
Christians,
are
able
to
endure patiently
any
unjust
persecution
for
Christ, which
God
has
willed that we undergo, I Pet. 3:17;
because, when
we
do,
we
are like
Christ,
close to Christ, and a
benefit
to
other people.
lPeter3:18-22,
which
focuses on
the
conse
quences of Christ's
suffering,
is one
of the
most diffirult passages in
the whole Bible
to
interpret correctly; but,
as we learn how to
interpret it,
we will be
sharper in interpreting
any other biblical text.
Furthermore, what we
willleam from this text is
worththe time,effottand
struggle put into the
interpreting of t.
Having seen the
nature of Christ's suffering-penal,
vicarious, and propitiatory; and
the
purpose ofHis suffering-to bring
us
to
God in knowledge, favor, resemblance
andcornmunion;wearenowinaposition
to
consider the consequences
of those
sufferings COSMICALLY,
SPIRIT
UALLY, PERSONALLY,
INDIVID
UALLY,
AND
ETERNALLY.
First, having been put to death in
the flesh, Christ was made alive in the
spirit vs.
IS. But
what is
the
meaning
ofthiscontrastbetween death inthe lesh
and madealive in fil Spirit'? It cannot be
a contrast between Christ's human and
divine natures, since it cannotbe said of
His eternal
deity
that it
is "made
alive
.
It
cannot
be
translated, as
many have,
"IN
the body
...
BYthe Spirit," because of
the
parallel of the dative phrases in Greek,
which
reads, in the flesh and "in
the
spirit."
It
cannot be a contrast of
the
physical and spilitual aspects of Christ's
humanness, for
two reasons:
(1).
the
human sphit
does
not
die;
(2).
Christ
was "made
alive" in
his
r e s u r r ~ O I l in
hiscompletehumanity-bodyandspirit.
What, then.
is
the
exact
point of
the
contrast- put
n
death in the flesh and
madealiveinthespirlf'11nordertoanswer
that question, let us consider
carefully
the
details
of
the
text. (I).
The balanced
grammatical structure and
the
parallel
dative phraseshnpliesacontrastbetween
flesh and "spirit" suggesting that
the
two nouns shouldbeunderstood
to
be in
the
same case.
(2).
The verb, "made
alive, isused ten othertimes in the
New
Testament referring to resurrection. It
is
usedinRomansS:l1synonymouslywith
raised up, which
clearly
refers to
resurrection.
Therefore, in I
Pet.
3: ISwe
have
a
reference
t
the
resurrection of
Christ. (3).
The words, "flesh," (SARl(),
and "spirit,"
(PNEUMA),
when used
without
an
atticle,
("the"),
(although
English translations
do
not reflect this
fact), emphasize quality and therefore
denote two modes of Christ's eJlistence
before
and
after His resurrection.
On the basis of these observations of
the
text,
we are
ready
to
interpret the
meaning of
the
contrast in verse
IS.
By
"flesh"
is meantChrist'seanhly existence
before
His resurrection;andby"spirit" is
meant His
glorified,
exalted existence
~ g i l l i n g withHis restlrrection, and
for
eternity thereafter.
I
Corinthians
15:35-50
corroborates
this interpretation, which contrasts two
orders
of
life,
two aeons, two world
periods, two creations-one beginning
with Adam, the other
beginning with the
resurrectionof]esusChrist
and consummated with
His Second Coming.
Theseare profoundverses
filledwithmuchtruth,but
notice three pohtts:
I).
the
contrast
between Christ's, and
the
Christian's, pre-resurrec
tionexistence andChrist's,
and
the
Christian's, post
resurrection existence;
(2). the description of
Christ'sresurrection-lifeas
"Spiritual,"
vs.4, and as
life-giving Spirit,
vs.
45.
This
is
not
to
say
that his
resurrection
was
not a bodily one, i.e.,
htvolving
Hisentirehumanity. Itis t say
that
His
resurrection-life is Spirit
produced, Spirit-transformed, Spirit
filled,
Spirit-dominated, and Spirit
qualified.
At His resurrection, Christ
became life-giving Spirit This does not
obliterate the personal distinction
between Christand
the
Spirit. Although
their
Persons are distinct, their Presence
is th
same.
Instead it emphasizes the
point that
at
His resurrection, Christ
experienceda"Spiritualqualification and
transformation so thorough,
an
endowment
of
the Spirit so complete
that
as
a result Christ and the Spirit can
be equated. This unprecedented
possession of the Spirit and the
accompanying
change in Christ result ht
September, 1992 TIlE COUNSEL of Chalcedon 13
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8/12/2019 1992 Issue 8 - Sermon on I Peter 3:17-22 - The Consequences of Christ's Suffering - Counsel of Chalcedon
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aunitysoclosethatnotonlycanitbesaid
simply that
the Spirit
makes alive, but
also
that Christ as
Spirit
makes a1ive."
Richard Gaffin, The
Centrality of
the
Resurrection . So
we
see,
that Paul in
I
Corinthians and
Peter
in I
Peter use the
word
"spirit"
in
the
same sense, to denote
post-resurrection
life.
(3).
The fact that 'llesh and blood
cannot inherit the
Kingdom of
God,
because they are perishable.
This
existing, earthly
life
and body are
perishable.
"Flesh"(SARX),
in I Cor.
15:50 is used in
the
same way as "flesh"
in IPet. 3:18. It denotes the perishability
ofpresertthumanlife,
inc1udingtheentire
sphere of human existence, man's
environment and
the
whole natural,
eanhly order
with everything that is
characteristic of human life, (pre
resurrection), Rom. 1:3. Thus,
the
flesh
spiritcontrastinlPeterandI
Corinthians,
is not an
anthropological contrast,
it
is
a
chronological and
bistorical contrast.
"Flesh" for Christ, and Christians, is
pre
resurrection life; and,
"spirit"
for Christ,
and Christians. is post-resurrection
life.
AsChristians, wehaveexperiencedinner
resurrection from
the
flesh:
i.e.,
fallen
human nature; but,since we
have not
yet
experienced outward, physical
resurrection, wewillcontinuetostruggle
against "the
flesh",
although
wewilldoso
victoriously,
Romans
6-7.
Christ
was
made alive
in
the spirit
because He was ''put to deaih in ti:leflesh.
Just
as
Christ
suffered in His entire
humanity,
so He
was
raised
from
the
deadand,glorified
inHisentire
humanity.
His redemptive
work was not complete
until the victory ofHis
resurrection.
His
exaltation
was
His
reward
from
God
for
His
hllI(liliation
for
our
salyation, Phil.
2:8-9.
The
implications of this truth are
important for us.
Just
as all
who
are in
Adam
die,
so
all
who
are in Christ, the
last Adam, are made
alive,
I
Cor.
15:22.
All
human beings in their fallen,
unbelieving condition are related to
Adam,
biologically and
covenantally,
Rom.
5:12f.
Whateverhappenedtohim
happens to
bis descendants,
i.e., the
human
race
.
Whatever he did, the
race
sufferstheconsequencesof. FromAdam
we inherit
the
guilt ofsin, asinfulhuman
nature, the condemnation of God, and
death
. But for those
who
belong to
Christ, things
are
totally
different. We
haveanewHead,anew Representative
Jesus Christ. God raised Him from the
dead as the I.as(Adam, I Cor. 15:45; so
that now,
whatever
happened
to Him,
happens to those who belong to Him.
Whatever
He
did,
we
enjoy the
consequences ~ f and
resurrection
All who
are in Christ
live Because He
was
raised
from the
dead,
it is absolutely
cenain that we, who are
in
Christ"
by
grace
through faith,
will
experience
this
glorious resurrection and thorough
transfonnation bytheSpiritaswell. ..i
the Spirit
ofHim who raisedJesusfrom
the
dead dwells
in
you, He who raised Christ
Jesus rom the
deadwill
also
give life
toyour
mortalbodtesthroughHisspiritwhoindwells
you,
Rom. 8:11.
It
is certain.
We can
be
assured ofit
The eternal and irreversible
salvation
of
allbelieversinJesus, who trnst
in Him as
their
substitute
and covenant
bead is
based here
.
Because
Christ
was
"mode
alive in the spirit: i.e., raised from the
dead and glorified, all His people will
experience Spiritual resurrection
from
the
inward death they inherited
from
Adam ,
which
separates
them
from God
and makes them unwilling and
unable
to
make
any proper
response to the offers
and commands of
God,
from
the
depravity
and
slavery of
sin
in the new
birth, Rom.
6:1ff;
John 5:24ff,
which
Spicttually transforms
and
endows with
Iifethewholeinnerlifeofaperson. And,
all
who have experienced
the new
birth
in
Christ, Cor
.5:17
areeternallysaved,
and
will,
without fail, be physically raised
from
the
dead
and
glorified by the Spirit
at
the Rerum
ofjesus Chctst, Rom.
8:11;
I Cor. 15:50f. Our
salvation is not
completeuntil
our
Spiritually resurrected
4 f TIlE COUNSEL ofChalcedon September, 1992
''irmer person
(soul)
is reunited
to
our
Spiritually resurrected "outer person"
(body)
at the Second
Coming
of
Christ.
Second.
Christwentand preached
to the spirits in prison,
vs. 19.
The
interpretations of this verse have
been
many,requiringus, therefore, tobecareful
and specific in our
consideration
of the
details of the
text,
to
r n ~
sure our
interpretation
isa
correct
one.
Verse
19
reads: in which also.He went and
made
proclamation (preached)
to the
spirits in
prison.
Let
us study every word.
a.The phrase,"in which: refers to
Christ's resurrected state.
Although the
has through
whom,
the Greek can
justasaccurately
be
translated,
inwhich,
i.e.,
in
which state of
spirit
that Christ's
being "made alive,
brought Him-His
exalted,
resutreCledstate.
Theantecedent
of wh1ch cannot be
the
first pan of the
sentence
having been put
to
deaih
in
the
flesh,
for Christ is no longer dead.
Therefore it must refer
to
the second
part,
made alive in
the
spirit,
or
resurrected
,Rom. 8:
11.
b.Bytheword , also,"apparentlyPeter
wants us to understand verse
19
as
continuing
the sequence
ofverbs, put
to
death and"modealive. Christ alsowent
andpreached.
To
bring
us
to
Godandto
complete His
victory
over sin,
Satap.and
death, Christ had to die and to
be
raised
from
the
dead
; and also, as a
further
encouragement
to us, as the risen Christ,
He went and preached
to
spirits in
prison,
proclaintiug
His victory.
c.
We
must not
overlook the word,
went, which, in
the
Greek, is used in
verse
19 and
in versen,
where
it refers
to
Christ's ascension:
''having
gone
into
heaven. "Therefore, apparently
it
has the
same
reference in verse
19.
The
Greek
partidple,
translated went, denotes a
spedfic change of location.
The
risen,
ascending Christ went
somewhere to
preach.
d.The Greek
word translated, "made
proclamation
: or
preached
is
EKERUXEN, meaning
to
proclaim
8/12/2019 1992 Issue 8 - Sermon on I Peter 3:17-22 - The Consequences of Christ's Suffering - Counsel of Chalcedon
3/11
publicly and loudly, to announce
as
one
heralding victory.
This
verb
is
in the
aorist tense, denoting decisive
proclamationat a definite point of
time.
It
is used
for
the proclamation of the
gospel of
"SOTERlA,"
i.e.,
victory over
sin, Satan and death in
Christ.
By this
verb
we
are to understand that the
resurrected Christ went somewhere and
proclaimed His victory over sin,
Saran,
death, and over all
His
enemies.
This
is
bad
news for His
enemies; but it
is
wonderful, encouraging news for
Christians being persecuted for His
Name's
sake.
e.who are the spirits
in
prLson to
whom Christ preached?
The
word,
"spirits," is used regularly in the
New
Testament to denote
evil
spirits, or
demons,
Mk
1:23,26,27;
3:11;
5:2, 8.
Peter
places two
qualifications on the
word:
(1).
They are kept
"in
prison.
In
n
Peter 2:4, he expands the meaningof
the
phrase: "For if
God
did not spare angels
when
Otey
sinned, but
cast
OtemintD
hell
and
committedOtemtopitsoJdarknm,
reserved
Jor
judgment... Jude picks up on this in
verse6: Andangelswhodidnotkeep Oteir
own
domain,
but
abWldoned
dleir
proper
abode,
He
has kept in eternal bonds under
darkness Jar
Ote
judgment
oj
die
great day.
And in Revelation 20:7, John writes:
AndwhenOte thousandyearsarecompleted,
Satan will be
released
Jrom hts prison. We
must conclude, then, that Peter, in 3:18,
is referring
to
Satan and demons, i.e.,
fallen angels, whenhespeaksof spiritsin
prLson.
(The
Bible
does not speak of the
souls of men being kept in prison.)
(2).They are "Ote
spirits
... who once
(aforetime, or long ago) were dis
obedient.... Notice that the phrase is the
spirits
..
who once
were
dtsobedient,
NOT
the spirits of those who
were once
disobedient. If t were the latter, Peter
could
be
referting to thesouls of
he
dead
who were disobedient in their lifetime.
However, the word, "spirits," as Peter
qualifies
it, refers to evil spirits who
disobeyed as spirits.
To say they disobeyed "once" or
"aforetime" or "long ago" is to indicate
that their disobedience, i.e., their
deliberate and conscious resistance
to
God's authority,was "formerly," at some
time
in thepast. Theirdisobedience took
place
plior
to
their imprisonment and to
Christ's preaching to them. In
fact,
verse
20
tells us
that this disobedience took
place
in
te
days
oJNoah. Therefore, the
term, "spirits," applies to the
fallen
angels
(demons) whose activity was so
pronounced and so dominant in the
days before Noah's Flood,when
evil
was
spreading
so
rapidlyin the eanh--'Then
the Lordsaw
that
the wickedness
oj
manwas
great
on
the
earth,
Wld
every Intent oj
the
thoughtsojhtsheartwasonlyevilcontinually.
-
And God looked on the earth, and
behold,
it was c o r r u p ~ Jar
all
flesh had
corrupted dleir way upon
the
earth, Gen.
6:5,12.
FromAdamtoNoah, Godwaspatient
with fallen
man.
Forthe
120 years
Noah
preached and built the ark,
God
was
lenient
in
waiting
to
execute
His
sentence
on the depraved human
race.
But
His
patience has limits "Then God
said
to
Noah, The end
oj
all
flesh had come beJore
Me; Jar the
earth
ts
filled
with violence
because oj them; and behold, I am about to
destroy
Otem
with
the
earth.
-
..
1
am
bringing thefloodoJwaterupon the
earth,
to
destroy
allflesh in
which ts
the
breath oJ life,
Jrom
underheaven; everything thatts on the
eardlShall perLsh," Gen. 6:13, 17.
Noah's .contemporaries were
notoriously
evil
and served as agents of
demonic spirits in their rebellionagainst
God. There is no othertimein historyin
which the conrrast between faith and
unbelief,
obedience and disobedience,
was as
pronounced
as
in the
days
of
NoahjustbeforetheFlood. Therebellious
evil
spirits seemed
to
control the human
race with the exception ofNoah and his
family.
How has this phrase, Christ
preached
to
spirits in
prLsOll, been interpreted by
Bible scholars? Some of the
interpretations are
far-
fetched, so letme
mention only three, two ofwhich have
some
feasibility, but
all falling shon of
the text, as we shall
see.
Some
have interpreted the text as
saying that between Christ's crucifixion
and resurrection, Christ went to hell to
preach to evangelize the lost souls there.
But,
this cannot be correct,
since
there is
no
second chance for salvationafter death
for those in hell, Heb. 9:27.
Others have understood the text as
teaching that Christ preached through
the preachingofNoahto the disobedient
people ofHis
day,
and who, because they
persistedintheirdisobedience,are NOW
"spiritsinprLson"inhell. Theywerenotin
hell, when Christ preached to them
through Noah, but they are
in
hell now.
The
translators of the
NASB
apparently
held this view, as is evident
from
their
placing ofthe word, now ,
in
italics,
in
the phrase, the spirits now
in
prison.
This
interpretation is appealing, but we
mustlayitasidebecause, ''now''isabsent
in the Greek,
and it
does not deal
a d e q u a t e l y ~ t h t h e grammarof he
verse,
which indicates that went
and
preached"
hastheresurrected,notthepre-incarnate,
Christ as its subject.
A third interpretation
is
that
of the
greatScottish, Biblescholar,joImBrown.
And it is
very
appealing. According
to
Brown,
in his resurrection, Christ was
infinitely endowed by the Holy Spirit
with an inuneasurable superabundance
oflife
so
as to
enable Him to
give
eternal
life
to those dead
in
their sins, In.
12:24,32; 3:34. Having died
for
sin and
been raised, glorifiedandgiventhe Spirit
without measure, Christ now preaches
to
spirits
in
prison, i.e, guilty
and
depravedpeople, imprisoned by
sin
and
Satan, lsa. 61:
If
setting them free,
through the preaching of the gospel by
apostles and ministers. Through
which
in verse 19 refers
to
the agency of the
Holy Spilit, who made him alive".
Ephesians 2:17 seems to confirm this
view,
when it speaks of the resurrected
September, 1992 THE COUNSEL
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Chalcedon 5
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8/12/2019 1992 Issue 8 - Sermon on I Peter 3:17-22 - The Consequences of Christ's Suffering - Counsel of Chalcedon
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Christ coming
and preaching
to
the
Ephesians
through
the
apostles.
This
truth, taught
elsewhere
in the Bible,
Rom.
10:
13-15andEph.
2:
17 , sagreatmotive
for
evangelism
and
world
missions.
However,althoughthisinterpretation
exdtes us,
because
it is taught in
the
Word of
God,
we
must
reject it
as the
proper interpretation of Peter3:19
for
rwo
reasons:
(1).
Brown
stretches
the
meaning of made
alive ; (2). He fuils to
do justice
to the
aorist tense of
preach,
indicating a point in time, not a
continuous action;
(3).
And he fails
to
deal
adequately with the
grammatical structure
of
the text,
and with
such
phrases, as "spiritS ..who
were dtsobedienL.in the
days
of
Noah.
After having
held
the
previOUS
. wo
views,
(not
the first one),
I now
find
myself in the position
of
havington;jectthem,and
to adopt the following
one,
because of the
force
of our
concise
exegesis
of
the
verse in the earlier
paragraphs.
The
resurrectedChrist,
duringHisAscension
to
God's
right hand,
proc1aimed
His
victdry over sin,
Satan and
death to the
fallen spirit-world,
(demons), who
are
chained in darkness
until their eternal
damnation on
the
final day of udgment,
when theyare castinto the
bottomless
pit
ofhell. As
Colossians 2:15
says: "When
He disarmed them/ers andauthorities, (i.e.,
demonlcspirits), He made
apubltcdisplay
of
them, having triumphed over them through
Him
(RememberthattheBlblerefersto
Satan
as
theprinceofthepoweroftheair.")
Amazing
The
resurrected, glorified,
exalted
Christ, ascending to the highest
place
of honor and
authority
in
the
universe-God's right hand;
enters the
worldofSatartanddemons,fordblycalls
them
to
gather, and
declares His victory
over
sin,
Satan
and death
to them, who
a
fewhours earlierwere rejoicing that they
had
destroyed
God's
Son
in
death and
the grave. Now they are told
authOritatively that, while they
bruised
His
heel, He
had,
in fact, crushed thctr
heads: Gen
3:
15f. What a
sermon that
must have been What a congregation,
forced
to listen
to every
word It was
a
congregation comprised only of Satan
and
his
fiendish, totally
evil,
perverted,
God-hating,
man-hating,
murderous,
lying, envious,
enraged, monstrous
demons. The risen Christ takes
the
pulpit, calis the
service to order,
ooks at
His
congregation and triumphantly
shouts:
You
are finished
have
defeated you
forever
am
coming
back at the endd of History to
castyou
into the bpttomless pit of hell Until
then, am keeping you chained in
darkness, awaiting that great
day of
judgment, when will
say
to
you
-Go
To Hell
Praise
God,
suffering,
slandered
Christians
Satan's servants and
dupes
donothaveasnowball 'schanceinheUto
harm you or to defeat you, or to keep
God from fulfilling His promises
and
advancing His kingdom,
Heb.
2: l4f. Let
this
truth
get
hold
o you and excite
you
Let it
encourage
and uplift you Let it
motivateyou
Nomatterwhattheydoto
you, they are defeated and they know it.
Christ told
them
In blind,
reckless
fury
and hatred, they are destroying
themselves trying to destroy you, while
16 I
THE
COUNSEL of
Chalcedon
I September, 1992
you remain Hyper-conquerors, more
thanconquerorsin
Christ.
Don't lettheir
threats and intimidations
get to
you It's
all a
big
blum They
hate Christ for
"rubbing
it in",
when
he proc1aimed His
victory to the
spirits
in prison. Now,
since they
cannot
get
at
Him, theywiU try
to get at
those
whom Christ loves most,
His
blood-bought
people. But am
absolutelyconvincedthatnothingintime
or eternity,
in
life or death, on
eanhorin
hell, can
separateus
from the love of
God
in Christ
Jesus
our
Lord.
Third,
Baptism
now
saves
you
through the
resurrection of Jesus
Christ, vs. 21.
The
mentionofthearkinverse
20 enabled Peter to shift
his
thoughts
from
those
upon whom judgment
feU to
those
who were
saved.
The salvation of
Noah and his family
reminded him of the
salvation we have in
christ from
the
wrath of
Godwhichdesrroyedthe
old world; and this
reminded him of baptism, the sign and
seal of
that salvation. Do we
think
like
this?
Howcloselyissalvationandbapclsm.
linked
in
our understanding?
.
In order to understand verse
21,
we
must keep
every
word of it before our
minds, and answer three questions: (1).
How were eight
people saved
by
or
through
water?
(2). How does
Noah's
Floodsymbolize
and represent Christian
Baptism?
(3). How
does baptism now
save us?
And
corresponding
tn
that,
baptism
nawsavesyou-nottheremovalofdirtfrom
the .flesh,
bl t
an appeal tn God
for
a good
c.onsciena-throughtheresurrectionof]=
OrrisL.: vs. 2l
Question
one: How
were eight
people
saved
by or through water, vs.
20? As
our
text
shows, this is
obviously
a reference to Noah's fumUy being saved
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5/11
in the ark, while the rest
of
the human
race drowned in the worldwide Flood,
Gen. 7
,8,9.
Anunderlyingassumptionis
that their
physical
salvation from the
Flood-waters was, atthe
same time,
their
spiJituai and moral
salvation
from
the
infuqiogs corruption
of a
fullen race
qUickly
spreading throughout the earth,
and
from
the wrath ofGod
on that
fallen
race,
Gen.6.
Thisphraseinverse20,
eightpersons,
were brought saJely
through
th water,
records the
rransition
from theoldworld,
(pre-flood),
to
the,
very literally, new
world, (post-flood). Thecompoundverb
and the preposition, DIA, give
the
force
of
complete
deliverance.
The
passive
voice indicates thatthe arkwas
the actual
agent
of
their
salvation.
The waters
ofthe Flood
drowned
the
evil
human race but
cau sed the ark to
floa
t
safely.
The Flood-waters that
destroyed the wicked weretheverymeans
ofsalvationforNoahandhisfarnily. The
waters
buoyed up the ark and brough t
them
safely
through w the new world
washed
clean
by divine judgment.
The
family
of
Noah wentinto the
ark and left
behind a world of
evil.
After going
through
the waters
of
the Flood formore
thanayear,Noah'sfumilyl
eft
thearkand
knew that
God
had
saved
them
from
being drowned by an ocean of human
corruption under thewrath ofGod. This
point
is
made time andagain throughout
the Scripture, e.g., the
Exodus and
Calvary.
God saves us
from
our
enemies, not by rapturing us from
our enemies, but by destroying our
enemies by conversion, Acts
9:1ff,
demoralization, Josh. 5:1,
or
death,
Psa. 58:6-11.
Question two: How does Noah's
flood symbolize and represent
Christian
Baptism? There is a
resemblance, ( correspondence ) ,
between the Flood and
baptism.
As the
Flood-waters cleansedtheearth
of
man's
wickedness,
so
the water of baptism
indicates man's cleansing from sin, Tit.
3:5. AstheFioodseparatedNoahandhis
family
from the
evil
world of heir
day, so
haptism separates believers from the
evil
world of our
day,
Ga
l. 3:27. Baptism
is
thecounterpanoftheFlood.
The parallel
lies
in the
saving
experience of
Noah
and
his
family passin
g through the
Flood
waters
to a new
world;
and
Christian
Baptism
as
that which den
otes
the
believer's passage
from
the old life ofsin
to
new life in Christ, Rom. 6:3-4.
(Excursus:
The salvation of Noah
and his
family
by the water of the Flood
corresponds
to
baptism, and
yet
it
was
the world that
was
immersed, not
Noah
and his
tamily
Th
e most
one can
say
is
that th
ey were
"sprinkled" by the rain.
Baptism doesnotme
animmersioll. Noah
and his
fumily were
the only
people
on
eanh,
who
were
not
inrmersed;
and
yet,
it cannot be said that the whole,
immersed,
evil
world was baptized )
Question three:How does Baptism
now save
us? Let
us consider
carefully
every word. "Baptism" is
the
application
ofwater by aminister of
h gospel
in the
name of the triune God. The use of the
word, "now," is a marked feature of I
Peter,
1:6,
12;
2:10,
25.
It
denotes
the
time of he New
Dispensation, Eph
. 1:10,
the
last Days, Heb.
1:1-2, the
Day
of
Salvation, Cor.
2,
the Reign of
Grace,
Rom. 5:2
1, the Coming ofthe Kingdom
of Christ, Mk. 1:15;
I
Cor. 15:24ff,
into
human history. Salvation,
("saves"), is
defined by I Peter
1:
1-9
as tota
l and
complete freedom from sin, (its guilt,
punishment, powerand presence), and
perfection in holiness. The pronoun
us' refers to
Peterand to
th
addressees
ofhisepistle, identifiedin
1:
1-2 as"those
who are chosen (by God before time,
Eph
. 1 3[) according
to
the
foreknowledge ofGod theFather, by the
sanctilYingworkoftheSpirit, that
(they)
may obey
Jesus
Christ and besprinkled
with
His
blood
.. ." n
other words, the
us" which baptism saves are believing
recipients of the lich salvation we have
in Christ.
The phrase, baptismsaves us,' snot
unparalleledintheNewTestarnent:Rom.
6:3-5;
Gal. 3:27; Col.
2:
12.
Here Peter
qualifies
its
meaning. He tells us in what
sense baptism DOES NOT
save,
and in
what sense
it
DOES save.
First,
we
have the
qualifYing
phrase,
not
the removal
oj
dirt
Jrom
the
flesh,
showing us in what sense baptism
does
NOT save. It reminds us that haptism
does not
save
in the physical, material,
literal
sense. Thewaterofbaptismcannot
washawaysin. TIrissacrament, inandof
itself, ex opere operato, is not
effective
in
obtainingsalvation. The idea that the
rite
ofwaterbaptismcansave,conveyspiritual
life,
justify and regenerate is absurd,
unbiblical and dangero
us.
It is absurd
because moral flaws and moral
effects
musthave moral
causes
and moral cures.
Second, Petergives
us two
qualifying
phrases, showing us in what sense
baptismdoes
save: (1).
''but an
appeal
to
God Jar a good
conSCIence:
and (2).
through the resurrection
oj]esus
Christ
In the first phrase, appeal, can just as
easily
be translated more clearly as
"pledge." Baptism is God's pledge to th
believer
that the covenanted blessings of
salvation will continue to be bestowed
onhim,
Rom.
4:11. Itisalsothebeliever's
pledge to
serve
the Lord with a good
conscience, i.e., one cleansed by the
blood ofChristthrough IiIith, Heb. 9:
14,
accompanied by a life lived
conscientiously and obediently
to
God's
honor and
glory, Rom
. 2:15.
At this point, one might ask,
"How
then
may
infants be baptized, since they
cannotmake this pledge, without which
baptism does not save?" The first
observation
we
should make about this
question
is
that, if it were allowed to
stand,
all
circumcision of
infants
in the
Old Testament would be illegitimate,
since,
although circumcision was a sign
and
seal
of salvation,
Rom.
4:
11,
the
infants would
be
incapable of
understanding baptism, much less of
makingapledgewliIithfuiness. However,
September, 1992 TIlE COUNSEL
of
ChaIcedon 7
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as Thomas Watson
has
pointed
out:
"Neither could the child that
was to
be
circumcized understand drcumcision;
yet the ordinance of drcumcision
was
nouobeomitt.edordeferred,
Gen. 17: If[
Though an infant understand
not
the
meaning of baptism it may partake
of
the
blessing of baptism.
The
litde children
that Quist took
in
his anns, undetstood
not christ's meaning" but
they
had
Cluist's blessing. put
his hands upon
themandblessedthem,'Mk.1O:16. -ABody
of
Divinity
Watson goes on to answer two more
related questions:
(1). What benefit can
the infant bave in being baptized, ifhe
does not understand
it?
Answer:
"It
may
have a right
to
the promise
sealed
up,
which it shall have
an acrual
interest in
when it comes
to
have
faith.
A
legacy
may be of use
to
the child in the
cradle;
thoughitnowunderstandnotthelegacy,
yetwhenitisgrownuptoyears,itisfuUy
possessed of it." (2). Since the person
baptized must rnake a
pledge
to God,
how can infants be baptized,
since the
y
areincapapleofmakingpledges? Answer:
"The
parents can
engage
for it,
which
God is pleasedlo accept
as equivalent to
the child's personal engagement, (Deut.
29:100."
n
the second phrase,
through
the
resurrection
ofJesus
Dlmt: showing
us
how baptism
DOES
save, we
are taught
an important
truth
. Without the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, which
presupposes His death, baptism would
be an empty ritual.
The
etudfied and
resurrected Christ
is
the basis of our
salvation and our
guarantee
of
victory
ov r
sin, Satan and death,
Acts
4:
12
.
Peter
has
already told us
that God has
regenerated us by the resurrection of
Christ, 1:3, and by His Word, 1:23; so
there is no doubt or
confusion
in
Peter's
mind: waterdoesnotsave
Christ saves
Baptism
isasiguandseal of
hat salvation
in Guist God
sovereignly
saves us
by
His sheer
grace
by sending
His
SonJesus
Christ,
to save
us by
His
shed- blood.
The Holy Spirit saveS us by
applying the
benefits
of Christ's
death
to
our lives
through
the preaching
of
the gospel,
which we receive by saving faith,
which
isa gift
of
God, publicly confessed, and
signed
and
sealed
to
us
by the sacrament
of
baptism. It is
in
thisway
that
baptism
now saves
us.
Thisbrings us
to
abrief, bumecessary,
and hopefully helpful, explanation of
"a
sacramental way of speaking.
The
actions of
God
are sometimes spoken of
by means of
the signs
and symbols
that
represent
them
,
Gen. 17: 10,13; Exod
.
13:21; 34:5;
Ezek.
36:25;Psa.
50:8;M.aL
26:27,28; I Pet. 3:21; Rom. 6:4; Col.
2:11,12. For
example,
in
Ezekie136:25
weare
told
thatGodwillcleanseusofour
sinsbythebloodofChristandthepower
of the
Holy Spirit
in
the
New Covenant;
but the exact wordS
are:
"I
will
sprinkle
clean water
on
you, and you
will
be
clea L
Paul tells the Ephesians that Christ
c1eansesHis Bride from
her
sins by the
Word and Spirit ofGod; but, again, his
exact
wordS
are: ..
that
He mightsanctify
her, having cleansed her y
the washing of
waterwith the word...
Eph. 5:26. When
the
Israeliteswent to
the threshold
of the
Tabernacle to seek
the
Lord's counsel or
to make their
vows
to the Lord, it
s
said
that
they
went
bifore
the Lord, Judg.
20:26.
Understanding"asacramentalwayof
speaking"
involves
understanding
the
threepartsofasacrament:
(1). the visible
sign;
2). the things signified; and (3) . he
sacramental union, i.e., the
relation
of
the sign and the spiritual reality.
That
union
is
so close that the
names and
effects of
the one are often
attributed
to
the other; hence,
I
Peter
3:
21. Asimilar
way
ofspeaking
is
related
to
the unity
of
the two natures, (divine andhuman) ,in
.
he
one person ofJesus
Christ. The
two
are
never divided nor
confused.
Some
thingsJesus
does
can
only be true of His
divine
nature,
e.g.,
forgive
sin;
while
other things
are
true only ofhis human
nature, e.g., thirst for
water.
And yet,
because of the
close
union of the two
natures in
Christ,
actions which
are
true
18 Ul COUNSEL of
ChalcedOll.
September, 1992
of
one are sometimes
attributed
to
the
other.
For
example, Acts 20:28 can
speak of
the
church
as bought
with the
blood
o
God."
God
had no
blood;
but
Jesus'
humanity
did.
Therefore,
Christ
savesandsealsthatsalvationtousthrough
baptism.
The salvation
and the seal
are
clearly distinct,
and
yet
because
their
relation
is
so close,
it can
be
said
that
baptism saves, without implying
baptismal regeneration as taught by
Roman Catholidsm.
This sacrnmental
union
between the
sacrament,
Le.,
lis ..ble
sign
and the
invisible
spiritual reality,
i.e.,the thing
signified, Is:
1).
symbolic and
representative,
i.e,
the
one
symbolizes
and represents the other; (2).
instrumental, because by divine
appointment,
through
the right use
of
the
sacrament,
thespiIitualgracesignilled
inthesacramentisreaUycortveyed
to
the
believer
.
This
union
is
based
on three
things:
(1).
the
natural fimess of the
sacrament
to
symbolize the grace
signified,
as
washing
With
water
symbolizes the
purification ofsin by the
Spirit. (2).Theauthoritativeappointment
ofChristthatthesesacramentsofbaptism
and the
Lord's
Supper, righdy used,
would
truly represent and
convey
the
grace
of salvation
to
the believer,
Mat
28
:
18f. (3)
.TheSpirit-produced
faith
of
the
believing redpient of he sacrament
enables him to
conunune with
God
and
to receive Chtist in the right use of the
visible
sign Heb.
11:6;
I
Cor.
10:14-ll;
11:17-34.
Finally, undetstanding the purposes
f r
which
Christ gave
us the sactalllents
ofbaptism
and
the Lord's
Supper,
helps
us uridetstand what
is
meant by
the
phrase,
baptismnowSa\lesus.
According
toA.A.Hodge,inhisbook, TheConfession
ofFaith, Christ instituted the
sacrnments
forthefollowingreasons:(l).torepresent
the
benefits of Christ and the
New
Covenant
to us
as pictures of the truths
they represent, I Cor. 10:16; 11:25,
presented "totheeyesandothersensesof
the
redpient in a manner
analogous to
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that in which they
are
presented
to the
earsinthepreachingofthe
Word." Hence,
they
are
called outward, visible signs
to
the
senses of inward Spiritual
graces
to
the soul. (2)
.
To
be
"seals"
of
he benefu:s
of the New Covenant, Rom.
4:11; Rom.
6:4;
Gal.
3:27. Jesus
said,
This
cup
is
th
NewCovenantinMyblood, il
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8/11
22.
This
is the culmination of
Christ's
sufferings: the universality of His
dominion.
The universal.
re
igh
of
the
risenChristis a truth
taught
throughout
the Bible. The same point
is
made in
Ephesians
1:20f-
..which He
brought
in Christ, when
He raised
Him
from
the
dead and seatedHim
at
His right hand
in
m
heavenly places,
far
above
all
rule
and authority andpower and
dominion,
and every name that is named, not only
in this age, but
also
in
the
one
to come.
AndHeputallthingsinsubjectionunder
His feet, and gave -lim
as
head
over
all
things
for
the church .. ." I Corinthians
15:25 adds: "For He
must
reign until He
has put
all His enemies under
His
feet. The
last
enemy that is
being
abolished is death
For'Hehasputall
things in
subjectlonuncler
Hisfeet'
...
Paul
declares in Philippians 2:5-11 ,
that
s
God's reward to Christ
for
voluntarily humiliating
Himself
for our
salvation,
"becomitlgobeclienttothepointof
death evendeathonacross,
therefore, "God
high ; exalted Him,
and
bestowed on Him
thenamewhich isabave every
nome,
thatat
the name of
esus,
every knee shouldbow,of
those who are in
heaven,
and on earth, and
under the
earth and that
every tongue
should confess
thatJesus
Christis
Lord,
to
theglory
of
God
the
Father."
In
Revelation
11:15, the seventh
angels shouts, "The
kingdomof
heworldhasbecome thekingdom
ofour Lord,
and
of
His
Christ,
and
He
will
reignforever
and
ever.' And long before
Christ was bom, Daniel prophesied
of
Him "And
to
Him
was
given dominion,
glory and
a kingdom, that
all the
peoples,
nations and
men
ofevery language might
serve him.
His
dominion
Is
an everlasttng
dominumwhkh willnotpass
awa.Y;
andHis
kingdom
is
one
which will
not
be
destroyed,
7:13-14. ]esusHimselproclairned,"All
authority has been given to
Me
in heaven
and
n earth Mat
. 28:18.
Now, letuslook
carefully
at ourtext,
I Pet. 3 :
21-22-
.. hrough the
resurrection of]esus
Christ,
who
is
at the
right hand of God ,
having gone
into
heaven, after
angels
and authorities and
powers
had been subjected to
Him.
Notice
the follOwing
emphases
of this
text: (1).Where is Christnow?
A- atthe
right hand of God." (2).When
did
He
take
that position? A.- through the
resurrection,"
"having
gone
into
heaven,"
Le. at
His ascension.
(3).
What
is the
extent
of
His
authority and
sovereignty,
Le.,
his
Kingdom?
(1). WHERE
IS
JESUS CHRIST
NOW?
Answer: HE
IS
SITTING AT
THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, vs. 22.
The focus
of
the New Testament is
on
Cnrist 's Throne at the Right
Hand
of
God, Lk.
22:69;
Eph. 1:20; Col.
3: 1;
Heb.
1:3;
10:12;
12:2, indicating the
fulfillment of the messianic
Psalm
110:1- The Lord says to
my
Lord: 'Sit
at My right hand, until I
make Thine
enemies a footstool
for
Thy
feet.
m
What
does
Christ's
sitting
"at
the
righthandofGod
signify? (1).
Itdenotes
the highest position of honor and
authority in the universe, next to God
Himself.
He
is
seated there as king,
majestic in
glory
,with
God
in the
govemmentoftheuniverse,
sa.
9:6.The
textmakesitclearthatChrist'sgoverning
of he universe
is
not something that
will
take
place inthe
future.
Itisineffectnow.
It
is not that
He
will
sit, but
He
"is
sitting at God's right hand in powerand
sovereignty. (2). He is
a
seated priest,
Heb. 1:3-4. The Old Testament priests
could not sit down, becaUse their work
was
never done.
They were always
offeringsactifices;
butwhen
Christ
offered
Himself
as
our
sacrifice
for
sin
once-for
all there need
be
no further sactifices,
~ e
His sacrifice successfully
obtained
etemalredempDon"forallthoseforwhom
He died, Heb . 7:; 9:.
Therefore, having
finished the work Godsent Him
to
earth
to do-the
accomplishing of
the eternal
salvationofGod'speople,
He
satdown
at
God's
right hand in trinmph over sin,
Satan
and death, Mat. 26 :64; Acts
7:55;
Heb. 12:2. (3). From God
's
right
hand,
Jesus
Christ
baptized His church
with
the
abundance of
the Holy Spirit on
the
day of Pentecost,
recorded in
Acts
2.
He
20 TIlE
COUNSEL
of
ChaIcedon September,
1992
continues
to
equip
His
church with
Spiritual
gifts, ministries and
powers,
along
with a Spirit-produced
Bible
,
Acts
2:33
-35
;
Eph
. 4:7-8;Rom. 12:31. And,
(4).
seated at God's
right hand, Heactsas
ourInrercessorandAdvocate, constantly
praying
for us
and
pleadingHis death in
ourbehalf, Rom.
8:34;
Heb .
9:24;
I]n.
2:;
Heb.8:1.
(2). WHEN DID
CHRIST
TAKE
THIS
POSITION
AT mE RIGHt
HAND OF GOD? Answer: AT
HlS
RESURRECDON
AND ASCENSION,
vs.22.0urtextsaysthattheresurrected
Chtist, vs. 21
,
is
"at the right
hand
of
God,
having gone
intoheaven." Christ's
resurrection broughtHim
to
His present
lordsbipandexaltationbyHisascension.
His ascension was His actual
enthronement,
Acts
1:6-11.
When
the
New Testament
speaks
of
the
reign
of Christ,
it
always speaks
of it
as
something
in
effect
right
now,
and not
as
something
that
will
not
take
place
until the future.
In I
Peter 3:21-
22
the
beginning
of
Hisreign is
clearly
withHis
resurrection and
ascension.
The past
tense
verbs
in Ephesians
1:20-22
make
the same point:
when
God
"raised
Him
fromthedead,"He seated
Him
atHis right
hand
;
and
He
"gave
Him
as
head
over
n
things." "He
put all.
things
In subjection
underHisfeerinverse22,beingapresent
tense verb,
which .
shows
continuous
action indicates
that
God is continually
at wo;k in human history bringing all
things
into
subjection to Christ, Jor
He
mustreignunttl8ehasplacedaliHisenemies
under
His
feet"
Philippians 2:
9-11
also
describes the
resurrection
of
Christ
as
His
enthronement in
past
tense
verbs.
U
the
verbs
in these verses
are
in the
aorist tense, denoting decisive action
ina
definite
moment of past time- God
highly exalted Him, (God) bestowed on
Him the
name: "that
..
every knee should
bow,"
"that
every tongue should
confess."
Thepointis:Jesus Christis theking
of the earth and universe
now . Since
His resurrection
and
ascension to God's
8/12/2019 1992 Issue 8 - Sermon on I Peter 3:17-22 - The Consequences of Christ's Suffering - Counsel of Chalcedon
9/11
righthand,Hehasbeenandwillconunue
to
be the
King oJkings,
and Lord oJlords,
to whom all authority, power and
sovereigntyhas been given, Mat. 28:
18f.
He, not Satan, has everything underHis
comrol. His
will
is being accomplished.
His plans are being carried out. He has
orchestrated everything
'Jor
the
church,
Eph.l:22,sothateverythingthathappens
in the universe throughout history will
be
for
the benefit of the church and
for
the glory of God. As the Absolute
Monarch of heUniverse, the resurrected
Jesus administers the
covenant blessings andcurses
of Deuteronomy 28 and
Leviticus 26 on His friends
and enemies, cursing those
who curse us, and blessing
us, alongwiththose who bless
us,
Gen
.
12:
;
Rom. 15:8.
As
the Westminster Shorter
Catechism says: "Christ
executes the
office
of a king,
in subduing us to Himself,
Acts 15: 14f, in ruling, lsa.
33:22, and defending
us,
Isa.
32: If and in restraining and
conquering l l
His
and our
enemies, I Cor.
15:25.
"
(3). WHAT
IS
THE
EXTENT
OF
HIS
AUTHORITY AND
SOVEREIGNTY, I.E., HIS KINGDOM?
Answer: ANGELS,AUTHORITIES,AND
POWERSHAVEBEEN
SUBJECTEDTO
HIM, vs.
22. The aorist passive Greek
parriciple,
having
been
made
subject to
Him,
translated,
''have
been subjected to
Him,
stresses the actual subjection of
everything to Christ's governing
authOrity.
The
passive voice
indicates
that everything
now
standsinsubjecuon
to Him. Colossians 2: 13-15 tells us that
the basis for this universal dominion of
Christ is His redemptive work on the
cross, i.e., His incomparable suffering
and death:
And
when you were dead in your
transgressions and the uncircumcision
oj
yourjlesh,
Hemadeyoualive together with
Him,
having
Jorgiven
us
all our
transgressions, having canceled out the
certifica
te
oj
debtconsistingoJdecrees against
us
and
which was
hostile to us;
and He
has
takenitoutoJtheway, having
nailed it to
the
cross. When He haddisann
ed
the rulers and
authorities,
He
made a
public display
oj
dum, having triumphed
over them
Qlrough
Him
:
And
so,
the
thOUght
of submission
to
God, whichisthechief raitor Christians,
and which has been in the mind of Peter
throughout his first epistle, now reaches
a
climax
in
verse 22.
CHRIST'S EMPIRE
HAS
NO
BOUNDARIES IN TIME OR SPACE OR
ETERNITY: His supreme govemrnentis
'Jar above
All
rule aJul authority and
power
and
dominion
and EVERYname
that
is
named, not only in dlis age, but also in
the
one to
come:Eph. 1:21. Godhasplaced
All
filings
insubjectionunder
HisJeet,
and
gave
Him as head over ALL things ..
,
Eph.
1:22. He is the King oJkings, and
Lord
oj
lords, Rev. 19:16. All auVlOrity IN
HEAVEN
AND
EARm
has
been given
to
(Him),
Mat. 28: 18. Angels
andauthorities
and powers
(have)
been subjected to Him,
I Pet. 3:22. God exalted
Him
to this
majestic position in order that All
the
peoples,
nations
and
nun of every IWlguage
might serve Him
His
domillion is
an
everlasttng dominion
which
will
not pass
away; and His
kingdom is
one
which
will
not
be
destroyed, Dan 7:13-14. Therefore,
all the
ends oj
he
earth
will remember and
tum to the Lord,
and all
dIe
Jamilies ojV e
nations
will
worship beJore Thee, Jar the
Kingdom
is
the Lord's and He
rules
over the
nations, Psa. 22:27. EVERY/mee will
bow
a)ul EVERY tongue wiU
conJess that
'1esus Christ
is
Lord. ..
,
Phil. 2:9-11. All
opposition
to
His rule in
all
areas
will
be
put down,
'Jor
He must Jeign until He
has
putAllHisenemiesunder
HisJeet. -
And
when all
things are subjected
to Him, then
dle Son HiJnselj also will
be
subjected to the
OnewllOsubjectedall things to
Him,
that God may
be
all
in
all, 1Cor. 15:24ff.
Christ's monarchy is
etemal and universal.
It
is
supreme over all human
beings and over all their
instirutiollS. He is
the Ruler
oj he kings oj
he
earth,
Rev.
1:5.
Throughout history
every tribe, race, ethnic
group, nation and people of
every
languag
e
are
accountable
to
His supre
macy.
You
are accountable
toHislordshipoverYOUI If
you are not a Christian,
Believe
in the LORD Jesus
Chlistandbesaved,youandyourhousehold,
Acts 16:31. Ifyou con
ess
withy
ourmouth
that JESUS IS
LORD, and
believe in your
heart that God has
raised
Him from the
dead, YOUwiUbe saved, Rom. 10:9.
Christ is also king over the angelic
world, including both un allen angels
and
fallen angels,
i.e., Satan and his
demons, IPet. 3:22. The unfallen angels
sing His praises, and are ever-ready
to
serve Him and to obey His every
command,
Mat.
4:6; Heb.
1:7;
12:22;
II
Thess.l:7.
The
fallen angels, (Satanand
hisdemons), arealsounder Hissovereign
comrol. During His earthly life He
rebuked, mocked, cast out and
commanded demons with such
omnipotence and sovereignty that they
could do nothing but obey, although
they hated to do so, Mark 3:22-27. He
September, 1992
l' TH
COUNSEL of Cha1cedon l' 21'
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8/12/2019 1992 Issue 8 - Sermon on I Peter 3:17-22 - The Consequences of Christ's Suffering - Counsel of Chalcedon
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wouldeveno'ochestratetheirevilschemes
to serve His own purpose and
to
aa:omplish
His
own will. "He causes
the
wrath of
the wicked to please Him."
PetertellSusthat "Goddidnotspare
(fallen)
angels when
they
sinned,
but
cast
them
into
hell
nd
committed them to pits
oj
darkness
reservedJor u g m e n ~
nPet.
2:4.
These
fiillen
angels
are
so
restrained by
Christ
's
government thatJude says:
"He has kept
(them) in eternal bonds under darkness Jor
thejttdgmentoJthegreatday,"vs.6.
Since
Christ's
lite,
death and resurrection, He
has
"bound" Satan,
ie.,
vastly cm".ailed
hispower,inllUlince
andactivities, so
He
can
"enter the
strong man's .
house
and plunder
hi Y
property: Mark 3:27, i.e.,"
destroy
hisevilldngdomll ld'
set his
captives
free, Eph.
;
2:1ff.
And,
again,
thisrule of >
Christ
over Satan
is
basedon
the
aa:omplishments
of
His
sufferings and
death. As
Hebrews2:14says: "Since
the
chlldrenshareinjleshandblood,
He Himself (Chr sV Hhewise
also partook
oj
the same
that
throuFJtdeathHemightrender
powerless him who
had
the
power oj
death, that is,
the
devil...
."
So,
therefore,
faithful Christians have
nothing to
fear
from
Satan
and his
demons. Although he acts like
a
rooting
lion, seeldng
someone to devour,
if we
resist
him, firm in
the
faith,
he
willllee
from uS,lPet
5:8
9;James4:7. "Youare
ojGod, little chtldren,
nd have overcome
them;
because
greater is He Who is in you,
than he
who
is
in
the world,"
I In.
4:4.
"Christ's sovereignty over all spirituaL
forces is a precious assurance to aIllicted
believers.
Surely
Peter's readers, who
were facing a
very
real
onslaught
from
evilpowers
through
their
enemies,
would
findrealencouragementinthatremark."
D. Edmond Hiebert, First Peter.
(4).
WHAT
ARE
THE
IMPLI
CATIONS OF THE UNIVERSAL
DOMlNlON OF THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST FOR US
TODAY?
a.
The Church exists
for
thesake
of
Christ's
Kingdom
.
By the preaching
and teaching of the gospel, it is to work
at
''making the world's nations Christ's
disciples," Mat. 28:
18f. .....to belong to
thechurchisto
belongto
Christ'sworking
COfjlS, to his army
militant,
to
that divine
society
which
He has set upon
the earth
as the
propaganda of
His
royal
cause
in
the earth.
- The very
meaning and
purpose
of he
Churchinthe earth
makes
it a missionary institute
and
binds it
to
devoteitselfeXclusivelyandindustrlously
to
theest hlistunent
n ninstrwllent ry
way,
of
the
mediatort3l Kingdom
of
the
Redeemer;
and
the sublimest
motive
which
can
play
upon
the Christian
heart
to
urge
it
to aggressive enterprises is
derived from
the
fact that the
success
of
the
Church's mission is the triumph of
the Kingdom of the Redeemer.
"-
Alexander
Webb,
Olristian
Salvation: Its
Doctrine
and
Experience.
b. Submission to the Lordship of
Christisessentialtosalvation .
Resting
on and unconditionally surrendertng
to
Jesus Christ is of
the
essence of true
savingfaith,Mat.
7:
21. Apersonbecomes
a
Christian
when
he/she "believes
in the
LORD
Jesus:
Acts 16:31.
Confession
with the
mouth
thatJESUS
SLORD
and
faithin
the
heart
that
God
hasraisedHIm
from
the dead are
absol
ute
necessities, if
aperson is to be forgiven ofhis sins and
acceptedwithGod
,
Rom.10:9.Although
harles
Ryrie
calls
those who
teach
what
12 IRE COUNSEL ofCha1cedon September, 1992
wehave uststated as "under the curse of
perverting the
gospel," in
his
book,
Balandng the Christian
LiJe
"those
who
c
ontend that
a
person may be saved
without submitting
to
the
Lordship of
Christ are contending that there is
forgivenesswithoutrepenrance,aconcept
entirely without biblical foundation, Lk.
17:3."
Arnold Ten
Pas,
The
Lordshtp
Controversy.
You cannot
enjoy the
benefitsofChrist's cross
without
bowing
before the
claims
of Christ's crown'"
c.
The
Universal dominion ofjesus
Christ
is tIle
basis for Ch..-tstia..
reconstruction.
Since
Jesus
Christ
is
Lord over everything,
everything
(all
individuals
and
institutions) is aa:ountable
to
Him. The
church is
to
submit
to
Hisrulerevealedin
theBible,
as is
the home,
the school, the
civil government, the
courts,
business and
industry"
the
military, and
all
other
facets
and institutions
of
human
society. As Christians, we are
to
press His claims and to
establish
His crown rights in
every area of our own and of
our
nation's
life, Gen. 1:28;
Mat.
28:18f, aswellasineveryareaofthe
life
of
the
whole world,
Mk. 16:
15.
SinceJesus is Lord, He has arevealed
law to be obeyed by all people and all
nations
,
Exod. 20:
Iff;
Mat
5:
17ff. Since
He is King,
it is Impossible for a
relationship or
an
activity or a
thOUght to
exist
under His blessing,
unless
it is in
conformity
to
HisLawandinsubmission
to
His Person. "Righteousness, i.e.,
(confonnitytotheLawofGodinChrist),
exalts
a
nation; but
sin
is
a
reproach to
any
people," Prov.
14:34.
ayall
Christians everywhere
recollll11i.t ourselves, by the
grace
of
God, to
earnestly pray
for
and to dili-
gently
work toward
the
establishment
of the crown rights ofjesus Christover
all rhe earth and the reconstruction of
aU
aspects of American
society and
culturebytheWordandSpiritofChrist,
8/12/2019 1992 Issue 8 - Sermon on I Peter 3:17-22 - The Consequences of Christ's Suffering - Counsel of Chalcedon
11/11
to the glory of God, beginning with
ourselves and our own lives, until we
become a truly Christian Republic-
one nation under Christ.
d.
Since Christ is King, He is
necessarily victor. The Bible, especially
inthebookofi'salms, constantlyconneas
two truths about Christ: His
SOVEREIGNTI
and
His
VICTORY,
Psalm
45, 47,
76;
I Cor.
15; Rev. 19.
These two truths presupposeeach other.
How can One be
totally
sovereign over
all
things,
and
not be totally victorious
over all opposition against that
sovereignty? (See
Isaiah
45
and
46.)
I Corinthians 15:24 teaches us that
the end
of
the world will
come
afteljesus
has put down all opposition
to Him
in
history and in the universe,
'Jor He
must
reign un 11 He has put all
Hts
enemies
under
Hts feet n the
Book
of Revelation
it
is
written that on Judgment Day
at
the end
of
theworld.Jesuswill cast Satan into the
bottomless pit of hell forever, 20:7-15.
But notice
in thattext that,when
Satan
is
cast
into "the lake of fire, the "beast"
of
Revelation 13,symbolizinganti-christian
civil governments which oppress' the
church, and the jalse
prophet,
symbolizing apostate churches and
anti
christian religions, which slander and
persecute the church,
ARE
ALREADY
THERE, Rev. 20:
10
The
conclusion is
that the opposition
to
and oppression of
Christ'schurchby humanistic
&ates and
churches
will
be put down significantly
inhistorybefore the rerumof
Christ;
and
that His
return at the end
of dIe world
will totally
destroy
them, and restore
God'sperfectordertoHisentirecreation.
Therefore,believinginthetriumphant
kingdom ofJesus Christ, we
are victory
oriented, not defeat
Oriented
,as
we
face
our
tasks,
our problems and
our
future.
We see ourselves as more than
conquerors," Rom. 8:37. We must look
for the progressive advance of Christ's
Kingdom
in the earth until "a
ll
the earth
will
worship Thee and sing praises
to
Thee,"Psa .66:4;untilthatdaywhen the
earth will be
full
of
he knowledge
of
the
Lord as dIe waters cover the sea," sa.
11 :
9.
We must look at the future in the
light
of
the
parables that speak of
the
invincible development ofdIe Kingdom
ofChrist in this eanh. We must learn to
see the future of our
generations,
not as
something to
be
feared, but as a pan
of
the
glorious inheritance
which
God
in
Christ
is
working out
for
His faithful
people, Cor. 3:21; Cor.
2:4,14.
Therefore, my beloved
brethren,
be
s t e d f s ~ immovable, always abounding in
the
work
of the Lord, knOwing
that your
toil
tsnotinvainintheLord," Cor.15:58. "Let
us not grow weary in well-dotng,for In due
time, we
Shall reap, f w e f a l n t n o ~ a L 6:9.
Praise
God for the incompar-
able ChristandHis incomparable
suffering
n
. .
We
believe in the full authority of the Bible
as
expressed in the Westminster
Confession of
Faith,
the
Heidelberg
Catechism, the BelgiC Confession,
and the
Canons
of Dort We are
Refonned
in
theology
.
. .
We
teach acomprehensive Biblical
Worldvtew
in ll areas ofstudy. God's
word is the
foundatton
of all knowledge.
. .
We
have
ahigh view ofGod's revealed law in both
Old and
New
Covenants,
as a basis
for sod
al and political
ethics.
.:.
We believe
in
theultimate triumph of
o d ~
sovereigngrace
which
will impact
the world.
.}
We
believe
in
velY
limited
constitutional
dvil
gove
rnment and
a
ree
enter
-
prise economic syst m
.}
Webelievein and encourage Cl,ristian home-edu
ca
tion(and enthusiasticalry
aaept homeschoolers),
as
well
as
Cl,ristian schools.
.:.
We offer a
Bachelor degree
in
Theology, Philosophy,
History, Political
Economy,
and Christian EducatiOll S
tudenlS
may also
tahecourseworn
e.g.
Accounting, Business, Modem Languages,
Sciences)
at nearby
Liberty
University, a
Christian
schooL
.:.
Board ofTrustees: Dr. GregL. Bahnsen, M.Div. , Th.M., PhD.; Dr.
Kevin
L.
Clauson, M.A.,J.D. President; Dr.
earl
Curtis,
M.A.,
Ph.D.; Rev.
Richard
E
Knodel, M.Div. (REAVBoard);Dr.
RodMays, M.Ed.,
D. Mill; Rev. Donald
H.
Post, M. Di..
Many
nationaUy-known Christian
sdlOlars
involved.
Current resident faculty
of
six
men.
September, 1992
t
THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon
t
23