The Bondage Associated with Legalism

            Legalism enslaves, but Christ frees us from all that binds us, among others, sin (Rom 3: 20; 6:6-7) and death (Rom 5: 12, 21; I Cor 15:56-57). Freed from sin’s dominion, we now live under the reign of grace. The despair associated with legalism, however, is best demonstrated in the narrative concerning Jesus and his encounter with the rich young ruler (Mk 10:17-21).

            This man begins the dialogue by enquiring how he can obtain “eternal life,” a reference to the eschatological life recorded in Daniel 12:2, which signifies participation in God’s sovereign rule over all his creation. Clearly, this question was not a case of faith questing for understanding (fides quaerens intellectum); it was not prompted by a desire to fulfill an imperative. Rather, it was a sense of failure and crisis that precipitated the young ruler’s encounter with the Savior.

             Notwithstanding his moral scrupulosity, the rich young ruler senses his spiritual inadequacy. Although he confesses that he has kept the commandments from his youth up, we infer that it was not mixed with faith but was merely observance of the letter of the law, that is, a legalistic preoccupation. Indeed, when Jesus commands the ruler to sell all his possessions, give to the poor, and follow him, the Lord was reminding the ruler that his actions were not motivated by faith which pleases God, for the “one thing” he lacked was not the keeping of an additional law. When Jesus remarked that the ruler lacked “one thing,” he was exposing the young ruler’s legalism that had ensnared him all his life and pointing him to the obedience of faith, which saves and emancipates (Rom 1:5; 16:26). Thielicke observes, “The critical point [was] obviously that the rich young ruler, for all his ethical and religious idealism, was ultimately self-centered. For him, obedience and action were a kind of self-development and self-enrichment. They might almost be called the cultural extension of his outward standard of living.”[1] Regrettably, when Jesus highlighted the fundamental issue - radical faith in God’s saving justice - the ruler disobeys the Lord’s command and goes away sorrowing. Indeed, legalism is always associated with a spirit of oppression, a spirit of fear, a spirit of doubt, and profound despair, a state of affairs similar to Luther’s distresses in the cloister. The man’s earlier zeal for the letter of the law, juxtaposed with his present failure and his spurning of a life of commitment to the Lord, underscores his previous efforts as “a sublimated egoism which does not fear, love, and trust in God above all things, but serves only . . . ego.”[2] This is the garb of legalism.

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                [1]Helmut Thielicke, Theological Ethics, vol 1: Foundations, ed. William H. Lazareth (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1966),  259.

                [2]Ibid.

Legalism: Subverting the Doctrine of Divine Grace for a Theology of Works

            Legalism in the Church repudiates the doctrine of divine grace for a theology of works that is “subversive both of the glory of God, in bestowing righteousness, and of the certainty of salvation.”[1] It suggests man’s reliance on the flesh instead of submission to the Spirit to establish his own righteousness before God. It is “a slavish following of the law in the belief that one thereby earns merit…and also entails a refusal to go beyond the formal or literal requirements of the law.”[2] As Paul asked the Judaizers in his Epistle to the Galatians, “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (3:2-3). Legalists also make conformity to regulations not sanctioned by the Scriptures (cultural taboos, for example) a test of spirituality and a standard for communion in the Church. This teaching of human merit in salvation, however, “destroys our praise of God for having bestowed righteousness”[3] and granted assurance of salvation, undermines the sufficiency of Christ in the work of redemption, minimizes the work of faith while simultaneously extolling human autonomy, and places its adherents in bondage to the law, a bondage that manifests itself as anxiety, despair, and weakness.

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            [1]John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. Henry Beveridge, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1953), 90.

                [2]Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 2^nd ed, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998), 990.

                [3]Calvin, Institutes, ed. McNeill, 788.

Divine Impartiality

Divine Impartiality


Pastor’s Study
July 28, 2009
…holding forth the word of life (Philippians 2:16a)

Have you ever felt that you were not treated impartially, perhaps in a church conflict, a family dispute, an employment issue, or a legal matter? You perceive that your race, gender, socio-economic status, nationality, or some other factor influenced decisions made either for or against you. How did you feel? Perhaps, there was no recourse for justice. Did you long for vindication, for God to come and set things right?[1]

Of course, when we talk about impartiality, we are not disputing the need for special considerations or legal protections for the afflicted. Even in the Scriptures, God enjoins special regard for the widow, the orphan, the alien, and the poor. In Deuteronomy 27:19, for example, the Lord warns Israel not to distort “the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow.”

The Lord knows that we are prone to judge others based on unfair criteria. Sometimes, too, ulterior motives and selfish desires influence our decision-making. If, however, we are ever tempted to pervert justice, we should remember our Lord’s warning against the sin of partiality in James 2: 1-4, 9:
1My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2For if a man comes into your assembly
with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in
dirty clothes, 3and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine
clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You
stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," 4have you not made distinctions
among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?... 9But if you show
partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

The apostle condemns this unjust and partial treatment of others as a violation of God’s law.

“There is no partiality with God,” however, as Paul asserts in Romans 2:11. In her book, Divine Impartiality, Jouette Bassler posits the view that Paul’s statement extolling God’s impartiality in Romans 2:11 is derived from an Old Testament formula in II Chronicles 19:7 – “there is no perversion of justice with the Lord our God, or partiality, or taking bribes” and in Deuteronomy 10:17 (“the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who is not partial and takes no bribes”).[2]

This divine impartiality is best demonstrated in God’s rescue of sinful humanity from the “domain of darkness” (Colossians 1:13), a theme that Paul stresses in Romans 1:16-17. Here, the apostle, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, emphasizes salvation to all who believe – Jew or Gentile (“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek,” Romans 1:16). In the Gospel, the saving justice of God is revealed, effecting eschatological restoration for Jew and Gentile. This divine activity is congruent with the Old Testament Scriptures where the just- by- faith (whether Jew or Gentile) are awarded life (17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH,” Romans 1:17; see Habakkuk 2:4). To demonstrate that there is no partial adjudication by God, both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin (“What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin,” Romans 3:9). All are condemned by the law in order that every mouth be shut before God’s judgment bench (“Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God,” Romans 3:19). All who believe are justified before God (3:21-31). Sin holds dominion over all in the sphere of death whereas grace holds dominion over all in the sphere of life (5:12-21). God has shut up all in disobedience that He might demonstrate His saving justice to all (“For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all,” Romans 11:32).

In Romans 12-16, Paul wishes to provoke – by this humbling demonstration of God’s impartial judicial administration – an acceptance of all (that is, Jewish and Gentile believers) within the Church (12:2-3; 15:5-7).[3] Paul exhorts us:
5Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ
Jesus, 6so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7Therefore, accept one another, just
as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God (Romans 15:5-7).

We praise God who has demonstrated His covenant faithfulness to Israel by granting life at court to all the believing remnant (Romans 9-11) and, likewise, has manifested covenant fidelity to Gentiles who placed their trust in Him.[4] And as Paul urged us, may we learn to “accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God” (Romans 15:7).


[1]This longing is expressed at least 58 times throughout the Scriptures by prophet, psalmist, and other saints, usually with the question, “How long?”
[2] Jouette Bassler, Divine Impartiality: Paul and a Theological Axiom (Chicago: Scholars Press, 1982), 43.
[3] I am indebted to Alan Tomlinson for this survey. Tomlinson serves as professor of New Testament interpretation at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
[4]Richard B. Hays, Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989), 36-37.



No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11).

The Righteousness of God in Psalm 98

The Righteousness of God in Psalm 98

Pastor’s Study
July 15, 2009
…holding forth the word of life (Philippians 2:16a)

Psalm 98

1 Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
2 The LORD has made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

4 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
5 Sing to the LORD with the harp,
With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
6 With trumpets and the sound of a horn;
Shout joyfully before the LORD, the King.

7 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell in it;
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the hills be joyful together
9 before the LORD,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He shall judge the world,
And the peoples with equity.


Let us consider Psalm 98. In order to ascertain how the righteousness of God is used in Psalm 98, I will first analyze the text in order to determine the genre. This approach is based on the notion that the genre of a text and its meaning and purpose are inexorably linked.


Psalm 98 may be divided into three stanzas on the basis of content and time reference: (1) Praise Yahweh who has delivered Israel in the past (vv 1-3); (2) praise Yahweh who rules over the world in the present (vv 4-6); (3) praise Yahweh who will judge the universe in the future (vv 7-9).[1]


In stanza one, the writer celebrates Yahweh’s awesome deliverance of Israel in the past. The preponderance of divine warrior[2] imagery and language in this section provides the interpretative key to understanding the entire composition. References to the Lord’s “right hand” and “holy arm” suggest his military activity as is attested in other Old Testament passages.[3] The theme, “new song,” appears seven times in the Old Testament (Psalms 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Isaiah 42:10) and two times in the New Testament (Revelation 5:9; 14:3), always in a context of holy war.[4] The reference to Yahweh’s “salvation” has connotations of “victory in battle” (I Samuel 14:45).[5] Which victory is alluded to in this psalm, however, is doubtful. Many commentators, though, believe that the exodus is the salvific event referred to in stanza one.[6]


The psalmist, in the second stanza, extols Yahweh’s present sovereign reign over all the earth.[7] The Lord’s kingship is integrally related to his military activity. The celebration of Yahweh’s universal reign usually follows the successful conclusion of a holy war. In the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15), for example, the enduring kingship of Yahweh the warrior is extolled (vv 3, 18).[8]


In the final stanza, all of creation – in anticipation of Yahweh’s saving justice – is enjoined to praise the divine warrior who comes to vindicate His name. Yahweh’s eschatological vindication becomes the occasion for an ever-expanding doxology to the Lord, beginning with Israel in stanza one and continuing with “all the earth” in stanza two and with even the inanimate creation in stanza three. The implication is that Yahweh’s saving justice, beginning with Israel, extends to the nations (goyim) throughout the world and finally effects deliverance for the entire creation. The divine warrior, in effecting deliverance for his entire creation exercises his divine prerogative as Savior, King, and Judge.[9]


My brief analysis of Psalm 98 suggests that this psalm is an eschatological hymn that celebrates Yahweh’s victory over His enemies and the vindication of His name and His people.[10] In the momentous salvific act described in verse 9, the God of Israel comes to the whole world. Creation is transferred back to the power and grace of its Creator. Praise be to God!


No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11).


[1]Tremper Longman III, “Psalm 98: A Divine Warrior Victory Song,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 27.3 (September 1984): 268-69.
[2]The literature on the divine warrior motif is extensive, beginning with Schwally’s work in 1901. See Friedrich Schwally, Der Heilige Krieg im alten Israel (Leipzig: Dieterich’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Theodor Weicher, 1901).
[3]E.g., Exod 6:6; 15:6, 12, 16; Deut 4:34; 26:8; Pss 18:35; 21:8; 89:13; 118:15b-16; 138:7; Jer 21:5.
[4]Tremper Longman, III, “The Divine Warrior: The New Testament Use of an Old Testament Motif,” Westminster Theological Journal 44 (1982): 300-02.
[5]Alan Richardson, A Theological Word Book of the Bible (London: SCM Press, 1956), 219.
[6]Longman, “Psalm 98,” 269.
[7]See Longman, “Psalm 98,” 267-70; A. G. Herbert, “The Idea of Kingship in the OT,” Reformed Theological Review 18 (1959): 34-45.
[8]Longman, “Psalm 98,” 270.
[9]Ibid., 271.
[10]Hans-Joachim Kraus, Worship in Israel, trans. G. Buswell (Richmond: John Knox, 1966), 205ff.

Eschatological Vision and Fervency in Sharing the Gospel

Eschatological Vision and Fervency in Sharing the Gospel

Pastor’s Study
May 7, 2009
…holding forth the word of life (Philippians 2:16a)

Before stating his theme for Romans, Paul expresses his ardent desire to visit the believers in Rome with three purpose statements: “to share some spiritual gift” (v. 11); “to have a harvest” (v. 13); and “to preach the Gospel” (v. 15).[1] What does Paul mean by "spiritual gift"? Whereas the apostle does not clarify his meaning, we believe that he provides helpful hints in the text. First, we note that Paul’s statement about sharing some spiritual gift occurs in a pericope that stresses his plan to travel to Rome en route to Spain for his Gentile mission (Rom 1:8-15; cf. 15:14-33). This universal scope of the Gospel is further emphasized in Romans 1:5, 14-15. Second, we observe that the apostle explains the outcome of sharing some spiritual gift: mutual edification. Third, Romans 15:15-16 illuminates the reference in 1:11-12 (both texts dealing with Paul’s reasons for writing Romans): “I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace given me from God, to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God.”[2]


On the basis of these hints in the text, we concur with James Denney that “what Paul wished to do for the Romans was to further their comprehension of the purpose of God in Jesus Christ – a purpose the breadth and bearings of which were yet but imperfectly understood.”[3] Thomas R. Schreiner qualifies his support for this conclusion. He writes:

Fee observes rightly that the gift mentioned here relates directly to the purpose of the Roman letter. The Roman Christians needed to understand the Pauline gospel, which proclaims the unity of Jews and Gentiles in Christ.[4]

Both Fee and Schreiner, however, delimit the eschatological purview of Romans 1:11. They adduce missionary resolutions to Paul’s statement regarding the sharing of some spiritual gift: the church in Rome, being established in the gospel, will support Paul’s evangelistic incursion into Spain.[5]


William J. Dumbrell, on the other hand, describes Paul’s eschatological vision cogently. He views Paul’s Gentile mission, leading to the incorporation of Gentiles into the people of God, as a fulfillment of prophetic eschatology. He notes:

Such inclusion had been anticipated by prophetic eschatology as a characteristic of the arrival of the last days and thus the advent of the new creation and new covenant. Paul himself operated under the assumption that the present possibility of incorporation into Christ is the hallmark of the advent of the last days. Indeed, the major work of Pauline theology is the present eschatological oneness of humankind in Christ, which has been made possible by the universality of the gospel, which obliterates all distinctions.[6]

This eschatological consciousness translates into fervency in proclaiming the Gospel to Jew and Gentile. The apostle summarizes his passion to declare Christ to Jew and Gentile with three personal statements in Romans 1:

verse 14 – “I am bound.” (RSV ‘under obligation’)
verse 15 – “I am eager.”
verse 16 – “I am not ashamed.”

What is the theological import of these statements? They evince a divine necessity laid upon the apostle (cf. Acts 19:21), “the consciousness of an inescapable duty.”[7] “The underlying assumption regarding this duty is the lordship of Jesus Christ and the stewardship of the Gospel (Rom 1:1). And Paul asserts that the Gospel is God’s power for salvation (Rom 1:16); and the Gospel reveals God’s righteousness (v. 17).[8]





[1]Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), 59.
[2]Peter Stuhlmacher, “The Purpose of Romans,” in The Romans Debate, rev. ed., ed. Karl P. Donfried (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers), 233.
[3]James Denney, “St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans,” in The Expositor’s Greek New Testament, ed. W. Robertson Nicoll (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1951), 588. For Barth, the spiritual gift is the gospel.
[4]Thomas R. Schreiner, Romans, ECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998), 54.
[5]Ibid.
[6]William J. Dumbrell, The Search for Order: Biblical Eschatology in Focus (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), 269-70. C.K. Barrett affirms Gentile inclusion as an eschatological phenomenon. See his “Gentile Mission as an Eschatological Phenomenon, “in Eschatology and the New Testament, ed. Hulitt Gloer (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1988), 65-75.
[7]Anders Nygren, Commentary on Romans, trans. Carl C. Rasmussen (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1949), 62.
[8]Mark A. Seifrid notes, “The shift in the characterization of humanity from Rom 1:14 to Rom 1:16 indicates that Paul’s use of the expression ou epaischunomai is directed towards asserting the comprehensive scope of the Gospel . . . . Paul bases his claim that the Gospel transcends all social and religious distinctions on the assertion that it meets a universal need for salvation.” See Seifrid, Justification by Faith, 212.



No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11).

Praying for our Schools

Praying for our Schools

Pastor’s Study

April 25, 2009

…holding forth the word of life (Philippians 2:16a)



“Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord… Lift your hands toward him for the lives of your children” (Lamentations 2:19).

Individualize your prayer, and incorporate these ideas into family devotion and Bible Study classes.
To pray effectively choose specific districts, schools, principals, teachers, and students and intercede on their behalf.

Pray that…
Ø Students will endure the trial of their faith, especially at schools and colleges (Colossians 1:11).
Ø Christian clubs will form and function effectively on school campuses.
Ø Churches and families will adopt public school classes.
Ø Students will pray for their schools and for the salvation of their classmates.
Ø The entire school community will experience genuine Christian love through the Christians who attend these schools (John 13:35).
Ø In particular, Christians on campuses will befriend students who are rejected by their peers, thus demonstrating the love of Christ (John 13:35).
Ø Biblical instruction will be recovered in schools.
Ø God will raise up many godly school principals who will lead their schools in truth.
Ø Believers will avail themselves of opportunities to share the gospel with their peers (Colossians 4:3).
Ø Godly mentors will become involved in tutoring and mentoring students.
Ø God will send many Christian teachers into our schools.
Ø The current violence in schools will stir the church to pray earnestly that God will expose these wicked plans and protect our students and school staff (Psalm 7:9).
Ø Christians on campus will demonstrate Christlikeness in speech, life, love, faith, and purity (1 Timothy 4:12).
Ø God will place godly and courageous leaders on our school boards.
Ø Students will be diligent, using their time well to study and prepare for the future.
Ø Our teachers will be well-trained, compassionate, and perceptive.
Ø Students will submit to their teachers’ discipline.
Ø Christian students who suffer rejection in school will grow in sanctification, not becoming bitter and despondent.


No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11).

Praying for our Children

Praying for our Children

Pastor’s Study
April 22, 2009
…holding forth the word of life (Philippians 2:16a)



Pray for the salvation of our children and the restoration of the fallen

Pray that our children would repent of their sins and place their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (I Timothy 2:1-6)

Pray also that our children would:

Ø Remember their Creator in the days of their youth (Ecclesiastes 12:1, 13).
Ø Honor their parents (Exodus 20:12).
Ø Obey their parents in the Lord (Ephesians 6:1).
Ø Imitate their heavenly Father, walking in love, in the Light, and in wisdom (Ephesians 5:1-21).
Ø Submit to God’s discipline, growing in sanctification as a result (Hebrews 12:7).
Ø Demonstrate Christlikeness in speech, life, love, faith, and purity (1 Timothy 4:12).
Ø Be preserved from evil (Matthew 6:13).
Ø Discern God’s will for their lives (Colossians 1:9).
Ø Endure the trial of their faith, especially at schools and colleges (Colossians 1:11).
Ø Marry godly spouses when they grow up (Proverbs 12:4; 18:22; 19:14; Ephesians 5:22-25; Hebrews 13:4).
Ø Choose their friends wisely, not walking in “the counsel of the ungodly” (Psalm 1:1).


No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11).