In This Issue Christ, Our New Covenant King #2...that Christ had ascended to heaven and was seated...

assimilate into a biblical theology that insists on a “center,” and this is particularly the case when that center has been defined as redemptive history or covenant...it has been dif-ficult for scholars to deeply integrate Proverbs or wisdom in general with the covenant idea.2

But some are finding a place for the wisdom literature in biblical theology.

If…a particular salvation-historical schema simply cannot accommodate the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, something is lacking in the understanding of either or both. Those who find wisdom problematic point to the almost com-plete absence of salvation history in the wisdom books. They

2 Tremper Longman III, BCOTWP, Proverbs (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2006), 82.

It may be helpful to review some comments we made in the introduction to this study on “Christ, Our New Covenant Prophet, Priest and King.” The Old Testament Scriptures set forth Moses, Aaron (and Melchizedek) and David as types of Christ in his work as Prophet, Priest and King. In each case, the New Testament Scriptures demonstrate exactly how Christ fulfills all three of these offices.

One, Christ is “that Prophet” who fulfills the promise God made to Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15. “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.”1

Two, Christ is the “Priest after the order of Melchizedek” as promised in

1 Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the NIV.

Issue 2 03 December 2 013 Ja nua r y 2 014

… It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace … Hebrews 13:9

Christ, Our New Covenant King #2John G. Reisinger

Historically, biblical theology has focused on the histo-ry of redemption as recorded in the Scriptures. The biblical covenants and biblical history are at the center of atten-tion in most treatments of biblical theology. Most scholars who have studied in this area have not attempted or were unsuccessful in integrating the OT wisdom literature into their work. This is due to the nature of the biblical wisdom writings.

The canonical wisdom tradition (Proverbs, Ecclesias-tes, Job) conspicuously lacks reference to the Lord’s saving acts in Israel’s history.1

Wisdom has always been a difficult part of the canon to

1 Larry R. Helyer, Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 100.

Law, Wisdom and Christ A Study in Biblical Theology–Part 2–Wisdom

Stan F. Vaninger

Reisinger—Continued on page 2

Vaninger—Continued on page 12

In This IssueChrist, Our New Covenant King #2

John G. Reisinger

1

Law, Wisdom and Christ, A Study in Biblical Theology, Part 2, Wisdom

Stan F. Vaninger

1

Shepherding the New Covenant Flock: Part 2 of 6 The Shepherding Metaphor: Preliminary Reflections

Steve West

3

The Eschatalogical Gift of the Spirit

A. Blake White

5

Justification and the Gospel, Galatians 3:8

A. Blake White

7

Christ, Our Prophet

A. Blake White9

December 2013 ̶ January 2014 Issue 203Sound of Grace is a publication of Sovereign

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Reisinger—Continued from page 1


Psalm 110:4. “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’” Christ is also the high priest who replaces Aaron and the Le-vitical priesthood.

Three, Christ is David’s greater Son who established the everlasting kingdom promised to David and now sits on the throne in fulfillment of the Davidic covenant made in 2 Samuel 7:12, 13. “When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

The Holy Spirit, in the New Testa-ment Scriptures, used powerful object lessons to show, in each case, how Christ is the fulfillment of all three of these types.

1) The Mount of Transfiguration (Matt.17:1-6) is the object lesson that shows the new Prophet has replaced Moses as Prophet and Lawgiver. The new Prophet also replaced all of the Old Covenant prophets as God’s spokesmen. The message from heaven saying, “Listen to my Son” is the Father showing the change from the old authority to the new and final authority. This is the same message proclaimed in the Book of Hebrews (1:1-3). Christ is the last and final prophet. He has given us the full and final message of God. God has said all He has to say in His Son.

2) The rending of the veil of the Temple from top to bottom at the moment of Christ’s death (Matt. 27:50-51) is the object lesson show-ing that the new Priest has replaced Aaron and fulfilled the Melchizedek prophecy. Again, this message is ex-plicit in Hebrews (9:1-10; 10:19-22). The message of, “Come boldly to the throne of grace by the new and

living way now opened through his flesh”(Heb. 10:19,20) could never have been preached as long as the Levitical priesthood was in effect and the veil in the temple was hanging in place.

3) The gift of tongues on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1- 36) is the ob-ject lesson showing that the resurrec-tion and ascension of Christ to sit on the throne of David has established the kingdom promised to David and prophesied in both Joel 2 and 2 Sam-uel 7. The message is “bow in repen-tance, faith and assurance before the newly crowned King” (Phil. 2:5-8), or as the Psalmist said, “Kiss the Son” (Psalm 2:12).

It is easy to see in Matthew 17:1-6, the Mount of Transfiguration, the object lesson showing Christ being established as our New Covenant Prophet. It is also easy to see in Mat-thew 27:50-51, the rending of the veil, Christ’s work as our New Covenant High Priest. However, seeing the events recorded on the Day of Pente-cost as an object lesson showing the coronation of Christ as our New Cov-enant King is not quite as obvious. How does speaking in tongues dem-onstrate the kingship of Christ? The primary problem is a failure to un-derstand the theological significance of what really happened on the day of Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2, bewildered people asked this question: “What does this mean? What is going on?” They were surely asking the right question. The short answer is, the gift of tongues was the evidence that the Holy Spirit had come in fulfillment of the proph-ecy in Joel concerning the promise of the kingdom and the coming of the Holy Spirit, and that in turn proved that Christ had ascended to heaven and was seated on David’s promised throne as King as promised to David in 2 Samuel 7. Christ alone could send the Spirit. He earned that right in his redemptive work.

Issue 203 December 2013 ̶ January 2014

West—Continued on page 18

relevant similarities and dissimilari-ties between two entities. To properly understand the point, then, requires background knowledge of both things being mentioned. For example, to call the Lord “our rock” only makes sense if we know something about the Lord and something about rocks. Since we know that God is a personal spirit, imagining that the point of that image is that God is a spatially bound material object is obviously false (not to mention absurd). Asking if he is sedimentary or igneous would like-wise betray a complete lack of com-prehension. Even without immediate contextual clues (which are sometimes vital for proper interpretation), it is not hard to see that the rock imagery, when referring to God, is designed to communicate the concepts of strength, firmness, support, long-lastingness, etc.

This seems relatively easy and in-tuitive. As a matter of fact, we reason by analogy and think metaphorically all the time. Some linguistic theo-rists argue that every word in every language is ultimately metaphorical. Given careful definition and distinc-tion it is hard to argue otherwise. Nevertheless, at the larger level of how we combine and use words, there is a fairly obvious difference between intentional metaphors and straight, propositional statements. “The Lord is my shepherd” is a metaphor. “The Lord loves me” is a propositional statement. When we read metaphori-cal language—if we comprehend it—we naturally infer propositions from the imagery. So far so good.

Misunderstandings arise, however, when we misidentify the points of

Despite the fact that the majority of people in the Western World are urbanites with no rural background, if there is one full chapter of the Bible they know, it is Psalm 23. This is perhaps partly explained by its com-mon use at funerals. Of course, the greater question is why is Psalm 23 so commonly used at funerals? Why does it still resonate in a non-agrarian society? An easy answer would be the comfort that can be derived from verse 4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (KJV). The connection at this point with funerals is obvious (although it does flow from a misinterpretation of the phrase “valley of the shadow of death” which does not refer to death itself but to a superlatively dark and difficult experience).

Yet Psalm 23 is not referred to only at times of loss. Verses 1-3 are cited by believers when they reflect on the goodness and care of God. Verse 6 is often recalled when God’s children think about his gracious providence throughout their lives and the heightened experience of glory yet to come when they are in the house of the Lord forever. Although there are different emphases in the psalm the entire picture is one of comfort, care, and blessing. We are so used to the language that it can easily escape our notice that the rich theological and emotional impact are produced through a metaphor.

Metaphors, similes, images, and other rhetorical, figurative modes of speech require interpretation. Analo-gies only work because there are

similarity the metaphor is connect-ing for us. Shepherds in biblical times were responsible for driving away a solitary wolf if it attacked the flock but they were absolved from respon-sibility if a pack of wolves attacked their flock since the onslaught would be overwhelming. Now if the reader picks up this fact about shepherding and applies it to the Lord, the result-ing interpretation is that the Lord will drive away one enemy or help us provided things aren’t too tough, but if we are facing an overwhelming plu-rality of enemies or challenges, he’s absolved from taking care of us. Per-haps this example is too far-fetched and it is not reasonable to think any-one would adopt this interpretation of the imagery, but it does illustrate the reality that metaphors can be miscon-strued if the interpreter latches on to the wrong part of the image.

A further range of interpretive problems are generated from the fact that some metaphors have so many points of connection with proposition-al truths that the same metaphor can be used to communicate totally differ-ent things depending on the context. To whom does lion imagery apply in the Bible? Well, it is used by Jacob in regards to Judah in a Messianic/pro-phetic context. Because of its context it is naturally applied to Jesus Christ (cf. Revelation 5). Jesus is the Lion from the tribe of Judah. Lion imagery is also applied to God in the Book of Hosea, where he springs upon his people and devours them in judgment. But the imagery of a lion is also used of our most wicked and malevolent foe, Satan, who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may

Shepherding the New Covenant Flock: Part 2 of 6 The Shepherding Metaphor: Preliminary Reflections

Steve West

December 2013 ̶ January 2014 Issue 203

There are three passages of Scrip-ture that teach us how we are to un-derstand the significance of speaking in tongues. The first is Genesis 11; the second is Acts 2; and the third is 1 Corinthians 14. Genesis 11 records the beginning of tongues and the purpose for which they were given. Acts 2 re-cords the second giving of tongues on the Day of Pentecost. 1 Corinthians 14 gives the New Covenant meaning and the purpose of tongues. If we don’t understand the message that God was teaching on the day of Pentecost, we will never understand the mean-ing and significance of “speaking in tongues.”

If a person understood the biblical meaning of “speaking in tongues,” I doubt he would be very inclined to seek that experience. I have often said that, (1) “If Scripture commands me to seek the gift of speaking in tongues, I have no choice but to start seeking that gift. So far I have not seen such a commandment in Scrip-ture. (2) If speaking in tongues would help me in my Christian life or help me in my ministry as a pastor, again, I would be biblically obligated to start seeking. Again, I find no such idea in Scripture. We will digress for a mo-ment and make sure we understand the meaning of “speaking in tongues.”

There is no question that tongues were given by God to be a sign. Paul explicitly says, “Wherefore tongues are a sign” (1 Cor. 14:22 - KJV). With such a clear statement, everyone must agree that tongues were given by God to be a sign; however, there is not much agreement as to what the tongues signify. The problem is not a lack of clarity in the Scripture. The place to start a study of tongues is the first time tongues are mentioned in Scripture, namely, in Genesis 11. I do not know why this is so rarely done. We have a lot of unanswered questions in this passage, but several things are clear. First, the desire of the

people to build a city with a “tower that reached to the heavens” was born out of rebellion to God (Gen. 11:4-6). Second, prior to Genesis 11 everyone spoke the same language. When they set out to build a tower to reach to heaven, God deliberately “confused their language so they could not un-derstand each other.” Third, it is clear in this passage, and just as it is clear in 1 Corinthians 14 and Acts 2, that speaking in tongues is an evidence of the judgment of God. The existence of tongues is the evidence of disobedi-ence to God being punished. That is clear from Genesis 11 as well as the specific statement in 1 Corinthians 14:21-22 quoting Isaiah 28:11-12.

Here is the first mention of tongues in Scripture.

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for our-selves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were build-ing. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and con-fuse their language so they will not understand each other.” So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth (Gen.11:1-8 NIV).

These verses describe both the origin of tongues and God’s purpose in creating the multiplicity of tongues. One thing is clear. Speaking in differ-

ent tongues was an evidence of God’s judgment. We will first look at Acts 2 and then look at Paul’s interpretation of the meaning of the amazing events that took place on the day of Pentecost and its relationship to Passover and the Day of Atonement.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them (Acts 2:1-4).

Exactly when did the Holy Spirit come and empower the speaking in tongues? When did the day of Pen-tecost come? Did the Holy Spirit come before or after the speaking in tongues recorded in Acts 2? These are both simple and vital questions, but they are usually ignored. Acts 2:1 is quite clear. The events recorded in Acts 2 took place after the Day of Pentecost had already come! Scrip-ture says, “When the day of Pentecost came,” or, as the KJV translates it, “When the day of Pentecost had fully come.” Listen very carefully. The day the Holy Spirit came and the miracle of tongues took place is not called the “day of Pentecost” because the Holy Spirit came on that day. The Holy Spirit came on that day because it was already the day of Pentecost. It was the only day the Spirit could have come! The speaking in tongues was the proof that the day of Pentecost had come. It was not the day of Pente-cost because the Holy Spirit came that day. The Holy Spirit had to come fifty days after the Feast of Passover. Look carefully at verse 1. “When the day of Pentecost had come.” The things re-corded in verses Acts 2:2-4 took place after the day of Pentecost had come. It was already the day of Pentecost when




We see from Romans 2:28-29, 7:1-6, 2 Corinthians 3, and many other passages that “the Spirit serves for Paul as the essential element of the new covenant.”1 The old covenant was inadequate in part because it lacked the Spirit. It issued commands but provided no power to obey. So Luther writes, “For by the Law Moses can do no more than tell what men ought to do and not do. However he does not provide the strength and ability for such doing and not doing, and thus lets us stick in sin.”2 As John Reisinger has said, “the Old Covenant carried a footnote that said, ‘Batter-ies not included.’ The New Covenant remedies that deficiency by the gift of the Holy Spirit.”3 In reflecting on the new covenant, and on carrying out the law of Christ, the role of the empow-ering presence of the Spirit cannot be emphasized enough.

The prophets foretold of a coming new covenant/new age/new exodus/new creation that would be character-ized by the Messiah and his Spirit. New Testament scholar Max Turner writes, “The future was thus to be an epoch characterized by the lavish out-pouring of God’s Spirit.”4 The Lord, through Jeremiah, spoke of a day when he would make a new covenant with his people (31:31).5 It will not be

1 Gordon D. Fee, God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Let-ters of Paul (Peabody, MA: Hendrick-son Publishers, 1994), 508.

2 Luther, “Preface to the Old Testament,” 125.

3 John G. Reisinger, But I Say Unto You (Frederick, MD: New Covenant Me-dia, 2006), 14.

4 Max Turner, The Holy Spirit and Spiri-tual Gifts (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1996), 6.

5 Jeremiah 32:40 calls this an everlasting

like the Mosaic covenant (31:32). This bears repeating: It will not be like the Mosaic covenant. It seems clear to me that the Lord means a new covenant, not a renewed covenant. Even Cov-enant Theologian (you read me right) Michael Horton sees this: “The point could not be clearer: the new covenant is not a renewal of the old covenant made at Sinai, but an entirely differ-ent covenant with an entirely differ-ent basis.”6 The Lord will put his law within his people, and write it on their hearts, and he will be their God and they his people (31:33). All within the covenant community will know the Lord (31:34)7 and there will be full and final forgiveness (31:34).

Isaiah spoke of a coming Servant who would uniquely bear the Spirit (11:1-2, 42:1, 61:1). But this Messiah will not be the only bearer of the Spirit; he will also bestow the Spirit. Isaiah 32:15 says that the Spirit will be poured out upon us, and when the Spirit is poured out, the new creation will come: the wilderness becomes a fruitful field.8 Isaiah 44:3 says, “For I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my

covenant.6 Michael Horton, Introducing Covenant

Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006), 53, cf. 55, 69, 75, 101, 134.

7 My tongue in cheek, anachronistic, theological paraphrase: The people of God will shift from a Presbyterian ecclesiology (mixed community) to a Baptist ecclesiology (regenerate com-munity).

8 Barry G. Webb, The Message of Isaiah (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 138-39; J. Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 260; Fee, God’s Empowering Pres-ence, 910.

blessing on your descendants.” Since Isaiah 44:3 mentions both blessing and the Spirit, Paul is probably allud-ing to this passage when he writes that the blessing of Abraham (Gen 12:1-3) is the promised Spirit (Gal 3:14). Both Ezekiel (39:29) and Joel (2:28-29) also promise a day when the Lord will pour out his Spirit. Joel writes, “And it shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh” (2:28). One of the key distinctives of the new covenant is that the Spirit will no longer be limited to certain proph-ets, priests, and kings, but everyone in the covenant community will have the Spirit.9

Ezekiel 11:19-20 says, “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” The new covenant, the covenant of peace, the everlasting covenant will provide the power to obey: the Spirit of God himself. Ezekiel 36:25-27 is another very important text: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your unclean-nesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” There can be no doubt that this passage, along with Jeremiah 31, informs Paul’s

9 D.A Carson, Showing the Spirit (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1987), 152-53.

The Eschatological Gift of the SpiritA. Blake White

White—Continued on page 11



tecost unless it is preceded by Christ dying on the cross fifty days earlier.

Acts 2:4 says they spoke in tongues “as the Spirit gave them ut-terance.” This may mean that all those gathered did not speak in tongues. Verses 12 and 13 are clear that all who were present did not hear the Gospel message being preached. Some heard only incoherent babbling. Part of the miracle may have been on the ear of the listener as well as the tongue of the speaker.

Verses 6-8 state that they were all “amazed” because they heard in their own languages (16 different Gentile Languages). This proves that the tongues spoken on the day of Pente-cost were known languages. As we shall see, this is also one of the key facts in understanding the meaning of tongues.

Now there were staying in Jeru-salem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Ut-terly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? (Acts 2:5-8).

Verses 11–13 again say that they were all “amazed,” but this second amazement was because of what they heard. It was not merely hear-ing in their own language, but it was the content of the message that they heard that amazed them. Verse 11 says they heard the “wonderful words of God.” They heard “The Gospel.” However, they were amazed because they were hearing the “wonderful words of God,” not in the sacred Hebrew language but in Gentiles lan-guages. As we will see in a moment this is the heart of the message of the miraculous sign of tongues. As we shall see, God speaking the gospel in Gentile languages instead of the sacred Hebrews language was a delib-

the Holy Spirit came. The tongues were the sign or proof that Christ had ascended to heaven, been seated on his throne at the Father’s hand, and had sent the Holy Spirit to be his vicar on earth.

The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost because he was sched-uled to come on that day. Leviticus 23 records the various Jewish feast days. The seventh day Sabbath heads the list of feast days (Lev. 23:3). Next on the list is the feast of Passover. In Leviticus 23:5 Passover is explained. Our Lord died on Passover day. He was the true Passover lamb. In Le-viticus 23:15-16, the Feast of First Fruits is explained. This feast is to be observed fifty days after Passover. It was also called the Feast of Pentecost since the word pente means fifty. The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pente-cost, fifty days after Passover, for the same reason that Christ died on Pass-over day. Both Passover and Pentecost were prophesied in Leviticus 23, and Pentecost was clearly scheduled to occur fifty days after the feast of Pass-over. Pentecost was the only day that Holy Spirit could have come just as Passover was the only day upon which Christ could die on the cross. None of the events that happened on any feast day had anything to do with either naming or performing the event. Each feast day defined the events and the time they were to be observed. It was all clearly prophesied and fulfilled down to the slightest detail.

The idea that the early church “prayed down the Holy Spirit” and we can pray down another Pentecost to-day is nonsense. The Holy Spirit came right on schedule just as Christ died right on schedule. There can never be another day of Pentecost without there also being another Passover lamb offered as our sin bearer. There can be no more days of Pentecost unless there is another Day of Atonement. There cannot be another day of Pen-

erate rebuke by God and signaled that God was turning from the Jews to the Gentiles. The Jews heard the gospel in Gentile languages. They were not drunk, but they were confused. They were witnessing the unthinkable. God was showing grace to the Gentiles and was giving the Gentiles the same privileges as the Jews.

. . . we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” Peter Addresses the Crowd . . . (Acts 2:11-13).

In Verses 14-16 Peter insists that the apostles were not drunk. He first declares that the things taking place were the fulfillment of the prophecy in the Book of Joel. The promised kingdom in Joel had come, and the events of Pentecost were a clear proof that Christ had been exalted to the Father’s right hand. Our Lord is the promised greater son of David being declared King. The promise in Joel concerned a universal gospel not a Jewish gospel. The kingdom promised in Joel was for “all nations” not just the nation of Israel.

Then Peter stood up with the Elev-en, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: (Acts 2:14-16).

Verse 16 is a key passage. It shows us how the New Testament writers interpret kingdom prophecy. When Peter says “this is that” he is clearly spiritualizing Joel’s prophecy. Dis-pensationalism must insist this is only a type, a preview or foreshadowing of Joel’s prophecy. They insist, “The Holy Spirit has not yet been “poured out on all flesh” as promised in Joel. The prophecy in Joel has not yet been



For some strange, silly, and ulti-mately soul-shrinking reason, it is all the rage in some “Protestant” circles to deny or down play the doctrine of the Reformation: sola fide. The questioning of the doctrine of justifi-cation comes from diverse parties, but it is becoming increasingly common to want to define the gospel in more cosmic, grander terms than merely the forgiveness of individual sins. “Prot-estants are too focused on Paul. What about the bigger vision of Jesus and the kingdom?” So goes the rhetoric, often coming from academics who did their dissertation on the Gospels. There is no place for those theologi-cal false dichotomies. Of course God has cosmic plans. Of course the whole creation will be resurrected along with the sons of God (Rom 8).

That is no reason to question or

minimize the individual in God’s plan. The renewed cosmos will be the home of those individuals who’ve been justified by faith in Jesus Christ. I resonate with those who point out that the language of “justification” is primarily expounded in two of the twenty-seven letters of the New Testament, but this doesn’t mean that the concept of justification is only expounded in those two letters. The concept of sinners being forgiven and declared to be in the right through faith in Jesus is on every page of the New Testament.

So I agree that one does not have to use the language of “justifica-tion” when defining or presenting the gospel but the concept must be there. Those who want to exclude the con-cept of justification from the gospel run into a problem with Paul. Other

passages could be gathered, but I am struck by the simplicity and clarity of Galatians 3:8: “Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and told the good news ahead of time to Abraham, say-ing, All the nations will be blessed through you.”

The main verb here is “told the good news ahead of time” (proeuangelisatō), or in other words, preach the gospel. “Saw in advance” (proidousa) is a participle modifying the main verb. So the phrase “saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith” modifies the phrase “told the good news.” Therefore, in Paul’s mind, preaching the gospel and justification by faith are part and parcel.

Justification and the Gospel: Galatians 3:8A. Blake White

Annual John Bunyan Conference

May 5 ̶ 7, 2014

Reformed Baptist Church, Lewisburg, PASpeakers:

Peter Gentry, Larry McCall, Stephen Wellum, Steve West, and A. Blake White

Schedule and registration to follow.

Mark your calendar--NOW


fulfilled. It will not be literally ful-filled until the earthly millennium has been established. John MacArthur gives the Dispensational view in his study Bible.

Joel’s prophecy will not be com-pletely fulfilled until the millennial kingdom and the final judgment. But Peter, by using it shows that Pentecost was a pre-fulfillment, a taste of what will happen in the millennial kingdom when the Spirit is poured out on all flesh (cf. 10:45). MacArthur Study Bible, page 1635. 2

Regardless of your prophetic view, the essence of Joel’s prophecy and Pe-ter’s sermon is verse 21. The Gospel is now to be preached to the whole world and not just to Jews. It is no longer “to the Jew first and also to the Gentile” but it is “whosoever.” That was what Joel prophesied, and that is what Peter preached as the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. Look up the exact prophecy in Joel that Peter is quoting as being fulfilled at Pentecost.

And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls ( Joel 2:28-32 NIV).

Verse 28 emphasizes that the pour-ing out of the Holy will be “upon all flesh,” Jews and Gentiles alike, and not just the Jews. Verses 28 and 29

2 For other comments by MacArthur on the same subject see page 1268 and page 1273.

speak of all ages, young and old, and without respect of gender. Normally old men quit dreaming and young men have no vision of tomorrow and think only of today. When the Holy Spirit moves in a congregation, the old men get out of their rocking chairs and say, “Let’s go.” They begin to act like their great grandpa Caleb. The young men begin to see eternity and start to prioritize their life according-ly. This double phenomenon is a mark of the presence of the Holy Spirit at work in a congregation.

Verses 30 and 31 are spiritualized by Peter in Acts 2:19-20. Those who demand a “literal” interpretation of kingdom prophecy insist that the Joel prophecy has not yet been literally fulfilled. Do they believe the moon must be literally turned into a giant blob of blood before this prophecy is fulfilled? The question is not must we spiritualize the Joel passage but how much of it we must spiritual-ize. Even more importantly we must ask, “How does Peter understand the prophecy of Joel?” Does “that which was spoken” really mean what it says? Dare we literalize what Peter explic-itly spiritualizes? Regardless of your view of prophecy, Peter distinctly says, “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.” It sounds to me like Peter is definitely saying Joel’s prophecy is being fulfilled on the day of Pentecost.

The application of the whole prophecy and its importance for us today is verse 32.

And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls (Joel 2:32).

The day of Pentecost established the fact that the Gospel was now a “whosoever Gospel for the whole world” and not just for the Jews. Pe-ter interprets “shall be delivered” to mean “shall be saved” showing that

Joel was talking about salvation in the Gospel age not a future earthly mil-lennia age. Joel is saying, “A deliverer [Christ the Messiah] is coming who will bring full deliverance [salvation] to the elect of God from every tongue and nation.” Peter is saying, “That deliverer has come and fulfilled this promise.” David’s son has established the kingdom and sits on the heavenly throne as king. The phrase “among the remnant whom the Lord shall call” is shown in Acts 2:39 to mean the elect from all nations. Notice how Peter understood the words of Joel’s prophecy.

First, Acts 2:14-21 is the apostolic interpretation of Joel’s prophecy con-cerning the promised kingdom.

Second, Acts 2:22-36 is the apos-tolic interpretation of (1) God’s prom-ise to David to raise up one of his sons to sit on his throne and establish his kingdom (2 Sam 7), and also (2) Joel’s prophecy that Jesus was the Messiah who would establish the kingdom promised to Abraham and his spiritu-al descendants. The message by Peter is clear. Both the promise that Mes-siah would, 1) sit on David’s throne as king, and (2), the kingdom promise of a universal Gospel of “whosoever,” not just the Jews, has fully come. The day of Pentecost declaring the Gospel to all nations was proof that David’s throne and kingdom are established and his Son is seated on that throne as King of King and Lord of Lords with all power and authority. The sending of the Holy Spirit by the enthroned Lord is the proof that the prophecies to both Joel and to David have been fulfilled.

Acts 2:38-40 are the conclusion of Peter’s explanation of Pentecost.

Peter replied, “Repent and be bap-tized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who




The Old Testament anticipated an eschatological prophet to come. Deuteronomy 18:15-18 says, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers--it is to him you shall listen--just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.' And the LORD said to me, 'They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I com-mand him.” Moses is here referring to a sequence of prophets and one final unique prophet who will be like Moses. YHWH said of Moses: “If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord” (Numb 12:6-8). Moses was the inaugurator of the Old Cove-nant and the pinnacle of the prophetic institution. Deuteronomy 34:9-12 sets out an eschatological expectation for the coming Moses-like prophet: “And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the

LORD sent him do to in the land of Egypt” (v.10-11).

The prophetic institution reached its culmination in Christ. The New Testament presents Jesus as the one to whom the prophets pointed. Luke 24:27 says, “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (cf. Luke 24:44-47, 1 Pet 1:10-12). Jesus claimed that Moses wrote about him (John 5:46). Jesus is the chief and last prophet typified in the Old Testament. This is why the priests and Levites respond in the way they do, and ask, “What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ (John 1:21). After feeding the five thousand, the people said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the World (Jn 6:14, cf. 1:25, 45, 7:40). When Jesus, Peter, John, James, Moses, and Elijah are on the mountain, “a voice came out of the cloud, saying ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him’ (autou akouete) (Lk 9:35)!” Note the allusion to Deuteronomy 18 where YHWH said the people would listen to the prophet to come (autou akouses-the LXX). The reader is not left to al-lusions though because Acts 3:22 and 7:37 applies the Deuteronomy passage to Jesus as the eschatological prophet. Commenting on Acts 3:22, David Pe-terson writes, “Peter envisages Jesus as the eschatological prophet because he rings the ultimate revelation of God’s will and leads God’s people to

final salvation. Jesus functions for Israel now as Moses did at the time of the exodus.”

This prophet, however, is much greater than any Old Testament prophet. Scripture presents Jesus as greater than Moses. In Matthew, Jesus is the new Moses who goes up on the mount to give the new covenant law (Matt 5-7). While Moses was a faithful servant in all God’s house, Jesus is the faithful Son over God’s house (Heb 3:1-6). Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (en huiō). Theologian Robert Letham writes, “In the mind of the author of Hebrews Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is a prophet, the greatest prophet and the final definitive prophet, since he is su-perior to prophets, angels, Moses and all other possible competitors.”

All throughout Jesus’ ministry, he is referred to as a prophet (Matt 13:57, Mark 8:28, Matt 21:46, Luke 7:16, Mark 14:65). He spoke as one with authority (Matt 7:29), and it was on his own authority, unlike the prophets who only spoke with author-ity when under the influence of the Spirit. Hence, Peter tells Jesus that he has the words of life (John 6:68). “Jesus’ words are the foundation of the church and of the Christian life. Without them we are lost.” In the antitheses of Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus says “You have heard that it was said. . . . But I say to you.” Jesus is the sovereign lawgiver. His teaching is authoritative because he speaks just as the Father taught him (John 8:28, cf. 5:24-27).

Christ Our ProphetA. Blake White

Pride is the worst viper in the heart. It is the first sin that ever entered into the universe. It lies lowest of all in the foundation of the whole building of sin. Of all lusts, it is the most secret, deceitful, and unsearchable in its ways of working. It is ready to mix with everything. Nothing is so hateful to God, contrary to the spirit of the Gospel, or of so dangerous consequence. There is no one sin that does so much to let the devil into the hearts of the saints and expose them to his delusions.

Jonathan Edwards

December 2013 ̶ January 2014 Issue 203Reisinger—Continued from page 8

are far off-- for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he plead-ed with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” (NIV)

Verse 38 declares that the gift of the Holy Spirit is the great Gospel blessing. The gift of the Holy Spirit was the great promise in the Old Testament Scriptures, and the actual receiving the indwelling Spirit as the Spirit of Adoption is the great experi-ence of the New Covenant. The point of Peter’s sermon is that this prophecy in Joel concerning the Holy Spirit has been fulfilled, and the events of Pen-tecost are the proof.

Verse 39 is the key proof text used to establish infant baptism. We have shown in other places how it is impos-sible to get infant baptism out of this text. In our next article we will sum-marize a reply to those who use this verse as proof text for infant baptism.

We must remember that the Jews hated the message that “there is no longer any difference” between Jews and Gentiles. There was a great dif-ference between Israel and the Gen-tiles under the Old Covenant. It was God Himself who made that differ-ence; however, under the Gospel age, as promised in Joel, there is no longer Jew nor Greek, bond or free, etc. (Gal. 3:26-29).

It is even more important to re-member that the great difference between Israelites and Gentiles was not that an Israelite was in a sepa-rate “spiritual” category. The Jewish child, like a child born into a Chris-tian home, had great privileges (Ro-mans 3:1-3) but was not in a separate spiritual category. An unsaved Jew was just as lost as a Gentile and got

converted the same way, namely, by believing the Gospel promise. The same is true today. A child born in a Christian home is just as lost, until they repent and believe the gospel, as a child of pagan parent.

Two things happened to the Jew/Gentile situation on the day of Pen-tecost when the Body of Christ, the new man of Ephesians and the new creation of 2 Corinthians 5:17, came into being through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. First, believing Gentiles were made equal with believing Jews. This is the “mystery” Paul spoke of in chapter 3 of Ephesians. The Old Testament Scriptures clearly saw Gen-tiles being saved but no where was a total equality of Jew and Gentile in the Body of Christ foretold. All of that changed on the day of Pentecost. Second, unbelieving Jews were made equal to the Gentile dogs. This is laid out in Ephesians 2. Since the Cross and Pentecost “there is no difference.”

We need to say a word about Ro-mans 9:1-8. This section deals with Israel’s special covenantal relation-ship with God. Paul’s whole argument hinges on one point. The Jews had many and great privileges but they were never in a saving covenantal re-lationship with God. They had privi-leges that the Gentiles did not have, but they were not in a special spiritual category. (See also Romans 3:1- 2).

I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart For I could wish that I my-self were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of

whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed ( Rom. 9:1-8 NKJ).

First of all, the context is impor-tant. Romans chapter 8 is the great chapter on assurance and hope. Paul goes from one level of assurance to another level like a great piece of music. He closes with that powerful statement that absolutely nothing can separate any person, who is in a sav-ing covenant relationship with God, from God’s love and acceptance.

Second, the obvious question is, “Paul, what about Israel? Were they not God’s covenant people and were not some of them cast off?” It is true that some of Israel was cast off but that in no way proves God went back on his covenant promise. The short answer to this question is that “not all Israel is Israel.” Israel was never in a saving covenant relationship with God whereby they were promised salvation because of either their birth or their circumcision. Romans 9:1-8 shows that Israel was never in a saving Cove-nant relationship with God. They had many privileges but never took advan-tage of them. Hebrews 3 and 4 makes that very clear. Israel had the promise of the Gospel preached to them but did not believe that promise.

Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

If one dear saint of God had perished, so might all; if one of the covenant ones be lost, so may all be; and then there is no gospel promise true, but the Bible is a lie, and there is nothing in it worth my acceptance. I will be an infidel at once when I can believe that a saint of God can ever fall finally. If God hath loved me once, then He will love me for-ever.

C.H. Spurgeon Sermon, A Defense of Calvinism

Issue 203 December 2013 ̶ January 2014 White—Continued from page 5

discussion in 2 Corinthians 3. The letter kills because it “has no batter-ies.” But the Spirit gives life. Gordon Fee writes, “It is in this sense that ‘the letter kills,’ because it can arouse sin but is powerless to overcome it; the Torah lacks the one essential ingredi-ent for life, the Spirit.”10 Ezekiel has a vision of a valley of dry bones that the Lord breathes life into and raises from the dead. Of course at this point in redemptive history, only one Israelite has been raised from the dead with the fullness of the Spirit, but he is the first fruits, guaranteeing the rest of the harvest. When Paul, in 2 Corinthi-ans 3:6, says that the Spirit gives life, surely he has Ezekiel 37:14 in mind: “And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live (see LXX).”11

These promises of the end-time gift of the Spirit were fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2). The Spirit is the evidence that the future is now, and

10 Fee, God’s Empowering Presence, 306.

11 Ibid., 52.

is the guarantee that the kingdom will in fact be consummated.12 As we will see, the believer in this age is not without need of exhortation. How-ever, this fact should not diminish the central role of the Spirit in the new covenant. We are called to walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16), be led by the Spirit (5:18), live and keep in step with the Spirit (5:25), sow to the Spirit (6:8). By the Spirit, we are to put to death the deeds of the body (Rom 8:13). The Spirit is our “pedagogue” in the new covenant.13 Doug Moo writes, “It is difficult to avoid the conclusion, then, that life in the Spirit is put forward by Paul as the ground of Christian ethics, in contrast to life ‘under law’.”14

12 Gordon D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1996), ix, xv, 2, 4, 53ff, 64, 146, 177, 181.

13 John G. Reisinger, Tablets of Stone & the History of Redemption (Frederick, MD: New Covenant Media, 2004), 104; idem, But I Say Unto You, 14, 77, 142.

14 Moo, “The Law of Moses or the Law of Christ,” 215.

For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Heb 4:1-2).

God has never promised anyone, either a Jew or anyone else, any spiri-tual blessing just because of either his or her birth or circumcision and irrespective of faith. God sovereignly gives some people far more privileges than others, but none of those privi-leges guarantee salvation.

Third, the comparison between “children of the flesh” and the “chil-dren of the promise” in Romans 9:8 is not a comparison between cov-enant and non-covenant children. The comparison is between covenant circumcised Israelites who are part of the elect and those covenant circum-cised Israelites who were not elect. There were Jacobs and Esaus among the covenant people of Israel just as there are Jacobs and Esaus among the children of Christian parents. God ‘s promise is with those who believe and has nothing to do with birth or bap-tism. In our next article we will look at Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 14.

Optimum maximumThomas Brooks

Christians serve a wonderful Master. They serve Him who is all ear to hear them, all hand to uphold them, all power to protect them, all wisdom to direct them, all goodness to relieve them, all mercy to pardon them.

They serve that God who is optimum maximum—the best and greatest. God has within Himself all the good of angels, men, and universal nature.

God has all dignity, all glory, all riches, all treasure, all pleasure, all delight, all joy, and all beatitudes. God is goodness, beauty, power, wisdom, justice, mercy, and love itself! God is one infinite perfection in Himself!“He has all—who has the Haver of all.” Αugustine

Courtesy of: Grace Gems www.GraceGems.org

Moral guidelines are oppressive and legalistic only to those who still love their sin. For example, the only reason integrity should be a burden to you is if you enjoy being dishonest. Righteous deeds will be bothersome only because you prefer unrighteous ones. Speaking the truth will hurt only because it feels good to lie. Obedience to the righteous commands of God is easy for those whose hearts have been gripped by grace and whose lives are empowered by grace (Dt. 30:11; Mt. 11:29-30; 1 Jn. 5:3).

Sam Storms

December 2013 ̶ January 2014 Issue 203The law prohibits sexual sin, ‘You

shall not commit adultery.’ Wisdom says of the man who yields to the temptations of the seductress that, ‘He did not know it would cost his life’ (Proverbs 7:23). Woman Wisdom says of the seductress that, ‘Her house is the way to hell, Descending to the chambers of death’ (7:27). These prov-erbs suggest that even if one escapes detection by the authorities, the sin of adultery frequently has dire conse-quences.

The law says, ‘You shall not steal’ and ‘you shall not kill’ and proscribes the penalties for infractions. Wisdom says of robbers and murderers, ‘They lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush their own lives’ (Proverbs 1:18), thus emphasizing the natural consequences of these sins.

The law says that a life of crime is wrong; it is sin against God thus giving us a spiritual and moral per-spective. Wisdom says that a life of sin results in a ‘crash and burn’ thus giving us a very practical perspective. The message of law and message of wisdom are both correct. Both are needed and both perspectives are beneficial to those who take heed. But wisdom is superior to law in several respects.

OT law is clear in its ethical guide-lines, but the case laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy are somewhat te-dious to read and do not leave much of an impression on our minds. Compare these case laws to Proverbs 6:6-11 and 7:6-23 which graphically portray the dreadful consequences of sin in a memorable fashion.

Another vital distinction between law and wisdom needs to be recog-nized. Law gives us very valuable ethical guidelines, but wisdom seeks to develop our moral character. ‘Char-acter formation is at the heart of true wisdom.’5 Wisdom gives reasons and

5 Daniel J. Estes, “Wisdom and Biblical Theology,” in Tremper Longman III,

motivation for doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong and foolish. Wisdom deals with a larger range of issues than the OT moral law or even the civil laws of Israel. Wisdom ad-dresses issues like diligence vs. lazi-ness, kindness vs. cruelty, humility vs. pride, generosity vs. greed, tolerance vs. intolerance, faithfulness vs. un-faithfulness, gentleness vs. harshness, compliance vs. rebellion, and discre-tion vs. rashness. These issues have a great deal to do with the quality and significance of life.

The concept of wisdom was not to-tally lacking in the Pentateuch but was not a major emphasis. There is some overlap between law and wisdom in the OT which should not come as a surprise. Deuteronomy 4 is about the only place in the law where we find the concept of wisdom similar to that of the OT wisdom literature.

See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? (Deut. 4:5-8).

Wisdom is similar to law in some respects but goes beyond the law in other respects. Both seek to suppress sin and promote godliness but in dif-ferent ways.

Even a casual reading of the wis-dom books reveals that the actions and attitudes that are condemned as folly and wickedness are the same kind as

Peter Enns, eds., Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writ-ings, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 854.

seem to have overlooked the fact that, while there is little explicit salvation history in the wisdom corpora, there is much wisdom material imbedded in salvation history.3

Goldsworthy and others work-ing in this area have given us good reason to look for how wisdom fits into biblical theology.4 For our pres-ent purposes, we will seek to show a progression in Scripture from OT law to OT wisdom to the person and teachings of Christ. This progression of law ð wisdom ð Christ adds insight on how the OT wisdom literature can be integrated into biblical theology.

It is very instructive to compare OT law with the OT wisdom. OT law promulgates legalistic requirements and prohibitions. The law says, ‘do this’ and ‘do not do this’ as an obliga-tion Israel had to her Creator who re-deemed her from Egypt. OT wisdom is, on the other hand, more thought-ful and philosophical. It reflects on the benefits of leading a righteous lifestyle and the unfortunate natural consequences of sin.

The difference between OT law and OT wisdom is like a preacher who denounces humanism as sin against God as opposed to a Christian thinker like Francis Schaefer who coolly shows the logical conclusions of humanistic philosophy and the disastrous cultural implications.3 Graeme Goldsworthy, Christ-Centered

Biblical Theology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012), 28-29. See also pp. 48, 70 and 95.

4 ‘While scholars noted that WL [Wis-dom Literature] was different in genre than most of the canon, they generally failed to notice that lack of reference to Israel’s history was a function of its generic purpose. The WL did not mention history because it was not ge-nerically germane.’ Martin J. Selman, “Law,” in T. Desmond Alexander, Da-vid W. Baker, eds., Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 501.

Vaninger—Continued from page 1


Vaninger—Continued on page 15

those that are prohibited in the law and denounced by the prophets.6

But wisdom goes beyond the law in that it addresses our attitudes—to-wards God, towards other people, and toward life in general. These attitudes go far beyond the prohibitions of a law code, take us much closer to true godliness and anticipate the higher spirituality of the NT. ‘The range of advice and topics that arise in Wis-dom literature, consequently, can be seen as grounded in but reaching well beyond the law.’7 ‘The wisdom teach-ing is calling for something above and beyond the call of duty as defined by the law.’8 The wisdom literature thus gives us an OT preview of what ‘hav-ing the mind of Christ’ is all about. When the Word became flesh, we saw these attitudes on display in the per-son of Christ living out the principles of wisdom. Wisdom goes beyond the Law.

We do see this in the Pentateuch but only to a small degree. Alexander has pointed out that Exodus 22:21-23:9 encourages the Israelites to acts of mercy, kindness, and justice that are not covered by the predominately prohibitory commands of the Mosaic case laws.

The subject matter of this section is distinctive. It encourages both a caring attitude toward the weak and vulnerable members of society (aliens, widows, orphans, the needy, the poor) and a concern that the legal system be totally impartial. Those involved in disputes are to favor neither the rich, by accepting a bribe (23:8), nor the poor (23:3). Everyone, regardless of their class, it to be treated equally (23:6, 9)...The commands found here

6 Estes, “Wisdom and Biblical Theol-ogy,” 855.

7 Bruce Wells, “Proverbs 3: History of Interpretation,” in Tremper Longman III, Peter Enns, eds., Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings, (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 2008), 422.

8 Longman, BCOTWP, Proverbs, 81.

seek to inculcate a standard of behav-ior that goes beyond the letter of the law. A human court is unlikely to pros-ecute someone for failing to return his enemy’s straying animal; nevertheless, God demands that his people should overcome evil with good...it is surely significant that at the middle of this section is the command “You are to be my holy people” (22:31). Here we see how God’s holy people should live.9

Another important distinction is that the law was created and revealed at a particular point in Israel’s history but wisdom is one of the communi-cable attributes of God and thus time-less. In this sense, law and wisdom lie in two different categories (although both were included in God’s revela-tions to man). This deserves a little further reflection.

Paul reminds us in Galatians 3 that the beginning and end in history of the Law of Moses can be dated to the revelation at Sinai and to the first coming of Christ respectively. Wis-dom, on the other hand, preceded the Law of Moses and dates back to the very creation of the universe (Prov-erbs 8:22-31). Although the wisdom literature of Scripture was recorded after the revelation of the law at Mt. Sinai, the wisdom of the OT is in fact timeless being an expression of the very wisdom of God. Many proverbs express universal truths and time-less moral precepts. This is readily acknowledged by scholars when they speak of the a-historical nature of the OT wisdom literature. Thus the study of Proverbs and other OT wisdom literature is actually more profitable and relevant for the Christian than the study of Mosaic Law.

Traditional Reformed Theology teaches that the Law of Moses and more particularly, the Ten Command-ments comprise the eternal law of God. We have just shown how this

9 T. Desmond Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2012), 217.

misses the mark.10 If we are looking for timeless truths and morals in the OT, we would do better to look to the wisdom literature which transcends the temporal nature of the Law of Moses. Ross hits the nail on the head when he says that the sayings of Proverbs ‘are applicable to all people, at any period in history.’11 This cannot be said of the Law of Moses.

Jewish scholarship during the in-tertestamental period made the same error as some segments of Reformed Theology.

Rabbinic thought held the view that the Torah was uncreated. God used the Torah as a guidebook for the creation of the world. Paul had no concept of an eternal book, but he presents a God who possesses eternal wisdom, which was a hidden mystery “from the ages.”12

An eternal law does not hold up against close scrutiny. The law was created for Israel but wisdom is eter-nal being an attribute of God.

Another error made by some Jew-ish scholars was equating law and wisdom:

‘Ben Sira explicitly identifies Wis-dom with the Torah...This identifica-tion becomes well nigh normative for the various Judaisms thereafter.’13

10 For a full discussion of this, see John G. Reisinger, Tablets of Stone & the History of Redemption (Frederick, MD: New Covenant Media, 2004).

11 Allen P. Ross, , ‘Proverbs,’ in Trem-per Longman III, David E. Garland, eds., Expositor’s Bible Commentary Revised Edition Volume 6, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), 31.

12 Kenneth E. Bailey, Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes; Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011), 110.

13 Helyer, Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period, 99. A simi-lar statement is found in Leo G. Per-due, Wisdom Literature: A Theological History (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007), 25-26.


Council on Biblical TheologyJuly 22-25, 2014

Grace Church at Franklin4052 Arno Rd., Franklin, TN 37065

Theme: God’s Eternal Kingdom Purpose:NCT—Time for a More Accurate Way

Morning & Evening Speakers

Tony Costa, Ph.D. Christian Apologist & Adjunct Professor, Providence Theological Seminary (PTS)Peter Gentry, Ph.D. Professor of OT Interpretation, Southern Baptist Theological SeminaryGary George, Pastor Evangelist & Pastor, Sovereign Grace Chapel, Southbridge, MA; Bd. Member PTSFrank Gumerlock, Ph.D. Professor of Church History and Systematic Theology, PTSZach S. Maxcey, M.Div. Graduate of PTS and Blog Administrator for PTSW. W. Sasser, M.Div. Pastor, Grace Church at Franklin and Board Member PTSGreg Van Court, Ph.D.* Pastor, Dayspring Fellowship Church, Austin, TX & Adjunct Professor PTSKirk Wellum, Ph.D.* Principal, Toronto Baptist Seminary, Toronto, CanadaStephen Wellum, Ph.D. Professor of Christian Theology, Southern Baptist Theological SeminaryA. Blake White, Th.M* Pastor, Spicewood Baptist Church, Spicewood, TX *candidate

Afternoon Doctrinal Workshop ModeratorGary D. Long, Th.D. Faculty President, Providence Theological Seminary, Colorado Springs, CO www.ptsco.org

Registration Contact & Doctrinal Conference Host for the Council on Biblical TheologyProvidence Theological Seminary: [email protected]. (719) 572-7900

Administrative Host of Council on Biblical TheologyGrace Church at Franklin, Pastor W. W. Sasser, Church Office: (615) 694-2829

Message Topics and Registration & Lodging Information to Follow after the First of the Year

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Issue 203 December 2013 ̶ January 2014 Vaninger—Continued from page 13 profound spirituality.’19 The wisdom

literature expresses a godly piety that goes beyond the Mosaic commands and animal sacrifices of the Levitical ritual. It expresses spiritual and moral principles of the heart in contrast to the emphasis in Mosaic legislation on externals.

In the OT, there is a progression from law to wisdom. The law was good but wisdom is better. Wisdom builds upon the law to a degree but at the same time surpasses it. The Law of Moses focused primarily on out-ward behavior; wisdom focuses more on internal matters such as motives and attitude. Some teach that Christ (or the Holy Spirit) is now the law of God but that cannot be supported by any clear statements of Scripture.20 But the NT does speak of Christ as the wisdom of God:21

• Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24).

• You are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteous-ness and sanctification and redemp-tion (1 Cor. 1:30).

• Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3).

19 Craig G. Bartholomew, Ryan P. O’Dowd, Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduc-tion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011), 309.

20 Zachary S. Maxcey, “Picture-Ful-fillment New Covenant Theology: A Positive Theological Development?”, available at the Providence Theologi-cal Seminary website, http://www.ptsco.org/pamphlets/Picture-Fulfill-ment%20NCT.pdf

21 See the discussion of Gordon Fee’s position on this issue of Christ as the wisdom of God near the end of Part 3 of this series.

We frequently see references to two Jewish writings (both in the OT apocrypha) that seem to equate the Torah with wisdom.14

The priestly scribe Ben Sira, writ-ing around 200-180 BC in Jerusalem, identified divine wisdom with divine Torah (Ecclus. 24:23).15

The slim amount of evidence pro-vided suggests that this view was not as prevalent among Jews as is usually suggested. A cursory comparison of the Pentateuch with the wisdom books of the OT makes it obvious that this identification is not valid. The law cannot so simplistically be equated with wisdom.16 There are similari-ties and overlap between OT law and wisdom to be sure but also some very significant differences that should not be minimized. ‘It is undeniable that wisdom has a set of emphases differ-ent from those that are prominent in the OT law, history and prophecy.’17

14 Ecclesiasticus (also Sirach or Ben Sira) 24:23 and Baruch 4:1. See Roland E. Murphy, The Tree of Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1990), 139-141 for a discussion of both of these references.

15 Eckhard J. Schnabel, ‘Wisdom,’ in T. Desmond Alexander, Brian S. Rosner, D. A. Carson, Graeme Goldsworthy, eds., New Dictionary of Biblical The-ology, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVar-sity Press, 2000), 845.

16 See Longman, BCOTWP, Prov-erbs, 69, 80 who argues that Torah = Wisdom but then immediately starts adding qualifications and making distinctions that are very appropriate (80-81).

17 Daniel J. Estes, “Wisdom and Biblical Theology,” in Tremper Longman III, Peter Enns, eds., Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writ-ings, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity

A more reasonable relationship is suggested in another statement in Sir-ach, ‘All wisdom is fear of the Lord, and in all wisdom is the fulfillment of the Law.’18 To say that wisdom is the fulfillment of the Law is very different from equating them. This is similar to Paul’s statements that love fulfills the law (Romans 13:8, 10).

So what is the relationship be-tween the Law of Moses and the OT wisdom literature? The Law of Moses cannot be properly understood with-out seeing it as part and parcel of the Mosaic Covenant which was a na-tional covenant with Israel. The Law of Moses is not basically an eternal moral code although it does include many timeless moral principles. In addition to moral precepts, it includes many civil laws that were relevant only to a national entity such as Israel as well as religious regulations that were relevant only to Israel under the Mosaic Covenant.

With the transformation that oc-curred with the termination of the Old Covenant and the inauguration of the New Covenant, the Law of Moses as a unit is simply no longer rel-evant. The Law of Moses has passed away with the passing of the Mosaic Covenant. To deny this is overlook a major theme of the NT Scriptures. But in the OT wisdom literature, we see a body of moral and spiritual teaching that goes beyond the natural limits of the national law code given through Moses. It also anticipates some of the exalted spiritual prin-ciples revealed in the teachings of Christ and the apostles. ‘Old Testa-ment wisdom as a whole articulates a

Press, 2008), 855.18 Sirach 19:20 quoted in Murphy, The

Tree of Life, 79.

The law was written for us Christians to teach us how to live. It was written for our instruction and the events it records were also written down to instruct us. In fact, all of the law is useful for moral teaching, for reproof, for cor-rection and for training in righteousness.

Brian S. Rosner, Paul and the Law, Keeping the commandments of God (Downers Grove, IL, InterVarsity Press, 2013) 222


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December 2013 ̶ January 2014 Issue 203West—Continued from page 3

devour. If the same metaphor can be applied to such radically differ-ent beings—God incarnate and the devil—then it should be clear that the same image is meant to communicate different propositions at different times. There are elements of lion-ness that reveal what Jesus is like, but there are also elements of lion-ness that help us understand the devil. A shared metaphor does not imply tremendous commonality in the subjects to whom the metaphorical image is linked.

Many metaphors not only apply to a wide diversity of subjects (or refer-ents), they also have multiple points of connection with one individual subject. This must be understood if metaphorical imagery is going to be properly interpreted. At this point, context is key. Think of the metaphor of God our Father. This can refer to his generation of living things. It can also refer to this authority over his children. It can communicate his love and the tender, personal relationship we have with him through our adop-tion. It can be used to remind us of our eternal home which we are sure to receive because we are our Father’s heirs. Slightly more painfully, the Fa-therhood of God is cited as the reason why we are disciplined for our sins! All of these—and more—are truly to be derived from the metaphor of God our Father.

Metaphors or images that have multiple points of connection are multivalent. Their interpretation is not exhausted when one point of contact or commonality has been identified and explored. Interpreters of metaphorical passages get into trouble when they settle too quickly for one propositional truth that is found in one particular context, and then read that one meaning into the image in every context in which they find it. This is absolutizing one component of the metaphor—it is taking one facet of it and allowing it to control the interpre-

tation of the image at all times and all contexts. Such a mistake results in a tremendously distorted interpretation of the imagery.

Do not think that such interpre-tive errors are without major practical consequences! I will contend—per-haps with vigor—in an article in this series that some pastors are guilty of tremendously distorting the pastor/shepherd metaphor and their misread-ing leads them to rule over the church of Jesus Christ in a high-handed, arro-gant, and authoritarian manner which is utterly unsupportable when the pas-tor/shepherd imagery is interpreted in all its biblical balance. Too often we focus on one aspect of a multivalent image, work out some “logical” im-plications, and then operate in consis-tency with the theoretical foundation we have established—a theoretical foundation which is tragically flawed. I wish some pastors operated with a lot less logical consistency after I find out what their theoretical underpin-nings are for their pastoral practice!

Not surprisingly, given the preced-ing discussion and overall series topic, the shepherd metaphor is both multi-valent when applied to a single subject and it can also be applied to multiple subjects. It is also used in a wide va-riety of cultures and languages in the Ancient Near East. Shepherd imagery is used of deities, political leaders (es-pecially kings), military leaders, and religious leaders. The metaphor bears intrinsic positive meaning, but those to whom it is applied can be judged as failing to live out the positive expectations of their roles. So, good leaders are praised for their ability to lead, nurture, feed, heal, organize, and protect their flocks. Bad leaders, however, can be denounced for their failure to fulfill the positive aspects of their jobs. These are failures caused by neglecting duty; they are sins of omission.

Even more serious, however, is the active abuse of the flock of which

certain shepherds can be guilty. Retaining the metaphorical image, shepherds can slaughter their flock to feast on the mutton. They can shear their sheep to grow rich in the luxury that comes from their wool. They can feed the sheep with the ulterior motive of fattening them up so that they can exploit them for selfish gain at a later time. They can flee when predators come, saving their own lives but leaving the defenseless flock to be ravaged. In fact, damningly, some shepherds are so abusive that they themselves are predators amongst the sheep. Shifting the picture, some hypocritical leaders are really wolves masquerading as sheep.

Not undermining the sufficiency and clarity of Scripture, it is the case that the wider historical background of shepherding imagery is important. I would contend that the overall bibli-cal context is so clear that a thought-ful interpreter should be able to see the point(s) of the shepherd metaphor in the different passages in which it is found. But as serious students of the Bible know, many times we read im-ages on the basis of our cultural un-derstanding rather than reading them on the basis of the original culture’s understanding. For example, for us lambs are docile, innocent, and cute but in some ancient contexts, lamb imagery is used of leaders or warriors who are strong, wise, and fearsome. We must not think that because we have aesthetic, romantic pictures in our minds of a brave shepherd ten-derly caring for his little flock that this is what the biblical metaphor is meant to evoke. Yet we also must not think that shepherd imagery is supposed to connote nothing but leadership and authority. As with all proper interpre-tation, the image must be located in its historical context, and anachronisms must be avoided. We must not decide ahead of time that we understand shepherding imagery; we must find out how shepherding metaphors were understood in biblical times.

Issue 203 December 2013 ̶ January 2014 What is it, then, that we can take

away from these initial observations? Certainly one thing to notice is that we must pay very careful attention to the context where the shepherding metaphor is employed. This is not only true of the immediate biblical context, but also includes the wider thought world in which the metaphor is at home. Another important point is that we must not exalt one aspect of the metaphor to a point where it controls all subsequent interpreta-tion. The metaphor refers to many different beings and roles, and it does so to make a wide variety of points. Some passages draw one connection whereas other passages—using the same metaphor and attaching it to the same people—draw another point. For argument’s sake, if the shepherd metaphor is used by God to teach us six things about leadership, we are on shaky ground if we grasp five of those points and miss the remaining one.

We must spiral around the image, see-ing its different angles and elements. Even here there is a danger: it is very easy to see all the elements but still over- or under-interpret one of them, leading to an overall distorted inter-pretation.

The shepherd metaphor helps us understand the proper function of pas-tors in the church—this is obviously critical. But even more importantly the image helps us better understand the nature and work of our God. It is a revelatory figure of speech that enables us, through an accommodat-ing earthly image, to know God more. Since there is nothing higher than knowing God, paying attention to this image is essential (as is paying atten-tion to all his revelation).

Having sketched out in general terms these preliminary thoughts about the nature of metaphor and the specific image of the shepherd, the

remainder of this series will turn to an examination of some of the bibli-cal material where this metaphor is used. This will not be an exercise that is even close to exhaustive. One of the very rich things about the shepherd imagery is that it is very often alluded to in Scripture. Our focus, however, will be on the passages that use the metaphor explicitly.

The next article will examine some key passages that use the shepherd metaphor for God. We will try to chart out some of the range of mean-ing that informs its use. Since the metaphor is fundamentally about God before it is applied to human be-ings, it is critical that we see how the Lord is our shepherd before we think about how humans are to function as shepherds towards other people. Lord willing, we will profitably do just that in the next article.

If we primarily use the Old Testament Scriptures to form our understanding of eschatology, we likely will embrace a premillennial understanding of Abraham’s and David’s expectations. At the risk of over-simplifying, we will refer to this as a Dispensational hermeneutic. If we use the texts in the New Testament Scriptures that deal with the promise to Abraham we likely will favor the amillennial position. Again, at the risk of over-simplifying, we will call this a Covenant hermeneutic (short for Covenant theology). Currently, New Covenant theology has no clearly defined hermeneutic. Adherents of New Covenant theology have attempted to answer this question by modifying either Covenantal herme-neutics or Dispensational hermeneutics.

One of the basic presuppositions of New Covenant theology is that the New Testament Scriptures must interpret the Old Testament. “How do the New Testament writers interpret the kingdom promises of the Old Testament?” Do the New Testament writers give a literal, or “natural,” meaning to the kingdom promises in the Old Testament, or do they spiritualize those prophecies? This book represents an attempt to begin serious work toward establishing New Covenant hermeneutics from the ground up—that is, without beginning with either Covenantal or Dispensational hermeneutics.

New Covenant Theology & ProphecyJohn G. Reisinger

91 pages, paperback

See page 16 for ordering information.

Also available in Kindle format from Amazon.com

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Thoughts for the New YearDon't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case.

Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited; until you try to sit in their pews.

Many folks want to serve God; but only as advisers.

It is easier to preach ten sermons, than it is to live one.

People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church.

Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on the front door forever.

Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

If a church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.

We're called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

Some minds are like concrete; thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

Peace starts with a smile.

Forbidden fruits create many jams.

God grades on the cross, not the curve.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

He who angers you, controls you!

If God is your co-pilot, swap seats!

Prayer: Don't give God instructions, just report for duty!

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

The will of God never takes you to where the grace of God will not protect you.

We don't change the message, the message changes us.

You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.

In This Issue Christ, Our New Covenant King #2...that Christ had ascended to heaven and was seated...

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