There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
For support under our afflictions, and spiritual benefit and advantage by them.
You have comforted me in all my affliction, 2 Corinthians 1:4(ESV) have seen my affliction and known the distress of my soul; Psalm 31:7(ESV) you have wondrously shown your steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. Psalm 31:21(ESV)
When afflictions have abounded, comforts have much more abounded. 2 Corinthians 1:5(ESV)
Though for the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, yet later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness and proves to be for my good, that I might share your holiness. Hebrews 12:10-11(ESV)
I have had reason to say that it was good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes; Psalm 119:71(ESV) for before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. Psalm 119:67(ESV)
It has been but for a little while, and when it was necessary, that I was grieved by various trials; and I beg that all the trials of my faith may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom, though I have not seen, I love; though I do not now see him, yet I believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, and am longing to receive the outcome of my faith, the salvation of my soul. 1 Peter 1:6-9(ESV)
Luke 1:26-38 This week’s lessons help us to prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ by focusing on three miracles seen in the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary.
Theme
Belief in Gabriel’s Message
It is hard to think of Christmas without thinking of the two great miracles I have mentioned—the incarnation and the Virgin Birth—and yet the third of these three miracles is the greatest of all, namely, that Mary should believe the angel’s message. Luther puts it nicely: “The Virgin Birth is a mere trifle for God; that God should become man is a greater miracle; but most amazing of all is it that this maiden should credit [that is, believe] the announcement.”1
The great Baptist preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon has a sermon on this passage in which he compares the question of Mary in verse 34 (“How will this be since I am a virgin?”) with Zechariah’s similar question in verse 18 (“How can I be sure of this?”). He calls it “A Distinction with a Difference.” What he means by this title is that, although the words of the two figures are very much alike, there is nevertheless an enormous and important difference between their meanings and the ways they were asked.
Zechariah’s question expressed his disbelief. The angel had appeared to him to announce the conception and birth of John the Baptist, just as he later appeared to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus. However, in Zechariah’s case there was no miracle of God becoming man; John was a mere human being, though a great one. There was no virgin birth; John’s was a natural conception. The only problem for Zechariah was that his wife Elizabeth was up in years and was therefore probably past the age of having children.
Zechariah was God’s priest. He therefore knew the Old Testament, and he must have been aware of the story in which Abraham was given a son when he was past the age of engendering one and when Sarah was past the age of conceiving. Yet in spite of this and in spite of the fact that an angel actually appeared to him to make the announcement of John’s birth, Zechariah did not believe the angel’s message. Therefore, he was struck dumb until after the birth of John the Baptist nine months later. His inability to speak was to be a sign to him. The angel said, “You will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come to pass at their proper time” (v. 20).
How different in the case of Mary! On the surface Mary seems to say nearly the same thing. “How will this be,” she asks, “since I am a virgin?” But there is all the difference in the world between what Zechariah said and the way Mary asks her question. Mary did not say, “How can I be sure of this?” She was sure of it. God had spoken through His angel and Mary believed what God said. Her question had to do rather with how this great miracle was to happen. Her question was an example of what the later medieval theologian Anselm of Canterbury was to call fides quarens intellectum (“faith in search of understanding”).
And this is precisely what God gave her: understanding. For the angel went on to explain what should happen, as thoroughly as it is possible to explain such a miracle. The angel said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (v. 35).
Moreover, although Mary did not ask for a sign as Zechariah did, God nevertheless gave her one, for the angel continued his announcement by saying, “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God” (vv. 36-37). That was important to Mary, as we know. Mary went to stay with her cousin Elizabeth until near the time of her delivery.
There are two great examples for us here. For, as Spurgeon observed, we should imitate Mary both in her implicit faith in the promises of God and in her inquiry. God honors faith and delights to teach the one who has it. He loves to instruct the one who believes him implicitly.2
1Martin Luther, The Martin Luther Christmas Book, trans. and arranged by Roland H. Bainton (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1948), 23.
2Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “A Distinction with a Difference” in Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. 24 (Pasadena, TX: Pilgrim Publications, 1972), 169-180. Original edition 1878.
Study Questions
Contrast the response of Zechariah and Mary to the angels’ announcement to each of them.
What two great examples does Spurgeon give for how can we imitate Mary’s response to the angel?
Application
Reflection: How can you apply what Spurgeon says about the two examples he gives in his sermon?
For Further Study: Download for free and listen to James Boice’s message, “Wise Men Come to Jesus.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
“Context is king.” This is the paramount hermeneutic for all Bible texts, each having one exegetical point.[1] The Bible’s entire text, including the parables, has one ultimate homiletical point: Bow before Jesus the King of Kings!
Steven McCarthy points out in the first article of this series, “[the Gospel] has royal, or imperial, associations: the announcement of a new monarch’s ascension to the throne … a decisive victory heralded to … the front lines of battle … Jesus’ parables … are about the kingdom that his appearing embodies.”[2]
Many begin, “The kingdom of heaven is like”—six times in Matthew 13, which, quoting Psalm 78:2 in verses 34-35, alarmingly qualifies: All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
Similarly, in Mark 4:11-12 quoting Isaiah 6:9-10, Jesus warns: … Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
Herbert Lockyer discerns, “The parables … both attracted and sifted the crowd.”[3] Craig Blomberg concurs: “Jesus’ stories are … ‘weapons of warfare’ … They draw people into a seemingly innocuous story only to confront them with the demands of discipleship in ways that subvert conventional religious tradition and expectation.”[4]
Christ’s parables illustrate the inauguration of His Kingdom at His incarnation calling upon all people to determine whether they are among His citizens before its consummation. Blomberg asserts: “… all of the parables impinge on Jesus’ understanding of the ‘kingdom of God,’ whether that expression explicitly appears in the context of any given passage or not. For Jesus, the ‘kingdom’ referred more to a power than to a place, more to a rule or reign than to a realm.”[5]
Thomas Long explains that “… a parable is a literary performance in which a story, example, or image from our world of experience or imagination is compared to God’s kingdom.”[6] He extols:
… the true power of the parables lies … in the kingdom of God to which they refer … their deepest purpose is to disclose the kingdom of God, which … is not an idea … but … the inbreaking of the life of God into life and history … The parables take us to the places where the prayer “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is even now being answered. … not merely to talk about the kingdom of God but instead to take us to those places all around us where … God’s kingdom can be perceived and experienced … where … we can be “on hand for [the kingdom] which is at hand but not in hand.” The kingdom of God is not an idea but an event, and so should be preaching on the parables.[7]
John the Baptist prepared the way of the Prince’s arrival pronouncing, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2); Jesus and His disciples summoned the same (Matthew 4:17; 10:7).[8] The parables powerfully depict such demands of all Scripture:
Prioritize … first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33).
Recognize Christ’s kingdom came near and within the presence of His audience by His own kingly embodiment (Luke 10:9-11; 17:20-21).
Rejoice that for His church Christ shall conquer His enemies with all kingdoms of this world having become under His reign for ever and ever (Psalms 45, 110; Revelation 11:15).
Lockyer passes on another’s detailed outline of Christ’s parables as the best, shared here in shorthand:
Everyone marveled at how Jesus spoke God’s great authority to convict decisive repentance or reviling.[11] Let preachers of the Messiah’s parables declare His princely discipleship to all like Psalm 2:10-12:
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings … Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
[1] See Dennis Prutow’s chapter 5, “Selecting Your Text and Deriving Your Exegetical Point,” in his magnum opus, So Pastor, What’s Your Point? (Lancaster, Pa.: Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, 2013), available here: reformedresources.org/so-pastor-whats-your-point-hardcover. The author is indebted to Dr. Prutow, his professor, colleague, and one of his main mentors especially regarding preaching, while employed and earning his M.Div. at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh.
[3] Herbert Lockyer, All the Parables of the Bible: A Study and Analysis of the More Than 250 Parables in Scripture (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1963), 18. George Eldon Ladd describes Christ’s kingdom mystery as “… proclaimed to all even though it is understood only by those who believe.” George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1993), 92.
[4] Craig L. Blomberg, Jesus and the Gospels (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1997), 258. In his article, “Preaching Jesus’ Parables with Power,” Wayne E. Shaw explains: “The parables give us pictures of what that Kingdom is like. They paint vivid theological colors and patterns on the canvas of our lives. They develop three corallory themes: God’s graciousness, the demands of discipleship and the dangers of disobedience … They dramatize the eternal consequences of how we choose to live. The parables divide their hearers, then and now, into two camps: Jesus’ disciples and His opponents.” Source: preaching.org/preaching-jesus-parables-power. John Calvin writes, “Parables reveal the kingdom’s secrets to those with eyes to see, and they hide them from those who refuse to hear the truth (Matt. 13:11). Based on Matthew 13, these secrets tell us that God’s salvific reign has not manifested itself cataclysmically, but comes first through the humility of Jesus. Despite the expectations of first-century Jews, the day on which all enemies of Israel are eliminated will come only after the Messiah atones for sin and extends His reign through the preaching of the Gospel — even to the foes of His people (vv. 31–33; 24:14).” Source: learn.ligonier.org/devotionals/parables-kingdom. “Jesus tells us in Matthew 15:12–15 that He speaks in parables to hide the secrets of the kingdom from some and reveal them to others (Matt. 13:12–15).This does not mean His parables are full of esoteric information that only a select few can grasp with their minds. Christ’s enemies often understand exactly what His parables mean (see 21:33–46); the problem is their refusal to trust His teaching about Himself and God’s kingdom … A person’s final response to the parables reveals whether or not he is elect … we must be thankful that He has made us, who are no more deserving than the reprobate, to see the kingdom (Matt. 13:16–17).” Source: learn.ligonier.org/devotionals/purpose-parables.
[5] Craig L. Blomberg, Preaching the Parables: From Responsible Interpretation to Powerful Proclamation (Grand Rapids, Baker Academic, 2004), 23. He adds, “In my previous book on parables I devoted an entire half-chapter to the theology of the kingdom that may be deduced from Jesus’ parables.” Ladd says, “ … the Sitz ín Leben (“life setting”) of the parables is Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God [which] involves two great moments: fulfillment within history, and consummation at the end of history. It is precisely this background which provides the setting for the parables of the kingdom.” Ibid, 90. “The new truth, now given to men and women by revelation in the person and mission of Jesus, is that the Kingdom that is to come finally in apocalyptic power, as foreseen by Daniel, has in fact entered into the world in advance in a hidden form to work secretly within and among human beings.” 92. “The ground of the demand that they receive the Kingdom rests in the fact that in Jesus the Kingdom has come into history. God has done a new thing. He has visited his people in Jesus’ mission, brining to them the messianic salvation. The divine act requires a human response even though it remains a divine act.” 102.
[6] Thomas G. Long, Proclaiming the Parables: Preaching and Teaching the Kingdom of God (Louisville, K.Y.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2024), 24. Craig Blomberg says, “…A concise definition of a parable is that it is a short, metaphorical narrative. With or without an explicit comparison, it highlights aspects of the kingdom of God.” Source: thegospelcoalition.org/essay/introduction-to-the-parables. Lockyer writes, “By [the use of parables], He sought to commend to men’s understandings and hearts the spiritual truths of His kingdom.” Ibid, 18. Shaw advises, “Keep in mind that the central theme of the parables is the present and future Kingdom of God. The Bible is clear: the Kingdom is in our midst if we trust and obey the King, and one day all the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our God and His Christ.” Ibid.
[8] “Parables must be studied in connection with the fuller exposition of divine truth, which Christ taught and inspired His apostles to teach.” Lockyer, 126. “Of thirty of our Lord’s Parables, about half are about judgment and the other exhibiting love and grace.” 129.
[10] Hilyer H. Straton’s as representatively outlined by George A. Buttrick. Lockyer, 133-136. He first writes, “Some arrange them in two groups:
Parables dealing with the nature and development of the Kingdom of God
Parables dealing with the right conduct of members of the Kingdom
For the most part a three-fold plan is preferred:
Those which describe the Kingdom of Heaven as a divine force
Those which describe it as a Church founded by the divine forces of the Word of God
Those which describe the members of the kingdom in their disposition, walk and destiny.” 133.
[11]Matt. 7:28-29: And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Consider also Hebrews 12:25, 28-29: See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven … Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
For our God is a consuming fire. So Blomberg says of preaching Christ’s parables: “If we don’t get some folks upset with us, we have not recreated the dynamic of Jesus’ original parable.” Source: preachingtoday.com/exegesis/matthew/preaching-parables.html. Douglas Sean O’Donnell and Leland Ryke aver: “ …. because the parables describe various parts of the gospel of the kingdom—the rule of Christ inaugurated in the incarnation and consummated in the second coming—set your sermons within the context of the whole gospel story (death and resurrection of Christ) and response (repentance, faith, and obedience). The parables feature what the whole of the New Testament covers: gospel need, gospel proclamation, gospel response, and gospel ethics. In your preaching, follow Jesus’s pattern … [and] don’t shy away from some shock therapy! … Arthurs puts it this way: ‘Don’t disarm Jesus’ land mines,’ which are ‘explosive but concealed.’ I favor that shock therapy analogy because, while there is a concealed but explosive element to Jesus’s prophetic parabolic punches, shock therapy … can have positive results. We don’t want our people blown to pieces by our preaching! But we do want to let God’s provocative word shock their spiritual sensibilities … Shock therapy aims for the head; a defibrillator aims for the heart. For example, when Nathan told David the parable about the rich man and the lamb, it outraged David … back to spiritual health. Don’t be afraid to deliver the lifesaving shock found in many of the Bible’s parables.” O’Donnell and Ryke, “How to Preach Parables” (September 9, 2022). Source: crossway.org/articles/how-to-preach-parables. See also our church’s document giving an apology for not only teaching but heralding from our pulpit: puritanchurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Collected-Thoughts-on-The-Manner-of-Preaching.pdf.
In the concluding segment of our interview with Paul Carden (Centers for Apologetics Research) and Rodgers Atwebembeire (Africa Center for Apologetics Research), we expose critical doctrinal threats and challenges in Africa, including the rapid growth of Seventh-day Adventism, the stealth infiltration of the New Apostolic Reformation, and the massive amount of false miracle claims. This segment includes vital information on the Project Priscilla ministry, which is equipping vulnerable women against exploitation, and a powerful example of how small donations make a massive, life-saving impact on the front lines of global discernment.
In this final segment, you will learn about:
The “Miracle” Deception: Why claims of healing in extreme charismatic movements, including NAR, lack credible evidence and how believers are blamed for their “lack of faith.”
SDA’s Startling Growth: Why Seventh-day Adventism is doctrinally cultic (“False Prophet, Wrong Jesus, Impossible Salvation”) and how it uses fear tactics (like the “mark of the beast”) to pull Christians out of sound churches.
NAR’s Stealth Invasion: How the Seven Mountain Mandate and Dominion Theology are infiltrating major denominations and traditions, like the Anglican Church in Africa.
Dangerous Syncretism: The mixing of NAR spiritual warfare with African traditional religious beliefs (e.g., specific ancestral demons and curses).
Project Priscilla: The critical ministry focused on equipping women and girls who are culturally vulnerable to sexual and financial exploitation by predator “prophets.”
Direct Impact: An eye-opening story showing how just $400 in funding resulted in outreach to over 400,000 people and brought victims out of cults.
The future of global Christianity is African, but this explosive growth is under massive attack. Join us as we interview Paul Carden (Centers for Apologetics Research) and Rodgers Atwebembeire (Africa Center for Apologetics Research) to discuss the hidden dangers, manipulative movements, and organized cults aggressively targeting Christians across the continent. This is a deep dive into the “flip side of the Great Commission”—the vital work of doctrinal polemics and counter-cult ministry needed to prevent spiritual disillusionment and protect millions from toxic, heretical teaching.
In this urgent discussion, you will learn:
Why the Word of Faith and Prosperity Gospel movements are devastating in Africa.
The difference between general apologetics and cult-focused doctrinal polemics.
How aggressive international cults like Shincheonji (South Korea) and UCKG (Brazil) are operating.
The terrifying reality of indigenous false prophets—from those commanding followers to eat grass to those causing mass starvation deaths (e.g., the Shakahola Forest tragedy).
Why the chaos of extreme charismatic groups, including the New Apostolic Reformation, makes orderly cults, like Mormonism, appealing.
The danger of spiritual inoculation: when false doctrines turn people away from true Christianity.
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace. (1:4–6a)
These verses reveal the past part of God’s eternal plan in forming the church, the Body of Jesus Christ. His plan is shown in seven elements: the method, election; the object, the elect; the time, eternity past; the purpose, holiness; the motive, love; the result, sonship; and the goal, glory.
THE METHOD—ELECTION
The Bible speaks of three kinds of election. One is God’s theocratic election of Israel. “You are a holy people to the Lord your God,” Moses told Israel in the desert of Sinai; “the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deut. 7:6). That election had no bearing on personal salvation. “They are not all Israel who are descended from Israel,” Paul explains; “neither are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants” (Rom. 9:6–7). Racial descent from Abraham as father of the Hebrew people did not mean spiritual descent from him as father of the faithful (Rom. 4:11). A second kind of election is vocational. The Lord called out the tribe of Levi to be His priests, but Levites were not thereby guaranteed salvation. Jesus called twelve men to be apostles but only eleven of them to salvation. After Paul came to Christ because of God’s election to salvation, God then chose him in another way to be His special apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Rom. 1:5). The third kind of election is salvational, the kind of which Paul is speaking in our present text. “No one can come to Me,” Jesus said, “unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). Helkuō (draws) carries the idea of an irresistible force and was used in ancient Greek literature of a desperately hungry man being drawn to food and of demonic forces being drawn to animals when they were not able to possess men. Salvage yards use giant electromagnets to lift and partially sort scrap metal. When the magnet is turned on, a tremendous magnetic force draws all the ferrous metals that are near it, but has no effect on other metals such as aluminum and brass. In a similar way, God’s elective will irresistibly draws to Himself those whom He has predetermined to love and forgive, while having no effect on those whom He has not. From all eternity, before the foundation of the world, and therefore completely apart from any merit or deserving that any person could have, God chose us in Him, “in Christ” (v. 3). By God’s sovereign election, those who are saved were placed in eternal union with Christ before creation even took place. Although man’s will is not free in the sense that many people suppose, he does have a will, a will that Scripture clearly recognizes. Apart from God, man’s will is captive to sin. But he is nevertheless able to choose God because God has made that choice possible. Jesus said that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16) and that “everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die” (11:26). The frequent commands to the unsaved to respond to the Lord (e.g., Josh. 24:15; Isa. 55:1; Matt. 3:1–2; 4:17; 11:28–30; John 5:40; 6:37; 7:37–39; Rev. 22:17) clearly indicate the responsibility of man to exercise his own will. Yet the Bible is just as clear that no person receives Jesus Christ as Savior who has not been chosen by God (cf. Rom. 8:29; 9:11; 1 Thess. 1:3–4; 1 Pet. 1:2). Jesus gives both truths in one verse in the gospel of John: “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37). God’s sovereign election and man’s exercise of responsibility in choosing Jesus Christ seem opposite and irreconcilable truths—and from our limited human perspective they are opposite and irreconcilable. That is why so many earnest, well-meaning Christians throughout the history of the church have floundered trying to reconcile them. Since the problem cannot be resolved by our finite minds, the result is always to compromise one truth in favor of the other or to weaken both by trying to take a position somewhere between them. We should let the antimony remain, believing both truths completely and leaving the harmonizing of them to God. Eklegō (chose) is here in the aorist tense and the middle voice, indicating God’s totally independent choice. Because the verb is reflexive it signifies that God not only chose by Himself but for Himself. His primary purpose in electing the church was the praise of His own glory (vv. 6, 12, 14). Believers were chosen for the Lord’s glory before they were chosen for their own good. The very reason for calling out believers into the church was that “the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places” (3:10). Israel was God’s elect, His “chosen one” (Isa. 45:4; cf. 65:9, 22). But she was told, “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you” (Deut. 7:7–8). God chose the Jews simply out of His sovereign love. God’s heavenly angels also are elect (1 Tim. 5:21), chosen by Him to glorify His name and to be His messengers. Christ Himself was elect (1 Pet. 2:6, KJV), and the apostles were elect (John 15:16). By the same sovereign plan and will the church is elect. God “has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim. 1:9). In Acts we are told, “And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” (13:48). Paul said, “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory” (2 Tim. 2:10). His heart’s desire was to reach the elect, the ones who were already chosen, in order that they might take hold of the faith already granted them in God’s sovereign decree. Paul gave thanks for the church because it was God’s elect. “We should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13). In his book Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J. I. Packer observes:
All Christians believe in divine sovereignty, but some are not aware that they do, and mistakenly imagine and insist that they reject it. What causes this odd state of affairs? The root cause is the same as in most cases of error in the Church—the intruding of rationalistic speculations, the passion for systematic consistency, a reluctance to recognize the existence of mystery and to let God be wiser than men, and a consequent subjecting of Scripture to the supposed demands of human logic. People see the Bible teaches man’s responsibility for his actions; they do not see (man, indeed, cannot see) how this is consistent with the sovereign Lordship of God over those actions. They are not content to let the two truths live side by side, as they do in the Scriptures, but jump to the conclusion that, in order to uphold the biblical truth of human responsibility, they are bound to reject the equally biblical and equally true doctrine of divine sovereignty, and to explain away the great number of texts that teach it. The desire to over-simplify the Bible by cutting out the mysteries is natural to our perverse minds, and it is not surprising that even godly men should fall victim to it. Hence this persistent and troublesome dispute. The irony of the situation, however, is that when we ask how the two sides pray, it becomes apparent that those who profess to deny God’s sovereignty really believe in it just as strongly as those who affirm it. ([Chicago: Inter-Varsity, 1961], pp. 16–17)
Because we cannot stand the tension of mystery, paradox, or antinomy, we are inclined to adjust what the Bible teaches so that it will fit our own systems of order and consistency. But that presumptuous approach is unfaithful to God’s Word and leads to confused doctrine and weakened living. It should be noted that other essential scriptural doctrines are also apparently paradoxical to our limited capacity. It is antinomous that Scripture itself is the work of human authors, yet the very words of God; that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man; that salvation is forever, yet saints must remain obedient and persevere to the end; that the Christian’s life is lived in total commitment and discipline of self, yet is all of Christ. Such inscrutable truths are an encouragement that the mind of God infinitely surpasses the mind of man and are a great proof of the divine authorship of Scripture. Humans writing a Bible on their own would have attempted to resolve such problems. It is not that God’s sovereign election, or predestination, eliminates man’s choice in faith. Divine sovereignty and human response are integral and inseparable parts of salvation—though exactly how they operate together only the infinite mind of God knows. Nor is it, as many believe and teach, that God simply looks into the future to see which people are going to believe and then elects them to salvation. Taken out of context, Romans 8:29 is often used to support that view. But verse 28 makes it clear that those whom God foresees and predestines to salvation are those whom He has already “called according to His purpose.” Any teaching that diminishes the sovereign, electing love of God by giving more credit to men also diminishes God’s glory, thus striking a blow at the very purpose of salvation. We should be satisfied simply to declare with John Chadwick,
I sought the Lord,
And afterwards I knew
He moved my soul to seek Him,
Seeking me! It was not that I found,
O Saviour true;
No, I was found by Thee.
THE OBJECT—THE ELECT
The object of election is us, not everyone, but only those whom God chose, the saints and “faithful in Christ Jesus” (v. 1). Those whom God elects are those whom He has declared holy before the foundation of the world and who have identified with His Son Jesus Christ by faith. Being a Christian is having been chosen by God to be His child and to inherit all things through and with Jesus Christ.
THE TIME—ETERNITY PAST
God elected us before the foundation of the world. Before the creation, the Fall, the covenants, or the law, we were sovereignly predestined by God to be His. He designed the church, the Body of His Son, before the world began. Because in God’s plan Christ was crucified for us “before the foundation of the world” (1 Pet. 1:20), we were designated for salvation by that same plan at that same time. It was then that our inheritance in God’s kingdom was determined (Matt. 25:34). We belonged to God before time began, and we will be His after time has long run its course. Our names as believers were “written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain” (Rev. 13:8; cf. 17:8).
THE PURPOSE—HOLINESS
God chose us in order that we might be holy and blameless. Amōmos (blameless) literally means without blemish, or spotless. Because we are chosen in Him we are holy and blameless before Him. Because Jesus Christ gave Himself for us as “a lamb unblemished and spotless” (1 Pet. 1:19), we have been given His own unblemished and spotless nature. The unworthy have been declared worthy, the unrighteous declared holy. It is Christ’s eternal and foreordained plan to “present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:27). Obviously Paul is talking about our position and not our practice. We know that in our living we are far from the holy standard and far from being blameless. Yet “in Him,” Paul said in another place, we “have been made complete” (Col. 2:10). All that God is, we become in Jesus Christ. That is why salvation is secure. We have Christ’s perfect righteousness. Our practice can and does fall short, but our position can never fall short, because it is exactly the same holy and blameless position before God that Christ has. We are as secure as our Savior, because we are in Him, waiting for the full redemption and glorious holiness that awaits us in His presence. And because God declares us and leads us to be holy and blameless, we should strive to live lives now that reflect the holiness and blamelessness that are our destiny.
THE MOTIVE—LOVE
God elects those who are saved because of His love. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons. Just as He chose Israel to be His special people only because of His love (Deut. 7:8), so He also chose the church, the family of the redeemed. Biblical agapē love is not an emotion but a disposition of the heart to seek the welfare and meet the needs of others. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends,” Jesus said (John 15:13). And that is exactly what Jesus Himself did on behalf of those God has chosen to be saved. In the ultimate divine act of love, God determined before the foundation of the earth that He would give His only Son to save us. “God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ” (Eph. 2:4–5). He loved us, and will eternally continue to love us, according to the kind intention of His will.
THE RESULT—SONSHIP
The result of God’s election is our adoption as sons. In Christ we become subjects of His kingdom, and because He is our Lord we are His servants. He even calls us friends because, He says, “All things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). But in His great love He makes us more than citizens and servants, and even more than friends. He makes us children. God lovingly draws redeemed sinners into the intimacy of His own family. When we become Christians we become children of God. “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear,” Paul says, “but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ ” (Rom. 8:15). Abba was an Aramaic word of endearment somewhat equivalent to Daddy or Papa. To be saved is to have the very life of God in our souls, His own Spirit enlivening our spirits. Human parents can adopt children and come to love them every bit as much as they love their natural children. They can give an adopted child complete equality in the family life, resources, and inheritance. But no human parent can impart his own distinct nature to an adopted child. Yet that is what God miraculously does to every person whom He has elected and who has trusted in Christ. He makes them sons just like His divine Son. Christians not only have all of the Son’s riches and blessings but all of the Son’s nature.
THE GOAL—GLORY
Why did God do all of that for us? Why did He want us to be His sons? We are saved and made sons to the praise of the glory of His grace. Above all else, He elects and saves us for His own glory. When Jesus said, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32), He was affirming the delight of God in putting His glory on display. As Paul further explained, “God is at work in [us] … for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). The apostle Paul interceded for the Thessalonians, praying “that our God may count you worthy of your calling … in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him” (2 Thess. 1:11–12). Even the beasts of the field will glorify the Lord, Isaiah tells us (43:20), and the heavens tell of the glory of God (Ps. 19:1). The only rebels in the universe are fallen angels and fallen man. Everything else glorifies its Creator. The fallen angels have already been eternally removed from God’s presence, and those fallen men who will not be saved by Jesus Christ will join those angels in that eternal separation. God chose and preordained the Body before the foundation of the world in order that no human being could boast or take glory for himself, but that all the glory might be His. Salvation is not partly of God and partly of man, but entirely of God. To guarantee that, every provision and every detail of salvation was accomplished before any human being was ever born or before a planet was formed on which he could be born. The ultimate reason for everything that exists is the glory of His grace. That is why, as God’s children, Christians should do everything they do—even such mundane things as eating and drinking—to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (pp. 10–16). Moody Press.
Election
Ephesians 1:4–6
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
It is wonderful to be told, as Paul does tell us in the third verse of Ephesians 1, that God “has blessed us … with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” But as soon as that is said we immediately want to ask how such great blessing actually becomes ours. Paul describes it as “spiritual” blessing “in the heavenly realms.” But we are not in heaven; we are on earth. How can we possess the blessings God has for us? We can imagine a number of wrong ways. The blessings of heaven might be thought to be possessed by force, which is what Satan tried to do. He tried to conquer heaven; he was conquered instead. We might try to earn these great blessings. But with what would we earn them? Heaven’s blessings must be bought by heaven’s coin. We possess no spiritual currency. Perhaps we can inherit them when the owner dies. Alas, the owner is the eternal God, who does not die. Perhaps God is gracious and is only waiting for us to ask him for these blessings. Even this will not work. For according to Scripture, we are not the kind of persons who, unaided by God, will even ask him for blessings. On the contrary, we despise God’s blessings. We want our will and our way and left to ourselves, we would never ask God for anything. Then how is it that some people receive these blessings, as Paul says they do? The answer is in verses 4–6. It is the result of God’s own sovereign act, election. Paul says, “For [the Greek word is kathōs, meaning ‘just as’ or ‘because’; it links verses 4 and 3, as an explanation] he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” This teaches that the blessings of salvation come to some people because God has determined from before the creation of the world to give them to them—and for that reason only.
Election and Human Depravity
This doctrine is difficult for many persons, of course. But before we deal with their objections we would do well to consider the various views that people hold about election. There are three of them. The first position is a denial of election outright. No one is saved because of some supreme hidden purpose of God, these objectors say. We can speak of grace, for God chose to reveal himself to fallen men and women and to provide a way of salvation through the death of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That he did so proves him to be gracious. But having spoken of the grace of God in this sense, we must stop there and turn the entire situation over to human beings. God graciously offers salvation, but people must choose this salvation of their own free will. Election simply does not enter into it. The strength of this view is that it conforms to what we all naturally like to think about our abilities. The difficulty is that, whether we like it or not, the Bible does teach this doctrine. John R. W. Stott calls election “a divine revelation, not a human speculation.” D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones refers to this teaching as “a statement, not an argument.” In his study of election J. C. Ryle begins by listing eleven texts (including Ephesians 1:4) that teach election in the simplest and most undeniable language and urges his readers to consider them well. It is hard to imagine anyone doing this and then continuing to deny that election is the Bible’s teaching. According to the second view, election is taught in Scripture but it is election based on foreknowledge. This is a mediating position, held by those who acknowledge that election is taught but who do not want to admit to a doctrine which they consider unjust and arbitrary. They would argue that God elects some to salvation and its blessings but that he does so on the basis of a choice, a response of faith, or some other good that he foresees in them. This is patently impossible. One problem is that an election like that is not really election. In such a reconstruction God does not preordain an individual to anything; the individual actually ordains himself. Another, greater problem is, if what the Bible tells us about the hopeless condition of man in sin is true, what good could God possibly see in anyone to cause him to elect that one to salvation? Goodness is from God. Faith is from God. If God is eliminated as a first cause of goodness or faith or a God-directed human choice (whatever it may be), how could there ever be any faith for God to foresee? Calvin put it like this: “How should [God] foresee that which could not be? For we know that all Adam’s offspring is corrupted and that we do not have the skill to think one good thought of doing well, and much less therefore are we able to commence to do good. Although God should wait a hundred thousand years for us, if we could remain so long in the world, yet it is certain that we should never come to him nor do anything else but increase the mischief continually to our own condemnation. In short, the longer men live in the world, the deeper they lunge themselves into their own damnation. And therefore God could not foresee what was not in us before he himself put it into us.” When people have trouble with election—and many do—their real problem is not with the doctrine of election, although they think it is, but with the doctrine of depravity that makes election necessary. The question to settle is: How far did the human race fall when it fell? Did man fall upward? That is the view of secular evolutionists, that we are all getting better and better. Did man fall part way but not the whole way, so that he is damaged by sin but not ruined? That is the view of Pelagians or Arminians. It affirms that we are affected by sin but insists that we nevertheless possess the ability to turn from it and believe in Christ when the gospel is offered—by our own power. Or did man fall the whole way so that he is no longer capable of making even the smallest movement back toward God unless God first reaches down and performs the miracle of the new birth in him? That is the view of Scripture. The Bible says that we are “dead in … transgressions and sins” (Eph. 2:1). It says, “There is no one … who seeks God” (Rom. 3:11). Jesus declared, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). It is written in Genesis: “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Gen. 6:5). What good could God possibly foresee in hearts that are dead in transgressions and sins and inclined only to evil all the time? What good could God anticipate in people who cannot come to him and do not even seek him unless he first draws them to himself? If that is the situation, as the Bible says it is, then the only way any man or woman can be saved is by the sovereign election of God by which he first chooses some for salvation and then leads them to faith. The third position is election pure and simple. It teaches that we are too hopelessly lost in sin ever to partake of God’s great spiritual blessings on our own. Instead, God in his mercy chose us and then made his choice effectual. First he made our salvation possible by sending the Lord Jesus Christ to die for our sin. Then he made us capable of responding to him by sending the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the truth and glory of the gospel. Thus, all the blessings we enjoy must be traced back to this sovereign electing purpose of God toward us in Jesus Christ. And Paul does exactly that in these opening verses of Ephesians.
Arminian Objections
Objections to the Bible’s teaching about election have been around for a long time, and there are many of them. Here I consider two: that election is arbitrary and that it is unjust. When election is described as arbitrary we need to understand precisely what we are talking about. If we are basing the accusation on any supposed quality in man that is imagined to call forth election, then there is a sense in which election is arbitrary. From our perspective there is no reason why one individual rather than another should be elected. But generally that is not the way the charge is made. Generally the objector means that election is arbitrary, not from our perspective, but from God’s perspective. It amounts to saying that God has no reason for what he does. He is utterly arbitrary in picking one individual rather than another. It could as easily have been the other way around. Or God could have picked no one. That last sentence indicates the way through this problem. For as soon as we think of the possibility of no one being saved we run against the very purpose Paul talks about in Ephesians 1:6, namely, that salvation is “to the praise of his [God’s] glorious grace.” That is, God purposed to glorify himself by saving some. Since that is so, election is not arbitrary. It has a purpose from God’s point of view. But why one person rather than another? Why more than one? Or why not everyone? These are good questions, but it does not take a great deal of understanding to recognize that they are of another order entirely. Once we admit that God has a purpose in election, it is evident that the purpose must extend to the details of God’s choice. We do not know why he elects one rather than another, but that is quite a different thing from saying that he has no reasons. In fact, in so great an enterprise, an enterprise which forms the entire meaning of human history, it would be arrogant for us to suppose that we could ever understand the whole purpose. We can speculate. We can see portions of God’s purpose in specific instances of election. But on the whole we will have to do as Paul does and confess that predestination is simply “in accordance with [God’s] pleasure and will” (v. 5). The second objection is that election is unjust. It is unjust for God to choose one rather than another, we are told. All must be given an equal chance. But is it possible that a person can still so misunderstand what is involved as to think in these categories? An equal chance! We have had a chance, but we have wasted it by rejecting the gospel. And it makes no difference how many “chances” are given, or to how many. Apart from God’s sovereign work no one follows Jesus. So far as justice is concerned, what would justice decree for us, if justice (and nothing but justice) should be done? Justice would decree our damnation! Justice would sentence us to hell! It is not justice we want from God; it is grace. And grace cannot be commanded. It must flow to us from God’s sovereign purposes decreed before the foundation of the world, or it must not come at all.
Blessings of Election
Election is not the problem some have made it to be. In fact, it is actually a great blessing of the gospel. It is so in at least four areas.
Election eliminates boasting. Critics of election talk as if the opposite were true. They think it is the height of arrogance, something hardly to be tolerated, for a person to claim that he or she has been chosen to salvation. They suppose it is a claim to be worth more or to have done something better than other people. But, of course, election does not imply that at all. Election means that salvation is utterly of God. As Paul says, “he chose,” “he predestined,” “he has freely given,” and this is “to the praise of his glorious grace” and not to our glory. Only election eliminates all grounds for boasting. Suppose it were otherwise. Suppose that in the final analysis a person could get to heaven on the basis of something he or she had done. In that case, that individual could claim some part (small or large) of the glory. In fact, it would be the critical part, the part that distinguished him or her from those who were not saved. That is why salvation’s blessings have to be ours by election alone.
Election gives assurance of salvation. Suppose it were otherwise. Suppose the ultimate grounds of salvation were in ourselves. In that case, salvation would be as unstable as we are. We might be saved one moment and lost the next. As Calvin says, “If … our faith were not grounded in God’s eternal election, it is certain that Satan might pluck it from us every minute.” Calvin found security of salvation in the “adoption,” which verse 5 says God’s election provides for us. Adoption means that we are taken into God’s family so that we become his children and he becomes our heavenly Father. Calvin points out that when we pray to God we must call him Father, for that is what Jesus taught us to do (see Matt. 6:9). But how can we do that, he asks, unless we are sure that he really is our Father? If not, then our prayers are mere hypocrisy and the first words we utter in them (“Our Father …”) are a lie. “We must be thoroughly resolved and persuaded in ourselves that God counts us as his children. And how may that be but by embracing his mercy through faith, as he offers it to us in his gospel, and by assuring ourselves also that we are grounded in his eternal election?”
Election leads to holiness. A person might say, “Well, if I am elect, I suppose I’ll be saved regardless of what I do; therefore, I’ll enjoy myself and sin all I please.” Those who say that either are not elect or else are elect but are not yet regenerate. Why? Because, as verse 3 says, election is to holiness. That is, election to salvation and election to holiness go together. They are never separated. So, as John Stott says, “Far from encouraging sin, the doctrine of election forbids it and lays upon us instead the necessity of holiness.” If we are not growing in holiness, we are not elect. We are still in our sins.
Finally, election promotes evangelism. Some think that election makes evangelism unnecessary. “For if God is going to save certain individuals anyway,” the argument goes, “then he will save them, and there is no point in my having anything to do with it.” It does not work that way. The fact that God elects to salvation does not eliminate the means by which he calls those elect persons to faith. One of those means is the proclamation of the gospel to sinners by those who already believe (1 Cor. 1:21). The very Paul who wrote this letter was the first great missionary. Moreover, it is only as we recognize the importance of election that we gain hope in evangelism. Think about it. If the hearts of men and women are as opposed to God and his ways as the Bible says they are, and if God does not elect people and then call them effectively by means of the Holy Spirit so that they respond in saving faith, what hope could you or I possibly have of winning them? If God cannot call effectively, it is certain that you and I cannot. On the other hand, if God is doing this work on the basis of his prior election of some, then we can speak the word of truth boldly, knowing that all whom God has previously determined to come to faith will come to him. We do not know who God’s elect are. The only way we can find them out is by their response to the gospel and by their subsequent growth in holiness. Our task is to proclaim the Word boldly, knowing that all whom God has elected in Christ before the foundation of the world will surely come to Jesus.
Boice, J. M. (1988). Ephesians: an expositional commentary (pp. 14–19). Ministry Resources Library.
Paul continues, just as he elected us in him before the foundation of the world.
Election
(1) Its Author
The Author is “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” as has been indicated (see on verse 3). This, of course, by no means cancels the fact that all the activities which affect extra-trinitarian relationships can be ascribed to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, it is the Father who, as here shown, takes the lead in the divine work of election.
(2) Its Nature
To elect means to pick or choose out of (for oneself). Although the passage itself does not indicate in so many words the mass of objects or individuals out of which the Father chose some, this larger group is, nevertheless, clearly indicated by the purpose clause, “in order that we should be holy and faultless before him.” Accordingly, the larger mass of individuals out of which the Father chose some are here viewed as unholy and vile. This interpretation suits the context. It supplies one of the reasons (see Synthesis at end of chapter for more reasons) why the soul of the apostle is filled with such rapture that he says, “Blessed (be) the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who … elected us.” He means: us, thoroughly unworthy in his sight! He does not try to explain how it was possible for God to do this. He fully realizes that when men are confronted with this manifestation of amazing grace their only proper response is adoration, not explanation.
(3) Its Object
The object is “us,” not everybody. This pronoun “us” must be explained in the light of its context. Paul is writing to “saints and believers” (verse 1). He says that the Father has blessed “us,” that is, “all saints and believers” (here with special reference to those at Ephesus) including Paul (verse 3). Therefore, when the apostle now continues, “just as he elected us,” this “us” cannot suddenly have reference to all men whatever, but must necessarily refer to all those who are (or who at one time or another in the history of the world are destined to become) “saints and believers”; that is, to all those who, having been set apart by the Lord for the purpose of glorifying him, embrace him by means of a living faith. It is for this contextual reason (and for others also) that I cannot agree with the contention of Karl Barth that in connection with Christ all men whatever are elect, and that the basic distinction is not between elect and non-elect but rather between those who are aware of their election and those who are not.
(4) Its Foundation
The foundation of the church, of its entire salvation from start to finish, hence surely also of its election, is Christ. Paul says, “He (“the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”) elected us in him.” The connection between verses 3 and 4 hinges on this phrase. One could bring this out in the translation as follows, “God the Father blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as in him he elected us.…” In other words, in time the Father blessed us in Christ, just as from all eternity he elected us in him. Though some maintain that this “just as” denotes no more than correspondence, in the sense that there is perfect agreement between the blessings and the election, for both are “in Christ,” it may well be asked whether this interpretation exhausts the meaning of the word used in the original. Aside from a point of grammar (for which see the footnote), it is the teaching of Paul that election from eternity and the further steps in the order of salvation are not to be considered as so many separate items but rather as links in a golden chain, as Rom. 8:29, 30 makes abundantly clear. Election, then, is the root of all subsequent blessings. It is as Jesus said in his highpriestly prayer, “… that to all whom thou hast given him he might give everlasting life” (John 17:2). See also John 6:37, 39, 44; 10:29. Hence, since election is from eternity, and since it is the foundation of all further blessings, and since it is “in him,” Christ is not only the Foundation of the church but its Eternal Foundation. The question must now be answered, “How is it to be understood that it was in Christ that saints and believers were chosen?” The answer that is often given is this, that it was determined in the counsel of God that in time these people would come to believe in Christ. Though, to be sure, that, too, is implied, it is not a sufficient answer and fails to do justice to all that is taught by Paul and other inspired writers with respect to this important point. The basic answer must be that from before the foundation of the world Christ was the Representative and Surety of all those who in time would be gathered into the fold. This was necessary, for election is not an abrogation of divine attributes. It has already been established that in the background of God’s decree is the dismal fact that those chosen are viewed as being, at the very outset, totally unworthy, having involved themselves in ruin and perdition. Now sin must be punished. The demands of God’s holy law must be satisfied. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ does not, by means of election, cancel his righteousness or abolish the demands of his law. How then is it ever possible for God to bestow such a great, glorious, and basic blessing as election upon “children of wrath,” and to do so without detriment to his very essence and the inviolability of his holy law? The answer is that this is possible because of the promise of the Son (in full co-operation with the Father and the Spirit), “Lo, I come; in the roll of the book it is written of me; I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart” (Ps. 40:7, 8. Cf. Heb. 10:5–7; Gal. 4:4, 5; Phil. 2:6–8). “In Christ,” then, saints and believers, though initially and by nature thoroughly unworthy, are righteous in the very sight of God, for Christ had promised that in their stead he would satisfy all the requirements of the law, a promise which was also completely fulfilled (Gal. 3:13). This forensic righteousness is basic to all the other spiritual blessings. Therefore,
“To thee, O Lord, alone is due
All glory and renown;
Aught to ourselves we dare not take,
Or rob thee of thy crown.
Thou wast thyself our Surety
In God’s redemption plan;
In thee his grace was given us,
Long ere the world began.”
(Augustus M. Toplady, 1774; revised by Dewey Westra, 1931)
(5) Its Time
This election is said to have occurred “before the foundation of the world,” that is, “from eternity.” Moreover, since it occurred “in him,” this is altogether reasonable, for he is the One who and whose “precious blood as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” were foreknown even before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:19, 20). The fixity of God’s eternal plan with respect to his chosen ones was not a Pauline invention. It was the teaching of Jesus himself. It was he who referred to those whom he loved as the given ones (see John 6:39; 17:2, 9, 11, 24; cf. 6:44). The fact that from all eternity he had promised to make atonement for them may well have been an element that entered into the Father’s love for him; cf. the words of the highpriestly prayer, “Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, in order that they may gaze on my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24). In such and similar passages (see also Matt. 13:35; Heb. 4:3) the universe is viewed as a building, and its creation as the laying of the foundation of this building. The point that should be emphasized in this connection is the fact that if already before the foundation of the world those destined for everlasting life were elected, then all the glory for their salvation belongs to God, and to him alone. Hence, “Blessed (be) the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” See 2:5, 8–10.
(6) Its Purpose
The purpose of election is found in the words, that we should be holy and faultless before him. It is worthy of special note that Paul does not say, “The Father elected us because he foresaw that we were going to be holy,” etc. He says, “that [or: in order that] we should be holy,” etc. Election is not conditioned on man’s foreseen merits or even on his foreseen faith. It is salvation’s root, not its fruit! Nevertheless, it remains true that man’s responsibility and self-activity are not diminished even in the least. When the divine decree unto salvation is historically realized in the life of any individual it does not operate by means of external compulsion. It motivates, enables, actuates. It impels but does not compel. The best description is probably that which is found in Canons of Dort III and IV. 11, 12: “Moreover, when God accomplishes this, his good pleasure, in the elect, or works in them true conversion, he not only provides that the gospel should be outwardly preached to them, and powerfully illuminates their minds by the Holy Spirit, that they may rightly understand and discern what are the things of the Spirit of God, but he also, by the efficacy of the same regenerating Spirit, pervades the innermost recess of man, opens the closed, softens the hardened, and circumcises the uncircumcised heart, infuses new qualities into the will, and makes that will which had been dead alive, which was evil good, which had been unwilling willing, which had been refractory pliable, and actuates and strengthens it, that, as a good tree, it may be able to bring forth the fruit of good works.… Whereupon the will, being now renewed, is not only actuated and moved by God, but being actuated by God, itself also becomes active. Wherefore man himself, by virtue of that grace received, is rightly said to believe and repent.” See Phil. 2:12, 13 and 2 Thess. 2:13. From the stated purpose it is evident that election does not carry man half-way only; it carries him all the way. It does not merely bring him to conversion; it brings him to perfection. It purposes to make him holy—that is, cleansed from all sin and separated entirely to God and to his service—and faultless—that is, without any blemish whatever (Phil. 2:15), like a perfect sacrifice. Nothing less than this becomes the conscious goal of those in whose hearts God has begun to work out his plan of eternal election. It is their goal in this present life (Lev. 19:2), and it attains ultimate realization in the hereafter (Matt. 6:10; Rev. 21:27). The absolute and undiminished perfection of the ethical goal is given added emphasis by the phrase “before him,” that is, before God in Christ. Not what we are in the estimation of men but what we are in the sight of God is what counts most.
(7) Its Further Description
A further definition of election, showing the form it takes, is found in the words, having in love foreordained us to adoption as sons. This foreordination is not to be regarded as a divine activity prior to election. It is the latter’s synonym, a further elucidation of its purpose. The Father is described as having pre-horizoned or pre-encircled his chosen ones. In his boundless love, motivated by nothing outside of himself, he set them apart to be his own sons. “As the hills are round about Jerusalem, so Jehovah is round about his people” (Ps. 125:2). He destined them to be members of his own family (cf. Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5). It is rather useless to look for human analogies, for the adoption of which Paul speaks surpasses anything that takes place on earth. It bestows upon its recipients not only a new name, a new legal standing, and a new family-relationship, but also a new image, the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). Earthly parents may love an adopted child ever so much. Nevertheless, they are, to a large extent, unable to impart their spirit to the child. They have no control over hereditary factors. When God adopts, he imparts his Spirit! This adoption is through Jesus Christ for himself. It is through the work of Christ that this adoption becomes a reality. By his atonement the new standing and also the transformation into the spirit of sonship were merited for the chosen ones. Thus, they become God’s children who glorify him. The modifier according to the good pleasure of his will not only fits the immediate context (“for himself”), but also harmonizes excellently with the words “having in love foreordained us.” When the Father chose a people for himself, deciding to adopt them as his own children, he was motivated by love alone. Hence, what he did was a result not of sheer determination but of supreme delight. A person may be fully determined to submit to a very serious operation. Again, he may be just as fully determined to plant a beautiful rose garden. Both are matters of the will. However, the latter alone is a matter of delight, that is, of his will’s good pleasure. Thus, God, who does not afflict from the heart (Lam. 3:33), delights in the salvation of sinners (Is. 5:4; Ezek. 18:23; 33:11; Hos. 11:8; Matt. 23:37; cf. Luke 2:14; Rom. 10:1).
This election, which was further described as a foreordination to adoption as sons, is to the praise of the glory of his [the Father’s] grace. That is its ultimate purpose. The immediate (or intermediate) design has already been designated, namely, “that we should be holy and faultless before him,” and along the same line, that we should receive “adoption as sons.” The final goal, to which everything else is contributory, is the adoring recognition (“praise”) of the manifested excellence (“glory”) of the favor to the undeserving (“grace”) of him who was called “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (The concept glory has been treated rather fully in N.T.C. on Philippians, p. 62 footnote 43. For the meaning of grace see also on 1:2; 2:5, 8.) It is clear that it is especially that marvelous grace to which the emphasis now shifts. It was the rapturous contemplation of that freely bestowed love to those viewed as lost in sin and ruin which moved the soul of the apostle to cry out, “Blessed (be) the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That exclamation, moreover, was genuine. Heathen also at times ascribe praise and honor to their gods, but in their case the motivation is entirely different. They do it to appease them or to extract some favor from them. Actually, therefore, such praise ends in man, not in the god to whom honor is ascribed. It resembles Cain’s offering, which the Lord could not accept. Here in Ephesians, however, at the close of each paragraph (see verses 6, 12, 14) there is genuine adoration, such adoration as was not only God’s intention in saving man, but also the thanksgiving offering presented to God by his servant Paul, whose heart is in harmony with the purpose of his Maker-Redeemer. It is but natural that the grace of “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” should center in the Beloved. Hence, Paul continues, which he graciously bestowed on us in the Beloved. One might translate as follows: “with which he has generously blessed us.” But the rendering, as given in bold type above, to some extent preserves the wordplay of the original.20 When the Father imparts a favor he does so with gladness of heart, without stint. Moreover, his gift reaches the very heart of the recipient and transforms it. It is, of course, as explained earlier, in connection with the Son that the Father so generously bestows his grace on us (see on verses 3 and 4 above). That Son is here called “the Beloved.” Cf. Col. 1:13, “the Son of his love.” Since Christ by means of his death earned every spiritual blessing for us, and therefore wants us to have these goods, and since the Father loves the Son, it stands to reason that, for the sake of this Beloved One, the Father would gladly grant us whatever we need. To this must be added the fact that the Father himself gave his Son for this very purpose. Hence, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also together with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). It is said at times that Christ is the Father’s Beloved because he always obeyed the Father. This is true and scriptural (John 8:29). However, it is necessary in this connection to point out that it was especially the quality of this obedience that evoked the Father’s love. The Son, knowing what is pleasing to the Father and in harmony with his will, does not wait until the Father orders him to do this or that, but willingly offers himself. He volunteers to do the Father’s will. He is not passive even in his death, but lays down his life. “For this reason the Father loves me because I lay down my life in order that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from me; on the contrary, I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:17, 18; cf. Is. 53:10). It is this marvelous delight, on the part of the Son, in doing the Father’s will and thereby saving his people even at the cost of his own death, yes, death by means of a cross (Phil. 2:8), that causes the Father, again and again, to exclaim, “This is my beloved Son.” In substance the Father already made this exclamation “before the world began.” Even then he bestowed his infinite love upon his Son (John 17:24), moved, no doubt, among other things, by the latter’s glorious resolution, “Lo, I come” (Ps. 40:7; cf. Heb. 10:7). To be sure, this is a very human way of speaking about these realities, but how else can we speak about them? The Father’s exclamation was repeated in connection with the Son’s baptism (Matt. 3:17), when in a visible manner the Son took upon himself the sin of the world (John 1:29, 33); and once more in connection with the transfiguration (Matt. 17:5; 2 Peter 1:17, 18), when again, and most strikingly, the Son voluntarily chose the way of the cross.
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Ephesians (Vol. 7, pp. 74–81). Baker Book House.
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. (Proverbs 19:17)
We are to give to the poor out of pity. Not to be seen and applauded, much less to get influence over them; but out of pure sympathy and compassion we must give them help.
We must not expect to get anything back from the poor, not even gratitude; but we should regard what we have done as a loan to the Lord. He undertakes the obligation, and, if we look to Him in the matter, we must not look to the second party. What an honor the Lord bestows upon us when He condescends to borrow of us! That merchant is greatly favored who has the Lord on his books. It would seem a pity to have such a name down for a paltry pittance; let us make it a heavy amount. The next needy man that comes this way, let us help him.
As for repayment, we can hardly think of it, and yet here is the Lord’s note of hand. Blessed be His name, His promise to pay is better than gold and silver. Are we running a little short through the depression of the times? We may venture humbly to present this bill at the bank of faith, Has any one of our readers [oppressed] the poor? Poor soul. May the Lord forgive him.
This section of verses that show Jesus’ life are focused on His earthly ministry. We’ve seen Him as servant, teacher, shepherd, intercessor, and now healer.
Jesus healed people of their afflictions and diseases. He healed Mary who had 7 demons. He healed the woman who’d had a blood issue for 12 years. He healed lepers, even touching them, a dramatic departure from protocol. He healed the Centurion’s servant from a distance. Whether with a word or a touch, the power of Jesus to heal was demonstrated. He healed the blind, the sick, even the dead. He healed Peter’s Mother-in-Law. Strangers or friends, he healed. He did this to show who He was who He said He was- from God and Son of God, Messiah, the prophesied one.
He did this to show His omnipotence. He healed to show His compassion. The word Splagchnizomai, meaning compassion, is used 12 times in the New Testament, and each time it’s used it’s Jesus who is experiencing it. Prior to the NT, the word when used meant courage. Splanchnizomai is not the only word used for compassion in the NT but it is distinctly used with Jesus and in the context of His healings.
Jesus took the term a step further and used it to define the attitude that should capture the life of every believer. In the parable of the unforgiving servant, the master had compassion and forgave the servant’s debt (Matt. 18:27). The prodigal son’s father had compassion on him (Luke 15:20). The good Samaritan had compassion on the injured traveler (Luke 10:33). Jesus had compassion on the crowd (Mark 6:34). People needing help asked Jesus for compassion (Mark 9:22; cp. Matt. 9:36; 20:34). Source: Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary
People who need help are the ones who need compassion. Jesus is a God of compassion and He demonstrated this in His willingness to heal.
Usage: This word is used 12 times:
Matthew 9:36: “when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted,” Matthew 14:14: “a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed” Matthew 15:32: “his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because” Matthew 18:27: “lord of that servant was moved with compassion and loosed him, and forgave” Matthew 20:34: “So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately” Mark 1:41: “And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him,” Mark 6:34: “much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were” Mark 8:2: “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me…” Luke 7:13: “Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said” Luke 10:33: “where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion” Luke 15:20: “his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran,”
Photo by Karen Maes @karen1974 at Unsplash
“Health is a good thing; but sickness is far better, if it leads us to God.” JC Ryle
“It’s a picture of an omnipotent Savior, master of human fate, able to heal, able to give forgiveness of sins, able to save to the uttermost those that come unto God by him. And when he touches the eyes of our blindness we sing, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me”
Perspectives on faith healing often seem as varied as the number of faith healers around. Some say God wants to heal all sickness. Others come close to conceding that God’s purposes may sometimes be fulfilled in our illness and infirmity. Some equate sickness with sin. Others stop short of that but still find it hard to explain why spiritually strong people get sick. Some people just flat out blame the Devil, and they think if they can tie the Devil up in a knot and send him off to Tibet or something, everybody’ll get well.
He asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Get up and walk.’ I cannot tell you how many times I would lie in that bed, straining to make my muscles move, and I would sing a hymn that I had learned as a child, ‘Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, Jesus do not pass me by.’” But I never got up out of that bed and walked. And it seemed back then that Jesus had passed me by.
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Thirty Days of Jesus Series, Overview-
Introduction/Background
Prophecies:
Day 1: The Virgin shall conceive Day 2: A shoot from Jesse Day 3: God sent His Son in the fullness of time Day 4: Marry her, she will bear a Son
Birth & Early Life-
Day 5: The Babe has arrived! Day 6: The Glory of Jesus Day 7: Magi seek the Child Day 8: The Magi Offer gifts & worship Day 9: The Child Grew Day 10- the Boy Jesus at the Temple Day 11: He was Obedient Day 12: The Son! Day 13: God is pleased with His Son
The Second Person of the Trinity-
Day 14: Propitiation Day 15: The Gift of Eternal Life Day 16: Kingdom of Darkness to Light Day 17: Jesus’ Preeminence Day 18: The Highest King Day 19: He emptied Himself Day 20: Jesus as The Teacher Day 21: The Good Shepherd Day 22: The Intercessor
One passage cherished for Advent reflection is Isaiah 9:6.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
That title “Wonderful Counselor” is one of the sweetest promises for believers. And it should be, yet perhaps not as we generally take it. We read “counselor” and are disposed to think of a knowledgeable professional sitting across from us in a sofa chair, pen and paper in hand, ready to lend a listening ear (for a low rate of $150/hr) and empathize with life’s challenges. Or perhaps our idea is more personable: We see an older, wiser confidante, listening across the table at a coffee shop, helping us sort through our emotions and big life decisions.
Both such readings of “Wonderful Counselor,” whether personal or professional, offer us an unfounded promise. It may be a true promise, if we find it elsewhere in Scripture, but as far as Isaiah 9 goes, we have gotten off on the wrong foot, squared. We are misguided first in our understanding of what the “counselor” is, and because of this we do not understand whom the counselor is to.
Correcting these notions will require us to let go of what might be a personally meaningful, but textually unwarranted, promise. But it will open our hands to receive a far better hope: better because it is truly greater, and because it is textually grounded.
What is the Counselor?
First, let’s consult the context. In Isaiah 6, the prophet accesses the throne room of God in heaven, which lays the theological foundation for the rest of the book. The vision of the King on his throne, his glory over all the earth, is in the background of all that comes after. In chapters 7–12, God through Isaiah confronts Ahaz, King of Judah, for his lack of faith, and thus his failed representation of the House of David. Since Ahaz will not allow the Lord the opportunity to be God among his people, the Lord will enter through the back door of a little child born in humble circumstances.
In the close context of Isaiah, this is the prophet’s own son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz. This baby boy is the “Immanuel” sign, God’s way of showing his promise that he will be with his people. But in the continuing context of God’s grand redemptive plan, it is clear the boy really is a sign, and not the full-filment of the whole promise, all on his own.
“Counsel” is a key theme throughout Isaiah, and it usually carries political connotations. A “counselor” is not a therapist. Rather, a “counselor” was usually used as a technical term for an advisor to a governmental official. A “counselor” to the King would be like a member of the President’s cabinet, such as a Secretary of Defense or of Homeland Security. Later on, in the Greek and Roman governments, the “counselor” would have been a member of the official Council or Senate, comparable to our Congressmen or Senators.[1] This is one of the denotations of the greek σύμβουλος—significant for the Septuagint’s translation of Isaiah 9:6, which we will return to later.
It is clear from the immediate literary context that “royal advisor” is the type of “Counselor” Isaiah has in mind in chapter 9. The people are looking to mediums and necromancers for verdicts, when they ought to look to God’s Word (8:19–20). Their rulers have failed to consult God’s law and testimony themselves, and so they have failed to lead the people in the same. But God is bringing the darkened people “a great light” (9:2). A new ruler is coming, one who will deliver them from oppression and danger (9:3–4) and put an end to the roiling conflicts (9:5). The government shall be upon his shoulder—he will bear the rulership well, better than all the failed kings and judges before him. This is evident from verse 7: Whereas after Solomon the kingdom was split and continually ransacked and diminished, of this man’s government and peace, there will be no end. He will establish the throne of David and fulfill the covenantal promises of 2 Samuel 7.
It is this Son who will be called “Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” and, yes, “Wonderful Counselor.” Clearly, all these terms elevate this man to the heavenly courts. He will be so identified with God that he actually bears his name—and yet, he is distinct. He is a “Counselor” in the court of God himself.
Whose is the Counselor?
If the “Counselor” in this context is a counselor to a king, then who is the king?
This question illustrates the significance of our misreading the text. If we take Isaiah 9:6 to mean Christ is a “Wonderful Counselor” to us, we implicitly put ourselves on the throne. But the context does not allow such a move. There is a place for the incarnate humility and immanence of God in Christ—but here the inverse movement is being emphasized. And that is the point of hope. Israel needed a better king than they themselves could provide. They did not need a better Counselor for Ahaz, they needed a better King than Ahaz. The hope is in the fact that this new King of Judah will be a counselor to the King who is in heaven. He will have audience with God above, and will be of one mind, one counsel, one plan with him.
More than a Counselor
But how can this be, when the Lord asks the humbling rhetorical question,
Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord,
or what man shows him his counsel?
Whom did he consult,
and who made him understand?
Who taught him the path of justice,
and taught him knowledge
and showed him the way of understanding? (Isa. 40:13–14)
How can any mortal man stand in the council of the Lord, and give him advice? The point in chapter 40 is that none can.
But then, how can any mortal man be called “Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”? Clearly, this man is more than any other man. He is not only the Counselor to the King—he is the King. He is not only in the court of God; he is the court of God. This is where we return to the Septuagint. The translators could have used σύμβουλος to translate the Hebrew יֹועֵץ֙. In fact, across the twenty-three occurrences of the word in the Hebrew Bible, it is translated as σύμβουλος (counselor, advisor) consistently. When a counselor (σύμβουλος) gives counsel, their proposed plan is their counsel, and the word consistently used for this is βουλή (see, for example, Isa. 19:11).
Quite rarely is “counselor” ever translated as βουλή. However, that is the Greek rendering in the Septuagint’s translation of Isaiah 9:6. They could have used the regular word for Senator or Advisor (σύμβουλος). Such a title would be fitting to describe a man who had ascended to the court of heaven; surely the Servant and Son of David would have, through his service, gained an audience with God in his heavenly court!
But no—even this is not high enough a station to laud the figure we see in Isaiah 9:6. He is not merely a Senator or an Advisor. He does not merely ascend to heaven and appear in God’s Court—he is God’s Court.
This picks up a thread of tension within Scripture. God takes counsel with no one, nor does he share glory (Isa. 40:13–14; 41:26–29; 42:8). Yet, he has a heavenly court, which by definition has members who ostensibly offer counsel (see Job 1:6 and Psalm 82:1). How can this be? Answer: God the Son Incarnate, whose name is Jesus Christ.
And, as I wrote earlier, βουλή can refer to both the governmental convention and their authoritative decision. At least the former seems in view here—but could it be that the latter is also intended? The messiah, God’s servant, is not only the council of heaven, he is himself the counsel of heaven—which is to say that this Son, this King, this Christ, is the very plan of God to accomplish his purpose to be “Immanuel,” God with us.
The great confidence and promise of Isaiah 9:6 is not that we have a Wonderful Counselor who will help us come up with a plan for our life and future. The good news is that Jesus is the Counselor and King who already has come up with a plan—and the plan was himself.
This is the good news of Christmas, that Christ is the plan of God, both Council and Counsel, and life under his reign, his authority, and his government is perfect peace and joy. Merry Christmas—long live the King and his Council!
As we believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, so we must constantly believe that from the beginning there has been, now is and to the end of the world will be a, a kirk, that is to say, one company and multitude of men chosen of God b, who rightly worship and embrace Him by true faith in Christ Jesus, who is the only head of the same kirk, which also is the body and spouse of Christ Jesus c. Which kirk is catholic, that is universal, because it contains the elect of all ages, all realms, nations, and tongues d be they of the Jews or be they of the Gentiles; who have communion and society with God the Father and with His Son Christ Jesus, through the sanctification of His Holy Spirit, and, therefore, is it called the communion (not of profane persons) but of saints, who as citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem e have the fruition of the most inestimable benefits, to wit, of one God, one Lord Jesus, one faith, and of one baptism, out of which kirk there is neither life nor eternal felicity. And, therefore, we utterly abhor the blasphemy of those that affirm that men, who live according to equity and justice, will be saved whatsoever religion they have professed. For as without Christ Jesus there is neither life nor salvation, so will none be participant thereof, but such as the Father has given unto His Son Christ Jesus f, and those in time come unto Him, avow His doctrine and believe in Him (we comprehend the children with the faithful parents). This kirk is invisible, known only to God who alone knows it, whom He has chosen, and comprehends as well (as is said) the elect that be departed (commonly called the kirk triumphant) as those that yet live and fight against sin and Satan as will live hereafter.
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.” (1:29–34)
The phrase the next day introduces a sequence of days, which continues in verses 35, 43, and 2:1. Apparently, the events from John’s interview with the delegation from Jerusalem (vv. 19–28) to the miracle at Cana (2:1–11) spanned one week. On the day after he spoke to the delegation, John saw Jesus coming to him. Faithful to his duty as a herald, and defining a momentous redemptive moment, John immediately called the crowd’s attention to Him, exclaiming “Behold, the Lamb of God.” That title, used only in John’s writings (cf. v. 36; Rev. 5:6; 6:9; 7:10, 17; 14:4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:9; 21:22–23; 22:1, 3), is the first in a string of titles given to Jesus in the remaining verses of this chapter; the rest include Rabbi (vv. 38, 49), Messiah (v. 41), Son of God (vv. 34, 49), King of Israel (v. 49), Son of Man (v. 51), and “Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (v. 45). That was not a guess on John’s part, but was revelation from God that was absolutely true, as the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus proved. The concept of a sacrificial Lamb was a familiar one to the Jewish people. All through Israel’s history God had revealed clearly that sin and separation from Him could be removed only by blood sacrifices (cf. Lev. 17:11). No forgiveness of sin could be granted by God apart from an acceptable substitute dying as a sacrifice. They knew of Abraham’s confidence that God would provide a lamb to offer in place of Isaac (Gen. 22:7–8). A lamb was sacrificed at Passover (Ex. 12:1–36; Mark 14:12), in the daily sacrifices in the tabernacle and later in the temple (Ex. 29:38–42), and as a sin offering by individuals (Lev. 5:5–7). God also made it clear that none of those sacrifices were sufficient to take away sin (cf. Isa. 1:11). They were also aware that Isaiah’s prophecy likened Messiah to “a lamb that is led to slaughter” (Isa. 53:7; cf. Acts 8:32; 1 Peter 1:19). Though Israel sought a Messiah who would be a prophet, king, and conqueror, God had to send them a Lamb. And He did. The title Lamb of God foreshadows Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross for the sin of the world. With this brief statement, the prophet John made it clear that the Messiah had come to deal with sin. The Old Testament is filled with the reality that the problem is sin and it is at the very heart of every person (Jer. 17:9). All men, even those who received the revelation of God in Scripture (the Jews), were sinful and incapable of changing the future or the present, or of repaying God for the sins of the past. Paul’s familiar indictment of human sinfulness in Romans 3:11–12 is based on Old Testament revelation. As noted in the discussion of 1:9–11 in chapter 2 of this volume, kosmos (world) has a variety of meanings in the New Testament. Here it refers to humanity in general, to all people without distinction, transcending all national, racial, and ethnic boundaries. The use of the singular term sin with the collective noun world reveals that as sin is worldwide, so Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient for all people without distinction (cf. 1 John 2:2). But though His sacrificial death is sufficient for the sins of everyone (cf. 3:16; 4:42; 6:51; 1 Tim. 2:6; Heb. 2:9; 1 John 4:14), it is efficacious only for those who savingly believe in Him (3:15–16, 18, 36; 5:24; 6:40; 11:25–26; 20:31; Luke 8:12; Acts 10:43; 13:39; 16:31; Rom. 1:16; 3:21–24; 4:3–5; 10:9–10; 1 Cor. 1:21; Gal. 3:6–9, 22; Eph. 1:13; 1 John 5:1; 10–13). This verse does not teach universalism, the false doctrine that everyone will be saved. That such is not the case is obvious, since the Bible teaches that most people will suffer eternal punishment in hell (Matt. 25:41, 46; 2 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 14:9–11; 20:11–15; cf. Ezek. 18:4, 20; Matt. 7:13–14; Luke 13:23–24; John 8:24), and only a few will be saved (Matt. 7:13–14). John for the third time (cf. vv. 15, 27) stressed his subordinate role to Jesus, the eternal Word who had become a Man, acknowledging, “This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ” John was created. Jesus’ higher rank was infinite. He was the One who created everything (1:1–3), including John. Though John was actually born before Jesus, Jesus existed before him. And though John was a relative of Jesus’ (probably His cousin), since their mothers were related (Luke 1:36), he still did not recognize Him as the Messiah until he baptized Him, so that He might be manifested to Israel. For that most significant of all John’s baptisms, he declared, “I came baptizing in water,” though he was reluctant to baptize Jesus (Matt. 3:14). It was at Jesus’ baptism that God, who sent John to baptize in water, fully revealed Jesus as the Messiah through a prearranged sign. John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him” (cf. Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22). That sign was supernatural proof of Jesus’ messiahship, because God had told John, “He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.” Like Peter (Matt. 16:17), John understood who Jesus truly was only through divine revelation. That Jesus is far greater than John is reinforced in that He baptizes in the Holy Spirit. For the sixth time in his gospel (cf. 1:7, 8, 15, 19, 32), John the apostle refers to the Baptist’s witness to Christ, recording his affirmation, “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.” As noted in chapter 1 of this volume, witness, or testifying, is thematic in this gospel. John’s testimony in verse 34 is a fitting conclusion to this section, as the narrative makes the transition from him to Jesus. Although believers are in a limited sense children of God (Matt. 5:9; Rom. 8:14, 19; Gal. 3:26; cf. John 1:12; 11:52; Rom. 8:16, 21; 9:8; Phil. 2:15; 1 John 3:1–2, 10), Jesus is uniquely the Son of God in that He alone shares the same nature as the Father (1:1; 5:16–30; 10:30–33; 14:9; 17:11; 1 John 5:20). To his first emphasis—Messiah is here—John added an equally compelling exhortation: Recognize Him for who He is—the Son of God, the Messiah, the ultimate sacrificial Lamb for the sin of the world.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). John 1–11 (pp. 55–57). Moody Press.
Witnessing to Jesus Christ
John 1:29–34
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”
How can a believer witness to Jesus Christ? It is an important question, not only because each of us is called upon to witness (as we have already seen) but also because the expansion of the gospel in our time (as in all ages of the Christian church) depends in no small measure upon whether or not we will do it and, if we do, how well. We have already looked at the first great principle for being a witness: the witness must recognize that he has no independent importance in himself. The evangelist expresses this in the case of John the Baptist, whose witness has been the basis of our story, by reminding us that he was not the Light. This teaches us, among other things, that a Christian will never be an effective witness if he is placing either himself or his own needs first in his thinking. Our own needs possess a certain degree of importance, of course. But we will never be able to focus on the needs of others if our own needs dominate us. For one thing, there is a sense in which our own needs are already met, whether we recognize it or not, for Paul wrote to the Philippians, saying, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). Our needs are met in Christ, and we have little to testify of if we do not see that clearly. Besides, we cannot really show love to the other person, which is the essence of witnessing, if we are not placing his needs before our own. All that is true. Yet, we must go on from this point to see that our recognizing that we are not the Light is not in itself witnessing. That is only the first and preliminary principle.
A Verbal Witness
The second great principle for witnessing is that we must bear witness to the Light, and this means that we must witness verbally. Our witness must move out of the area of life and into the area of words. If it does not, we will be like the young man who went from a Christian home to a secular college. His parents were concerned how he would make out. So when he arrived home at Christmas they asked him anxiously, “How did you get along?” He answered, “Oh, I got along great. No one even knows that I’m a Christian.” I am not denying the importance of the Christian life, of course. There must be the kind of upright character and true commitment to Christ that will back up the witness by words. We will see more about this in our next study. But, important as it is, the living of the Christian life by itself is not enough for a complete witness; there must also be a verbal witness. We can easily see why this must be so. For one thing, a nonverbal witness is at best merely puzzling to the non-Christian, and it can be totally misunderstood. Some time ago, after I had mentioned witnessing in the context of a message I was giving in a church other than my own, a woman came up to me to tell how she was bearing a witness in her place of employment. She apparently worked in a large office. Just that morning, so she said, as she was going out to lunch, one of the other workers handed her fifty cents and asked her to pick up a packet of cigarettes for him. What did she do? She returned the money, saying that she did not believe in smoking. She said to me that she believed God had helped her to bear a witness for Christ in that situation. I do not want to be too hard on this woman. She had a right, if she wished, to disapprove of smoking. In view of the warnings being given in our day about smoking, probably more non-Christians than ever before are taking this position. Still, the point that I want to make here is that in this case the “witness” to Christ that the woman thought she was giving was really no witness at all. For had I been the man who had asked the favor and been refused, I would probably have considered her rude and never even have thought of her views in terms of Christianity. The second reason why a nonverbal witness is inadequate is that, if it is effective at all, it should lead to a verbal witness. That is, if you are attempting to honor Christ by the way you are living, the things you are doing should lead to conversation about Jesus Christ and what he has meant in your experience. Someone will say, “Oh, but isn’t it true that many persons have been led to Jesus Christ by means of the conduct of some Christian?” That is quite true; many have! The conduct of Christians has been an important step, even an essential step, in the salvation of many thousands of persons. But I am convinced that the matter has never stopped on that level and that these thousands would never have come to Christ unless the witness through the lives of Christians had not moved beyond actions at some point to a consideration of the person and claims of Jesus Christ as these truths were presented to them verbally. People who have greatly moved the world for Christ have been ready to speak at any opportunity. In his book Henceforth, Hugh E. Hopkins tells of Douglas Thornton, an English believer who was being seen off at a railway station in Egypt. With some difficulty his friend found him an empty compartment on the train: “An empty compartment!” Thornton exclaimed. “Why, man, I want to fish.” He moved into a crowded compartment. It is also recorded that, when exploring the Great Pyramid on the outskirts of Cairo, Thornton redeemed the time by evangelizing the guide who was then crawling up a narrow passage on his hands and knees behind him. We find another example in the conversion experience of John Wesley, the father of the Methodist church. Wesley had been a preacher for years before he was genuinely born again, and during this time (as might be expected) his ministry was a failure. After a particularly discouraging experience in the United States, as he was returning from Georgia to England by ship, he came into contact with a body of Moravian Christians. He was very much impressed with the calm they maintained in the midst of a storm at sea. It was not on the ship, however, but later at a meeting in the little chapel at Aldersgate in London, while someone was reading from Luther’s exposition of the letter to the Galatians, that Wesley “felt his heart strangely warmed” and was converted. After that he became one of the greatest evangelists in church history. A verbal witness is a true witness. Thus, throughout the Gospel of John, the stories of those who are reached by Jesus Christ almost without exception end with a spoken profession of their belief. The man born blind is last seen in an attitude of worship, voicing the confession: “Lord, I believe” (John 9:38). The woman of Samaria grows in her understanding of Jesus. At the beginning of the narrative she regards him merely as a Jew (John 4:9). In verse 12 she raises the possibility that he may be greater than the patriarch Jacob. In verse 19 she calls him a prophet. The conclusion comes in her testimony to her neighbors when she argues that he is the Messiah (v. 29). In the same way John the Baptist testifies to the One who takes away the sin of the world.
The Message
Now, if we are to bear a witness to Jesus Christ, clearly we must know something about him. And this means that we must have a message. What is our message? The major parts of the answer to this question are suggested in our story. They are: 1) a witness to who Jesus Christ is; 2) a witness to what he has done; and 3) a witness to how a man or woman can come to know him personally. First, we witness to who Jesus Christ is. John did this when he testified, “This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me’ ” (v. 30). Again, “I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God” (v. 34). This is where we begin in our witness, because most of the points of Christian doctrine gain their significance from the fact that Jesus Christ is God. If Christ were only a man, then his death on the cross might have been inspiring as an example or a means by which we are excited to good works. We might say, “I never want such a tragedy to happen again” and become a great social worker. But if this is all that Christ is, then his death was in no sense an atonement; he did not die for our sin, and we are still under the condemnation of God and are still the children of wrath. In the same way, if he is not God, then we have no living God to worship, for we cannot know God apart from Jesus Christ. As you begin to witness, let me suggest that you begin here. Begin with Christ’s claims about himself. You might refer to John 5:18, which tells us that Jesus “was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” He said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). He told the disciples: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Most non-Christians have never actually faced these claims, and many have never even heard them. Second, we witness to what Jesus Christ has done. In one sense, of course, this is an overwhelming topic. For if Jesus is God, then all that God has done, and does, Christ does. He has been active in the creation of the world, in guiding the history of redemption, in giving us the Old and New Testaments, in helping us today in temptation, and in other things. Yet there is a sense in which the work of Christ focuses on something much more limited and therefore much easier to share. The focus of Christ’s work is to be found in his death on the cross. Hence, we want to share the meaning of his death when we try to tell others about him. In his day, John the Baptist did this by reference to the Jewish sacrifices. He said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (v. 29). Have you ever given thought to what must have been involved in that statement—for John and for his hearers? For centuries Israel had known all about the sacrificial lamb. They had learned about it first from the story of Abraham, who was the father of their nation. At God’s command Abraham had been going up the mountain to sacrifice his son Isaac when Isaac had turned to him and asked, “Father, … Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb?” Abraham had answered, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” And God did! Israel had also known about the lamb as a result of the institution of the Passover. On that occasion the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of the house was the sign for the angel of death to pass by. Moreover, they knew that daily in the services of the temple lambs and goats were sacrificed. They knew that in every instance the sacrifices meant the death of an innocent substitute in place of the one who had sinned. On this basis John the Baptist came along and exclaimed, “Look, the Lamb of God.” He recognized that the sacrifices were to be fulfilled in Jesus and that he would bear our sin as Isaiah had said. “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows.… he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:4–5). I like to think, as many other commentators have suggested, that as John identified Jesus as the sin-bearing Lamb, there may have been passing by the flocks of lambs that were driven up to the walls of Jerusalem each year to serve as sacrificial lambs for the Passover. The Passover feast was not far off (John 2:12–13). Perhaps John was led to refer to Jesus in this fashion because it showed vividly that he was able to deliver from death those who believed on him. Do you believe that? Jesus is able to deliver us from death today. There is that final death, the second death, which is the separation of the soul of the individual from God. He delivers from that. But there are also the little deaths that we experience daily because of our natural alienation from God. Jesus is the answer to those deaths also. If you are a Christian, it is your privilege to tell others of the means by which sin is removed—through faith in the person and death of Jesus Christ—and that the one who believes in him is given new life, peace, joy, and freedom of access to God. Finally, we also witness to the way in which a person can come to know and trust Jesus for himself. John did it by pointing to the fact that Jesus is the giver of the Spirit. He said, “I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit’ ” (v. 33). What does that mean? It means that Jesus Christ was the One who would give of his Spirit to those who should follow him. Or, to put it another way, it means that Jesus would come to live within the lives of his followers. Thus, when we bear witness to Jesus today, we talk not only of who Jesus is and of what he has done but also of how a person can come to have him enter his life and fill it.
Opening the Door
Someone will ask, “You say that Christ must enter our lives, but you have not told us how that can happen. How does that happen?” The answer is that it happens by faith as we “receive” him or “open” the doors of our lives to his knocking. One statement of that principle occurs in this same chapter in the verse that says: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (v. 12). Another verse is Revelation 3:20: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” According to these verses there are two steps to the process. There is the step in which we first “hear” his voice or “believe” in him. Then there is the step in which we “receive him” or “open” to his call. We do this by praying. We say, “Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am a sinner and in need of the salvation that you bring to men. I believe that you died for me, so that my sin is atoned for and borne away forever. I now open the door and invite you into my life and ask that you will cleanse me and rule my life forever. Amen.” It is as simple as that, but it must be a definite commitment. The act itself is indispensable. Have you done that? If you have not, you are not a real Christian. It is not enough merely to know about Christ; you must belong to him. On the other hand, if you have done that, then let me ask whether you have ever invited another person to make the same commitment. I can tell you on the basis of my own experience—and that of many others—that there are few joys equal to that which is ours when the invitation is given to believe in Jesus and the person to whom we are witnessing responds and comes to him.
Boice, J. M. (2005). The Gospel of John: an expositional commentary (pp. 109–114). Baker Books.
1:29. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him. Jesus returns from the desert where he has been tempted. As John sees him approaching, he exclaims to his audience, while he looks or points toward Jesus, Look, the Lamb of God who is taking away the sin of the world! Is it not true that by his voluntary submission to the rite of baptism and by his victory over satan in the desert of temptation Jesus had, indeed, entered upon his task of vicariously taking upon himself the curse or the law and of rendering perfect obedience? And was he not by these very acts and by those that were to follow taking away (present participle) the sin of the world? How fitting were these words of the Baptist just at this moment! The word ἴδε is not to be construed as a transitive verb that has the lamb as its object. It is an interjection. Hence, the translation should not be, “Behold the Lamb of God,” or “See the Lamb of God.” If one wishes to retain either of these, a comma must be placed after the first word. This comma, though generally present in the translations, is not always felt when the words are spoken or sung! To avoid ambiguity we translate as follows, “Look, the Lamb of God, who is taking away the sin of the world.” The question is usually asked, “Was the Baptist thinking of the paschal lamb (Ex. 12–13; cf. John 19:36; 1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Peter 1:19); of the lamb for the daily offering (Num. 28:4); or of the lamb in Isa. 53:6, 7, 10? Good reasons have been advanced for each of these: for the first, that Passover was approaching; for the second, that the slaughter of these lambs was a daily occurrence and therefore well-known to the people whom John addressed; and for the third, that the Baptist only yesterday had described himself and his task in language borrowed from Isaiah (chapter 40). Matthew, too, was familiar with Isa. 53 (see Matt. 8:17); so was Peter (1 Peter 2:22); also the evangelist Philip (Acts 8:32); and the author of the epistle to the Hebrews (Heb. 9:28). But why is it necessary to make a choice? Were not all of these types fulfilled in Christ, and was not he the Antitype to whom they all pointed (cf. 1 Peter 1:19; 2:22)? Although it is true that the primary meaning of the verb αἴρω is to lift up, raise (8:59), nevertheless, in the types it was the actual taking away of sin and/or its consequence that was symbolized by the slaughtered lamb (Ex. 12:13; Isa. 53:5, 8, 11, 12). Hence, it is natural that here in 1:29 we must assign to αἴρω the meaning which has always been assigned to it by the reader of the English Bible; namely, to take away (just as in 19:31). According to the Baptist it is the sin of the world (men from every tribe and people, by nature lost in sin, cf. 11:51, 52) which the Lamb is taking away, not merely the sin of a particular nation (e.g., the Jewish). All the sins (see 1 John 3:5 for the plural) which the Lamb removes are spoken of collectively as the sin. The passage does not teach a universal atonement. The Baptist did not teach that, nor does the evangelist, nor Jesus himself (1:12, 13; 10:11, 27, 28; 17:9; 11:50–52; notice in the last reference the term “the children of God”).
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to John (Vol. 1, pp. 98–99). Baker Book House.
Mossad chief warns Iran still aims to destroy Israel, must be stopped from gaining nuclear weapons “Although the ayatollah regime woke up, in one moment, to discover that Iran was completely exposed and penetrated, Iran did not abandon its ambition to destroy the State of Israel.” Barnea’s remarks came as part of an award ceremony to give certificates of excellence to 12 Mossad employees for Intelligence and Special Duties,
Worship Of The Environment: The Religious Framing Of The Climate Movement Takes Center Stage At The UN At COP30, Communist China unveiled a grotesque, demonic image that it calls the “dragon jaguar guardian spirit.” It displayed devil horns on its head and human hands holding the world. It shows that Satan, whom Jesus described as “the father of lies” (John 8:44), is advancing the need for all the world’s religions to unite under one banner using the ruse of a climate change emergency as its justification. “Today in chapel, we confessed to plants. Together, we held our grief, joy, regret, hope, guilt and sorrow in prayer; offering them to the beings who sustain us but whose gift we too often fail to honor. What do you confess to the plants in your life?”
Scientists prove “impossible” Earth-to-space quantum link is feasible Quantum satellites are best known for sending entangled particles of light from orbit down to ground stations, a method used to create extremely secure communication links. New research now shows that the process can also work in reverse, with quantum signals sent from Earth up to a satellite, an approach long considered impractical.
Federal DOJ sues Minneapolis Public Schools for racial discrimination The collective bargaining agreement between Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) and the teacher’s union, Minneapolis Federation of Educators (MFE) has landed the district in hot water with the federal Department of Justice. There are currently other civil rights complaints in Minnesota regarding similar hiring practices, such as a recent civil rights complaint in Rochester.
BREAKING: Pope Leo appoints bishop who celebrated LGBT Mass with drag queen speaker Pope Leo XIV has appointed a San Diego auxiliary bishop who celebrated an “All are Welcome” LGBT “Pride” Mass – during which a drag queen activist was permitted to speak – as the new bishop of Monterey, California. Bishop Ramón Bejarano was the celebrant of the July 13 Sunday Mass, which was organized by St. John’s “LGBTQ Ministry” and had the full backing of the Diocese of San Diego under Bishop Michael Pham, one of Pope Leo XIV’s first episcopal appointments.
Fake video claiming ‘coup in France’ goes viral – not even Macron could immediately get it removed Under the guise of a breaking news story presented in a Facebook reel, a “reporter” from the non-existent French news channel “Live 24” declared that Macron and his government had been overthrown. “At present moment, unofficial information indeed suggests that a coup is under way in France – led by a colonel whose identity has not been revealed – and French President Emmanuel Macron may have been deposed.” … the video, which appeared to have been uploaded by a user under the alias “ISLAM”, had already garnered 13 million views.
Putin attacks Europe’s “little pigs” Russian President Vladimir Putin calls European leaders “little pigs” and speaks confidently of victory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj sees Wednesday’s Russian move as a signal that Russia intends to continue the invasion. Putin also accuses European leaders and former US President Joe Biden of causing the “armed conflict” in Ukraine – … “The little pigs of Europe immediately joined the efforts of the previous US administration in the hope of profiting from our country’s collapse,” Putin said,
Right-wing victory on migration in the EU In a vote on Wednesday, the line pushed through in the Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties and Rights (Libe) won with 384 votes in favor to 237 against. The result is a victory for the right and far right in parliament, while large parts of the parties on the left are deeply critical of the proposed new rules.
EU’s eastern defense to be taken “to the next level In light of the Ukraine war and the threat posed by Russia, Sweden and other EU countries facing Russia are launching a new defense effort. We will take cooperation to the next level, says Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina. The initiative has been designated as a “flagship project” by the European Commission, and was discussed at a summit of eight countries in Helsinki on Tuesday.
Israeli military cyber chief warns of unprecedented cyber threats against Israel and the US Israeli military cyber chief Maj. Gen. Aviad Dagan warned on Tuesday that both Israel and the United States face unprecedented cyber threats of which the public is largely unaware. The Israeli military’s top cyber official emphasized the strong security cooperation between Israel and the United States in preventing cyber-attacks on the free world from hostile countries such as China, Iran and Russia.
Canadian MPs barred from entering Judea from Jordan Israeli authorities on Tuesday blocked a delegation of about 30 people from Canada, including six lawmakers, from crossing over from Jordan via the Allenby Bridge to Judea, citing the alleged terrorist links of the group that organized the trip. “The State of Israel will not allow the entry of organizations and individuals who are associated with designated terror entities,” Israeli authorities said. “The organizers are the Canadian-Muslim Vote.
Israel signed NIS 112 billion gas deal with Egypt, Netanyahu announces Israel has signed the largest gas deal in the country’s history with Egypt, an agreement worth NIS 112 billion ($34.7b.), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday night. Some NIS 58b. ($18b.) raised by the deal will go directly to state coffers, he confirmed.
Normalization? The Mecca sermon no one in the West wants to hear During the sermon, Imam Sheikh Salih bin Abdullah bin Humaid asked God to punish the Jews, described Israel as a “cruel Zionist enemy,” and even praised the Palestinian struggle. And yes, he meant Jews. Jews in Australia, Jews in the US, Jews in France, in other words, Jews everywhere. Whether or not the sermon had any direct connection to the attack in Sydney, sermons like this encourage terrorists, help justify the murder of Jews, and provide religious legitimacy. What are millions of Muslims supposed to think when they hear the imam in Mecca vilifying and cursing Jews?
The wolf in a suit: why Turkey is the new threat swallowing Lebanon whole As Hezbollah weakens, Lebanon risks trading Iranian domination for Turkish Islamist influence, a shift that could reshape the eastern Mediterranean and create a new, quieter but more dangerous threat on Israel’s northern border
Where Did Global Warming Go? US East Sees Snowiest Start in Nearly Two Decades The so-called “climate crisis” narrative was built on a house of cards and has been unraveling ever since Bill Gates acknowledged the risks were overstated, and a major study long used to project climate catastrophe was recently retracted.
67% of Canadians Say Cost of Living in Their Region Is Worst They’ve Seen Nearly seven in every 10 Canadians are identifying the cost of living in their area as a major issue, according to a newly released survey. An Abacus Data poll found that 67 percent of the 1,500 people surveyed earlier this month said the cost of living in their area is the worst they can ever remember it being. Another 21 percent say the cost of living is bad where they live, although they can recall periods when it was even more challenging.
Worship of the Environment: the Religious Framing of the Climate Movement Takes Center Stage at the UN From November 10-21, 2025, the nations of the world gathered for the thirtieth annual United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties, more commonly known as COP30…At COP30, Communist China unveiled a grotesque, demonic image that it calls the “dragon jaguar guardian spirit.” It displayed devil horns on its head and human hands holding the world. It shows that Satan, whom Jesus described as “the father of lies” John 8:44, is advancing the need for all the world’s religions to unite under one banner using the ruse of a climate change emergency as its justification.
Nicaragua bans visitors from bringing Bibles into the country Nicaragua has implemented a ban prohibiting tourists from bringing Bibles into the country, a move confirmed by notices posted at Tica Bus terminals in Costa Rica that serve routes to the Nicaraguan capital, Managua.
Islamic Terror Plot Targeting Christmas Market Foiled in Poland Polish authorities have confirmed the arrest of a 19-year-old man accused of preparing a terrorist attack against a public civilian gathering, including a Christmas market. The suspect, a first-year law student at the Catholic University of Lublin, was intercepted before the plot reached its execution phase. Investigators say his motivation was Islamic – not mental instability or random grievance.
Ominous Harbingers Appear as We Draw Near to the End of 2025 “It is hard to believe that 2025 is almost done. This year has flown by, and it has been absolutely packed with historic events. Unfortunately, I fully expect 2026 to be even more chaotic. We are facing all sorts of economic challenges, terror attacks are becoming more frequent, and nations all over the globe are preparing for war. Meanwhile, the ground underneath our feet continues to shake with alarming regularity. In fact, the state of California was just hit by a significant earthquake swarm for the fourth day in a row.”
Six countries have committed to joining Trump’s Board of Peace, say officials The US says it has secured commitments from Egypt, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany to have their leaders join President Trump on the Board of Peace that will oversee the postwar management of Gaza. However, willingness to sit on the Board of Peace does not mean further support from each country is guaranteed, according to those who spoke anonymously.
“Industry is increased, commodities are multiplied, agriculture and manufacturers flourish: and herein consists the true wealth and prosperity of a state.” —Alexander Hamilton (1790)
Senate passes defense bill: The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was passed by the Senate 77-20 yesterday, sending the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk. The $901 billion spending bill came in $8 billion above the administration’s request. Many of the provisions restrict the executive’s freedom to withdraw support from Europe by leaving NATO leadership or by reducing American troops there below 76,000 without prior agreement. The bill also provides $400 million in aid for Ukraine over two years. The Senate passed the bill without major hurdles. While the bill’s language requiring military aircraft to signal their location to air traffic controllers came under scrutiny, the Senate decided to address the issue in future legislation to avoid sending the bill back to the House.
House passes bill without enhanced ObamaCare subsidies: On Wednesday, House Republicans passed the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, meeting Speaker Mike Johnson’s commitment to pass legislation before the Christmas break. No Democrats voted in favor, and only one Republican, Kentucky’s Thomas Massie, joined them. The legislation does not extend the expiring enhanced ObamaCare subsidies that Democrats have demanded; instead, it seeks to lower healthcare costs for all Americans, not just those on ObamaCare. Texas Republican Rep. August Pfluger called the bill a “good first step” to fix ObamaCare, with Republicans looking to explore additional fixes in the new year. Democrats decried the bill, saying 22 million Americans will see their health insurance premiums spike. The bill, which will be challenging to pass through the Senate, would expand consumer choice in health insurance and allow self-employed individuals and small businesses to band together to create association healthcare plans.
Bongino leaving the FBI: Come January, “I will be leaving my position,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino has announced. “I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose. Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you. God bless America, and all those who defend Her.” For months, rumors have swirled that Bongino would be resigning after a narrative arose that he and AG Pam Bondi had crossed horns over the handling of the so-called Epstein Files. Bongino did not address his reason for leaving. Still, given his past criticism of the FBI before he took the job, calling it “irredeemably corrupt,” one wonders whether his efforts to change the agency’s culture as an outsider who had never worked in the agency were so frustrated that he decided it was time to leave.
Inflation up 2.7%, not the expected 3.1%: The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its inflation report today, and the markets reacted positively to the slowing rate of inflation. This was the first inflation report released since the historically long Schumer Shutdown, so statisticians likely had to adjust their usual analysis processes, which may cast doubt on the report’s reliability. Food and housing were the areas with the most positive signs, with current food prices bringing the annual rise in costs down from 3.1% to 2.6%. Despite these hopeful signs, costs are still rising. Meanwhile, a new report shows that federal spending has risen nearly 10,000% from 1916 to today. In 2025, the federal government set a spending record of $7.035 trillion, which amounts to around $20,000 per living human in the U.S.
House Judiciary Committee hears Jack Smith’s testimony: The closed-door deposition held on Wednesday was a low-drama affair, since only secondhand accounts are available. Democrats painted former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s eight-hour testimony as taking the committee to school and “boring.” Chairman Jim Jordan provided no details beyond his intention to release a transcript of the event in the coming weeks. The few quotes from Smith that have been made available include him taking full responsibility for the decision to bring charges against President Trump. He did laughably claim, “I would [have brought charges] regardless of whether the president was a Republican or Democrat.”
House passes MTG’s legislation to protect kids from gender cultists: Marjorie Taylor Greene will soon be retiring from the House of Representatives, but if ever there were a high note to end a career on, a bill making gender mutilation for children a felony would be it. The bill, which passed the House 216-211, faces an uphill battle in the Senate, but if it becomes law, it would make the prescription of “puberty blockers” and hormones to children a felony. The bill also makes gender-mutilation surgeries and the transport of children to receive these procedures a felony. Exceptions can be made for physical health conditions, but none for “mental health.” This is a bill whose time has come, and the Senate must fight to pass it. Democrats called the bill “cruel” and “creepy,” but Republican Rep. Barry Moore clapped back, “How about we just don’t mutilate our children?”
Tyler Robinson was radicalized by trans boyfriend: The Washington Post has published a deep dive into Charlie Kirk’s accused killer, Tyler Robinson, and his motives. While the Leftmedia outlet attempts to dismiss the claim that Robinson was motivated by leftist ideology, it becomes clear that he was, in fact, radicalized by his leftist trans-identifying boyfriend. Before meeting his boyfriend, Robinson expressed a rather dismissive view of both political parties. However, his mother noted that after moving in with his roommate-turned-boyfriend, he increasingly expressed pro-gay and pro-trans views. After Donald Trump’s election, Robinson’s boyfriend became distraught, claiming it was a loss for trans rights. Robinson clearly took on his boyfriend’s views, increasingly expressing anger against conservatives for “fearmongering” over trans issues. The two became more isolated from other friends, and as one friend put it, “And then he killed Charlie Kirk.”
Judge orders Trump admin to stop firing federal workers: A federal judge in California ordered the Trump administration to stop its reduction of federal government employees. Judge Susan Illston contended that the stopgap spending bill that Donald Trump signed last month eliminated the need for a reduction-in-force. Furthermore, Illston ruled that thousands of government employees who had been “RIF’d” during the shutdown would get their jobs back and some back pay. Democrats were successful in getting language in the stopgap spending bill that blocked force reduction. As Illston wrote, “The court finds this is one of those rare cases where ‘the facts and law clearly favor the moving party’ and such relief is appropriate, in light of Congress’s clear instruction.”
China plays hardball over Panama Canal: Economically and militarily, the Panama Canal is crucial to American interests. China is threatening to block a U.S.-proposed sale of two ports on the Panama Canal controlled by the Hong Kong firm CK Hutchinson to the American firm BlackRock. Having previously demanded that Shanghai-based firm Cosco be brought in with an equal stake in the ports, the CCP now demands that the company be given a majority stake. The Heritage Foundation’s Steve Yates views the situation as an “accidental admission” that confirms the accusations that these Hong Kong companies are actually “fronts for Chinese influence and potential control.” Yates sees Chinese control of the companies as the influence they would need to disrupt global trade during a crisis. The most obvious scenario where China could exploit a shutdown of traffic in the Panama Canal is if China invades Taiwan.
Headlines
Senator Schmitt sued and targeted by Communist China in $50 billion lawfare campaign (Senate.gov)
Trump unveils disparaging “Presidential Walk of Fame” plaques under Biden and Obama portraits (Washington Examiner)
ICE suffers legal blow over blocking detention center visits (Newsweek)
Legendary conservative intellectual Norman Podhoretz dead at 95 (Daily Caller)
Maryland to study slavery reparations after lawmakers override Dem governor’s veto (Fox News)
New York wins lawsuit against Hyundai and Kia for not making cars harder to steal (Not the Bee)
There’s no evidence Australia’s strict gun control laws are effective (The Federalist)
Humor: Trump imposes 25% tariffs on all incoming Christmas presents from the North Pole (Babylon Bee)
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President Donald Trump gave a loud and almost hastily delivered 17-minute prime-time address to the nation last night, and it could be summed up in one sentence early on: “In a few short months, we went from worst to best.”
Everything with Trump is always hyperbole (wink, wink). His wild exaggeration drives the Leftmedia “fact-checkers” absolutely nuts, which you can see in this delightful example from NBC News. No, Trump is not usually precise in his language. It’s just not his way, and it never will be. Most Americans aren’t precise, either.
The backdrop for Trump’s speech is growing unease with the state of the economy after he’s been on the job for nearly a year. A new Zogby poll shows that just 33% of Americans think the country is headed in the right direction, while 54% think it’s going the wrong way. This probably has to do with another finding from the poll: “83% report having cut back on spending due to rising prices over the past year, including 39% who say they have done so ‘significantly’ and another 44% ‘somewhat.’”
Vice President JD Vance has wisely and carefully asked for patience. “The thing I’d ask for the American people is a little bit of patience,” he said last month. “As much progress as we’ve made,” he continued, “it’s going to take a little bit of time for every American to feel that economic boom, which we really do believe is coming.”
The brash New Yorker in Trump doesn’t handle things that way. Last night, he began:
Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it. When I took office, inflation was the worst in 48 years, and some would say in the history of our country, which caused prices to be higher than ever before, making life unaffordable for millions and millions of Americans. This happened during a Democrat administration, and it’s when we first began hearing the word affordability.
Our border was open. And because of this, our country was being invaded by an army of 25 million people, many who came from prisons and jails, mental institutions, and insane asylums. They were drug dealers, gang members, and even 11,888 murderers, more than 50% of whom killed more than one person. This is what the Biden administration allowed to happen to our country, and it can never be allowed to happen again.
We had men playing in women’s sports, transgender for everybody, crime at record levels with law enforcement and words such as that just absolutely forbidden. We had the worst trade deals ever made, and our country was laughed at from all over the world. But they’re not laughing anymore. Over the past 11 months, we have brought more positive change to Washington than any administration in American history.
Worst, best, disaster, rescue — you get the idea. And really, that’s what Trump plays to. He doesn’t care whether the “fact-checkers” literally agree with his word choices. He cares about how Americans feel about the issues as he presents them.
Two of the issues he began with are the two most significant factors behind his defeat of Kamala Harris last November. Joe Biden and his sidekick did cause inflation with that bogus American Rescue Plan in the spring of 2021. The dynamic duo did create a humanitarian crisis on the border and throughout the country, causing the backlash that we see now.
Let’s evaluate some of Trump’s statements against his record.
Vance is correct that the economy will benefit from Trump’s policies, though it will “take a little bit of time.” Today’s inflation report illustrates this. After multiple months of inflation slightly ticking upward, the latest report shows that it fell to 2.7% annualized. That’s still a good way from the Federal Reserve’s target of 2% (and you can say of that target what you will), but it’s going in the right direction.
Trump is also correct that everything is drastically more expensive because of Biden’s policies, not Trump’s. Affordability is likely going to play a role in the midterm elections. Skyrocketing prices are the fault of Democrats, but Trump is going to have to do better than an “affordability tour” full of stubbornly insisting that he’s already fixed it and that prices are “coming down.” Inflation might be slower, but outside of gas prices, there isn’t much that literally costs less than it did a year ago.
He’s right that millions of Americans are going to be happier with their tax refunds in the first quarter of 2026, even if it’s not literally “the largest tax refund season of all time.” I’m not a gambling man, but I’ll bet that his polling on the economy improves as people get those refunds.
He also offered a $1,776 tariff bonus for military personnel. His “warrior dividend” should be popular, and “the checks are already on the way.”
As for the border, Trump has effectively closed it. Zero illegals were released into the U.S., in great contrast to the standard practice of Team Biden. Roughly two million illegals have left the country, either voluntarily or through deportation. There’s an optics issue of going too far, too fast with that, but generally speaking, Trump is restoring the Rule of Law.
He offered this powerful sentiment: “In the end, government either serves the productive, patriotic, hardworking American citizen, or it serves those who break the laws, cheat the system, and seek power and profit at the expense of our nation.”
The president touted many other successes in what ended up being a pretty classic Trump stump speech. He talked about jobs, wages, healthcare, and foreign policy (albeit without mentioning Venezuela), always emphasizing the economic boom that awaits.
“We’re putting America first, and we are making America great again,” he concluded. “Tonight, after 11 months, our border is secure, inflation has stopped, wages are up, prices are down, our nation is strong, America is respected, and our country is back, stronger than ever before. We’re poised for an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen.”
For perspective, he added that soon, “We will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. There could be no more fitting tribute to this epic milestone than to complete the comeback of America that began just one year ago.”
Again, whether he uses specific numbers or sweeping generalities, his point is always about framing an issue in broad strokes. Will it work to improve his approval ratings, buy him some time, and help Republicans in next year’s midterms? As always, time will tell.
Thomas Gallatin: What’s Up With Susie Wiles and Vanity Fair? — A predictable hit piece may be another opportunity for Trump to hit the Leftmedia with the latest in a string of lawsuits.
Sophie Starkova: More Industries Snub White Male Applicants — The boys are rebelling against a culture that labels them the problem, destroys their heroes, and demands that they stop being men, all because of the color of their skin.
Gregory Lyakhov: To Stop Terrorism, Ban Third-World Immigration — Once immigration is governed by sentiment instead of capacity, the state loses its ability to protect citizens and maintain order.
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Latest PodcastPopCon #127: 2025 Was Insane and Here’s WhyIf you want one episode to remember what you forgot about 2025 (or to confirm you didn’t hallucinate this year), this is it.
Hegseth Did What Biden Called ‘Impossible’ — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has turned the U.S. military around in ways no one thought was possible, explains Victor Davis Hanson.
Bondi Beach Terror Attack — How Australia’s dangerous naivety enabled the Bondi Beach terror attack.
‘This Is Not Accidental’ — Former Security Minister and Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat warns about China’s growing threat to Britain and the West’s failure to confront it.
“This is a very cruel, inhumane immigration policy that he is putting in place.” —Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on President Trump extending his travel ban
For the Record
“Islam is not a religion. It’s a cult. Islamists aren’t here to assimilate. They’re here to conquer.” —Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL)
Pearl-Clutching
“You want something to investigate as a legislature? Investigate how many times they called me the N-word.” —Fulton County DA Fani Willis trying to distract from the investigation of her corruption
Credit Where It’s Due
“This idea … that the military’s just picking off any boat that comes across — that’s just not true. I mean, there’s extensive intelligence, and they know exactly who’s on that boat and they know what’s actually on that boat right now. … They are not just going around randomly just shooting boats and those things. That’s just not the fact at all.” —Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA)
Why Is That?
“In major cities across the country police chiefs use the phrase ‘our community’ to refer to illegals and foreign trespassers.” —White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller
Re: The Left
“You can’t win by granting access, and you can’t win by denying it. The authors and activists of the Democrat press approach Trump with the mentality of ‘heads we win, tails you lose.’” —Tim Graham
“What is most confounding, again, is the fact that the American Marxist left created these situations and conditions, yet wants no solutions. … In other words, the left in America wants to perpetuate a 21st-century American insecurity.” —Allen West
“Their coalition actually does make sense because all political coalitions … are defined by their enemy, by who they’re trying to beat.” —political pundit Michael Knowles explaining the Left’s alliance with Islam
Plain and Simple
“The reason politicians have a hard time solving the healthcare crisis is that they’re not supposed to be involved in it in the first place.” —Sophie Starkova
Upright
“We are allowed to disagree with the president and even say outrageous things that he said [about Rob Reiner]. … I think he must rise above it, and he seems incapable of rising above the situation.” —actor Rob Schneider with a rebuke of Donald Trump
And Last…
“I believe in empathy — like, I think you should care about other people — but you need to have empathy for civilization as a whole and not commit to a civilizational suicide.” —Elon Musk
Israel and Egypt agreed to a huge natural gas deal that will hopefully calm strained relations after 2 years of war in Gaza. The checks are already on the way.” That’s what President Trump said last night while announcing the Government is sending bonus checks to U.S. military members. The latest on the Brown University shooting. Police released new images asking the public to identify a person that could help in the investigation. In our Nation’s capital, the Pentagon hosted its first Christmas worship service. A recent immigration enforcement sweep in Charlotte, North Carolina met with an organized resistance as authorities targeted places of faith. Saint Nicholas, the man we know today as Santa Claus, was not only a giver of gifts, but he was also persecuted for his unyielding faith in Christ.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced this week that he wants to reform the military chaplain program to strip “secular humanism” out of the messaging.
“Our chaplains are chaplains, not emotional support officers, and we’re going to treat them as such,” he said.
SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH: I’m here to tell you about a real problem facing our nation’s military. It is one that you’re probably not aware of, but it is really important and has been going on for far too long: the weakening of our Chaplain Corps.
You see, chaplains are intended to be the spiritual and moral backbone of our nation’s forces. George Washington established the Chaplain Corps in 1775, as one of his first actions as General of the Continental Army. Congress authorized chaplains for the Navy the very same year.
In Washington’s General Orders, he explained their importance. “The blessing and protection of heaven are at all times necessary, but especially so in times of public distress and danger.”
For about 200 years, the Chaplain Corps continued its role as spiritual leader of our service members, serving our men and women in times of hardship and ministering to their souls. But sadly, as part of an ongoing war on warriors, in recent decades, it is recognized that its role has been degraded. In an atmosphere of political correctness and secular humanism, chaplains have been minimized, viewed by many as therapists instead of ministers. Faith and virtue were traded for self-help and self-care.
If you need proof, just look at the current Army Spiritual Fitness Guide. In well over 100 pages, it mentions God one time. That’s it. It mentions feelings 11 times. It even mentions playfulness, whatever that is, 9 times. There’s zero mention of virtue.
The guide relies on new age notions, saying the soldier’s spirit consists of consciousness, creativity, and connection. The guide itself reports that around 82% of the military are religious, yet ironically, it alienates our war fighters by faith by pushing secular humanism. In short, it’s unacceptable and unserious. So we’re tossing it.
I have a directive right here that I will sign today to eliminate the use of the Army Spiritual Fitness Guide effective immediately. These types of training materials have no place in the War Department. Our chaplains are chaplains, not emotional support officers, and we’re going to treat them as such.
That’s why today, at my direction, we are also simplifying the faith and belief coding system. In recent years, it ballooned to over 200 overly complex faith and belief codes. An overwhelming majority of the military population only uses six codes. Eleven are not used by anyone. So we’re going to streamline it and move to a new list of religious affiliation codes so that our chaplains can actually use them to minister better to the flock. More reforms will be coming in days and weeks ahead. There will be a top-down cultural shift, putting spiritual well-being on the same footing as mental and physical health as our first step toward creating a supportive environment for our warriors and their souls. We’re going to restore the esteemed position of chaplains as moral anchors for our fighting force.
The 1956 Army Chaplain’s Manual states, quote, “The chaplain is pastor and shepherd of the souls entrusted to his care,” end quote. This is a high and sacred calling, but this only works if our shepherds are actually given the freedom to boldly guide and care for their flock. Stay tuned for more. We are going to make the Chaplain Corps great again. Merry Christmas.
Spencer and Andrew Klavan apply Psalm 115 to AI and explain why those who think their machines have human-like minds reduce their own humanity and make themselves machine-like.
We blogged about Spencer Klavan’s application of Psalm 115 to AI. He and his father, novelist Andrew Klavan, develop that in more detail and explain why those who think their machines have human-like minds reduce their own humanity and make themselves machine-like.
First, let’s quote the relevant passage from Psalm 115:
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. (Psalm 115:4-8)
“The biblical psalm is a bitingly exact description of those idolaters who confuse man-made artifacts with human souls,” they say. “In our day, we are in danger of making this age-old mistake with artificial intelligence.”
They point out that this is nothing new:
In every generation, some advanced piece of machinery comes to seem like a model of the human mind. When the written word was the cutting edge in information storage, Plato had Socrates compare the human mind to a wax writing tablet in his “Theaetetus.” In the era of the steam engine, Sigmund Freud began to think of the mind as a dynamic pressure chamber in which repressed energy returns with gathered force. And for the past several decades, we’ve come to picture the mind as a computer, hardwired to run certain kinds of software.
“But by using machines as metaphors for our minds, we fall prey to the illusion that our minds are nothing more than machines.” Some tech enthusiasts are making this very claim.
Our minds make machines. That doesn’t mean that machines are minds. And it certainly doesn’t mean that our minds are machines.
The Large Language Models of artificial intelligence are programmed to imitate our external use of language according to algorithmic patterns. To explain the difference between that machine-generated language and how the mind generates language, the Klavans employ a term with Christian resonance:
The defining feature of human language is what ancient philosophers called “the inner logos” — the unique interior apparatus we have for structuring and understanding our experience of the world. LLMs — probability functions designed to detect and mimic patterns in words — are coded to reproduce our exterior language. They have no access to the inner logos.
Despite what some people are saying today,
We are not machines at all, in fact, but organic unities — brain, heart, loins and senses — animated by spirit and collaborating with creation on unique but interconnected experiences of life.
The psalmist’s warning still applies: Those who project an inner life onto their own creations will cease to cherish the inner life unique to humankind. Those who make idols become like them.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosted the first-ever Pentagon Christmas worship service on Wednesday.
Many gathered here in the center courtyard to sing songs of praise led by top Christian music artists and hear a powerful message of hope from Franklin Graham.
U.S. Navy Admiral and Chaplain Carey Cash kicked off the event by talking about “the greatest rescue operation of all time… the coming of Jesus into this world!”
“The scripture says that, ‘In Him was life, and that life was the light of the world,'” Cash continued. “We celebrate that light today.”
Hegseth said now’s the time to bring Christmas back to the Pentagon, and the stage at the event reflected the true meaning of the season with a wooden cut-out nativity scene displayed in front of Christmas trees.
“I want to thank you all for sharing in this first Christmas Worship service here at the Pentagon,” Hegseth said to the crowd. “The greatest story ever told. And the best part about it is, it’s a true story. It’s a true story of a king who arrived not on the throne, but in a humble manger, became man, but yet lived perfectly. And all he asked of us is to believe, is to honor Him with who we are and what we do. And so we rejoice today in this place, at this time 2,000 years ago, grateful for this incredible republic, for a Savior.”
Christian artists, Matthew West and Anne Wilson, led the crowd in worship.
Evangelist Franklin Graham highlighted the season of Advent by encouraging everyone to pause, reflect, and focus on the miracle birth of our Savior with anticipation of Christ’s return.
“Jesus took our shame, and he died in our place, and he rose again. And this is why we celebrate,” Graham explained. “Christmas was not a ‘Jesus Christ is a babe in a manger.’ He’s living, He’s alive, He’s in heaven, and He’s coming back, and He’s coming back someday soon.”
U.S. — Federal authorities announced on Wednesday that liberals are now dangerously mad, a significant update from when they were just regular mad only days ago.
“We are officially raising the ‘Libs Be Mad, Yo’ Alert to orange, signaling that American liberals are now dangerously mad,” said a spokesperson for the Pentagon. “We are advising the public to be alert as you interact with liberals. If you see something, say something.”
Congress, already partially segregated by party, installed walls in the Senate and House chambers to keep liberal politicians away from the normal ones in an attempt to ensure a working government. “My liberal colleagues aren’t just mad, they are dangerously mad,” Senator Ted Cruz said, trembling. “They used to support Palestine or gun control, but now they actively advocate for Somali crime rings and for the deaths of Republicans. It’s out of control.”
The White House also acknowledged the increase in madness on the part of liberals, with the president attributing it to how amazing everything in the country has been.
“They’re tired of all the winning,” President Trump said. “It’s very sad. I just keep winning and winning, and I think it finally broke them. They can’t handle it, everyone says so. And there aren’t enough nicknames in the world for me to name every liberal and put them in their place.”
At publishing time, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists adjusted the Doomsday Clock forward to 59 seconds to midnight to indicate that liberals were closer than ever to destroying the Western world.
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