What does the eternal, hidden, and glorious mind of Christ mean for fallen humanity? It means the truth of the saving gospel is inaccessible to men and women left to ourselves.

Yet, the mind of Christ has not been withheld from all mankind since God has graciously revealed it to those who believe in His Son. So, how do Christians get the mind of Christ, and how do we know it? Paul answers these questions by introducing the concept of the revelation of the mind of Christ in 1 Corinthians 2:10-11.

The key word in these two verses is the word “revealed” (verse 10), indicating that Paul and the apostles did not arrive at the mind of Christ through some normal process of investigation or learning. The only way we can access the mind of Christ is through God choosing to reveal it in His grace and love by the Spirit.

Paul means himself and the apostles when he uses the word “us” (verse 10). Here, he speaks of God revealing the mind of Christ to humanity through the Spirit, who shared the wisdom of God to the apostles, who in turn spoke and wrote God’s words, passing on this wisdom in Scripture.

Our understanding of the correct order of divine revelation is critical because it inevitably shapes how we view God’s Word. If the Word of God is divine revelation given by the Spirit, then it is authoritative, without error, and totally sufficient for life and godliness. It stands alone. Nothing else should be placed alongside God’s Word, because everything else is from the minds of men.

The previous verses confirm this understanding of divine revelation. We can only know the mind of God if the Spirit revealed it. The Bible cannot merely be a human book and tell us anything about God, because anything that is merely human cannot access His mind. We are utterly dependent, then, on the Spirit’s revelation of God’s wisdom to know the mind of Christ.

Paul explains this concept further, describing the Spirit’s knowledge in verses 10-11.

First, the Spirit’s knowledge is expansive (verse 10). When Paul says the Spirit searches all things, he wants us to understand how expansive this knowledge is. The Spirit of God knows all subjects.

Now, why does the Spirit have to search all things to know all things? Doesn’t He just know them because He is God?

This phrase is an anthropomorphism, which describes a divine attribute or activity in human terms. The biblical writers often employ this literary device when they tell something about God that we cannot understand without some analogy understandable at a human level.

For example, we might think of the phrase the hand of God. God is Spirit, so He does not have physical hands. The phrase the hand of God is an analogy to help us understand God’s power and protection over His people.

The word translated “search” means to investigate something thoroughly or to make a careful search to learn something. The emphasis falls not on the search itself, but on the outcome of the inquiry. When someone spends years studying a given subject, we might say they are an expert on that subject. People come to know things by searching.

However, this strategy is not how God comes to know things. God does not come to knowthings; He knows everything all the time. By describing the Spirit as searching, Paul likens the Spirit to an expert researcher, the expert par excellence, who has incomparable and infinite knowledge. The Spirit of God is the divine expert on every topic, subject, and branch of knowledge; He knows everything with infinite thoroughness.

Second, the Spirit’s knowledge is also exhaustive in that it knows no limits (verse 10). The proof of the Spirit’s infinite knowledge is He searches all things, even the depths or deep things of God, which are the greatest mysteries and pieces of information, knowledge, and wisdom. God’s knowledge and wisdom are unsearchable and surpass all comprehension (Romans 11:33). The Spirit, however, can fathom what is unfathomable to the minds of all God’s creatures.

Of course, if the Spirit knows the deep things of God, He knows the deep things of everything else, because the rest of the known and unknown universe is elementary compared to the depths of the Divine. The Spirit’s knowledge is exhaustive, even of the deep things of God; nothing is outside His understanding.

Finally, the Spirit’s knowledge is exclusive (verse 11).

No one knows our thoughts, except God, unless we decide to reveal them. This truth is even greater with God. No one knows God’s thoughts unless He chooses to reveal those by the Spirit. God’s thoughts are exclusive to Himself.

Our great mistake is to assume we know what God is like apart from divine revelation by the Spirit in the Word. We think we know what God is thinking, but often it’s just our thoughts.

I remember sitting in a restaurant with extended family, and all the sudden my grandma said, “Well, I think grandpa wants to head home.” Grandpa hadn’t said anything, and in fact was probably engaged in another enjoyable conversation, drinking his iced tea. But grandma wanted to go; and so, she either assumed grandpa did, too, or just decided to stamp his name on her desire.

We do that to God, don’t we? “God told me to do this” or “I think God would want me to…”Yet if what we ascribe to God is not in Scripture, we must be very careful about attributing it to the mind of God, because we do not know what God’s mind is unless the Spirit reveals it. The Spirit has exclusive knowledge of the mind of God – which is revealed in Scripture – that we cannot have apart from divine revelation.

The good news is the Spirit has revealed the mind of God to us, and He has done so in His Word through the message of the cross.

This is the great scandal of the mind of God, that it is revealed in the Bible, whose central message is a crucified Messiah who forgives sinners. When we think about the depths of God, we often go to some great mystery God has not revealed in Scripture. However, the depths of God’s wisdom come to us in the simple message of the gospel of Jesus crucified for our sins, and of faith in Him for salvation. The mind of Christ is actually so simple and unexpected that it doesn’t require a sage to understand. As believers, we need to acknowledge that this simple gospel is the mind of Christ and rejoice in God’s wisdom as this truth shapes us.

The simplicity of the mind of Christ is also why the world calls the Spirit’s revelation foolishness. When the unbeliever hears the simple message of the gospel and discovers it is God’s wisdom, how often does he respond in a rage, rejecting the cross as folly because it is straightforward? There we are able to see that the truth is closed off to the unbeliever, and so he responds to the gospel in anger.

Believers understand, though, that the eternal, hidden, glorious mind of Christ has indeed been revealed by the Spirit in the gospel. And Christians must call unbelievers to repentance, to put aside their preconceived ideas of God that lead to death, and to believe in Christ for salvation.

The post The Revelation of the Mind of Christ  appeared first on The Cripplegate.

The very first issue crippling the Corinthian church was disunity, which stemmed from these believers thinking with a fleshly mind, rather than with the mind of Christ. Rather than submitting to God’s wisdom and applying the mind of Christ to their daily walk, the Corinthians were enamored with man’s thoughts, philosophies, and opinions, leading to church conflict and division. Paul, therefore, exhorted them in 1 Corinthians 1:10 to be of the same mind.

When we come to 1 Corinthians 2:6-11, we discover that Paul wanted the Corinthians to adopt the very mind of Christ. As Christians, we have access to the way Christ thinks, and we know God’s wisdom. Believers, then, have no excuse for operating individually or collectively as the church under a worldly mindset because we have been given the very mind of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, what is the mind of Christ that we might renew our minds to think His thoughts?”

To help us renew our minds after the mind of Christ, Paul describes what that mind actually is. The mind of Christ is eternal, meaning that God’s wisdom was in His mind before creation. Additionally, the mind of Christ is hidden from fallen humanity, because it cannot be perceived with our natural abilities.

Paul gives one more description of the mind of Christ in verses 7-9, that it is glorious. God’s eternal purpose in Christ, the mystery of the cross, is glorious wisdom, that far surpasses anything in the world.

There are three ways Paul points his readers toward seeing the mind of Christ as glorious.

First, Paul calls Christ the Lord of glory (verse 8).

While scholars debate the precise nuance of the phrase Lord of glory, we can confidently say the phrase at least means that everything about our Lord is defined by the term glory. The author of Hebrews 1:3 says Christ is the radiance of God’s glory. The Son shines with the full brightness of His Father’s glory.

John 1:14 reminds us that John and other apostles saw Jesus’ glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father. Jesus has a unique glory because He is the only begotten from the Father, the Son of God, who is full of God’s glory. When we consider the Savior’s glory, we can only conclude that the mind of Christ must be glorious because it is the mind of the Lord of glory. There is no more glorious, beautiful, perfect, good, holy wisdom to be found; the mind of Christ is the ultimate revelation of glory because of who Jesus is in Himself as the Lord of glory.

Second, the mind of Christ is shown to be glorious when Paul says that the wisdom of God was predestined before the ages to our glory (verse 7). The mind of Christ is not merely glorious in an abstract sense all unto itself, although certainly the mind of Christ is glorious in and of itself even if we had never existed. Rather, God’s wisdom revealed in Christ crucified is wisdom that God planned before creation for our glory. This glory describes our eternal destiny as believers! We might naturally think of eternal glory as similar to our current condition but without sin, but the reality is that our glorious destiny will be a radical change from our current experience, as different as a seed is from a full-grown tree. We will be totally transformed, fit to live in a new, glorious creation. We will be conformed to the likeness of Christ’s glory.

In Romans 8:29, Paul told his readers that they will be conformed to the image of Christ to resemble Him. That is the destiny that God planned for Christians before time began. God’s mind fashioned a purpose and a plan that would make us eternally like His beloved Son, the Lord of glory.

John in 1 John 3:2 states that we don’t know now in our fallen condition what it will look or feel like to be free from sin, sorrow, and death, and be glorified like our Savior. However, when we see Christ, we will be like Him, because we will be able to stand in the presence of His glory and see Him as He is. We will be able to behold the glorified Lord because we will be made like Him in every way a creature can be like the Creator.

This is but a sampling of the doctrine of glorification, that we are destined, not for destruction, but for glory. Incredibly, God decided this reality before we were created. God’s great love toward us was so infinite that He devised a plan of redemption that would allow us to be as much like His Son as a creature can be. Oh, how we should meditate on our future reality of God’s glory transforming us into the very likeness of Christ!

Finally, Paul shows us that the mind of Christ is glorious because God has prepared unfathomably glorious things for those who love Him (verse 9).

Scholars understand that this unseen and unheard wisdom is our salvation through Christ’s cross, and they are right. That salvation, which includes our forgiveness and justification, does not end there. These glorious things God has prepared for us through the gospel extend into eternity future. If we could not begin to understand the basics of the gospel of Christ crucified on our own, how will we ever understand the full salvation Christ purchased this side of eternity? We never will!

God has prepared unspeakably glorious, kind, loving, and merciful things for those who love Him. Paul in Ephesians 2:7 says God’s plan is to show us the surpassing riches of His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus in the age to come. God plans to spend all eternity pouring His infinite kindness out on those who love Him.

Paul understands something wonderful about saving faith, that it can never be divorced from a genuine love for God. People who believe in God unto salvation also love the God who saved them. No one is headed for glory who does not love God. At the end of this letter, Paul writes, “If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed.” If people do not love the Lord of glory, they will not share His glory, falling instead under His divine, just, and holy wrath. We know we have come to believe in Christ by seeing if we truly love Him.

Love for Christ is the true fruit of all genuine faith. If someone were to say to Paul, “I believe in the Lord, but I don’t love Him,” Paul would probably respond, “Then I don’t know what you mean when you say you believe in the Lord, because to believe in Him always results in loving Him.” And so, Paul says that God’s purpose in Christ, to glorify His people with unfathomable kindness for all eternity, is for those who love their Savior, who is infinitely worthy of all of our love.

The post The Glorious Mind of Christ  appeared first on The Cripplegate.

Scripture has much to say about the mind. God’s Word describes the sinner in his natural condition as having a depraved mind in Romans 1:28, as having a futile mind in Ephesians 4:17, as having a defiled mind in Titus 1:15, and as having a fleshly mind in Colossians 2:18.

That’s why believers are exhorted in Scripture to renew our minds. Ephesians 4:23 tells us to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. As believers, we must not – and indeed cannot – go on thinking like we used to think before we were converted.

Because much of the spiritual battle happens in the mind, Paul’s statement that Christians have the mind of Christ forms the foundation for our encouragement. We are not sent on a fool’s errand when the Bible tells us to renew our minds. God has provided the mind of Christ to us!

Paul had called the Corinthians to renew their minds when he started this larger section in 1 Corinthians 1:10, exhorting them to become unified. Since then, Paul showed the Corinthians how their divisions resulted from adopting a worldly mind, which was contrary to the gospel of Christ.

Now, Paul is concerned he might be misunderstood as opposing all wisdom. Paul is not opposed to wisdom, though; in fact, Paul loves and preaches true wisdom whenever he proclaims the gospel.

Yet, the Corinthians did not recognize true wisdom from God, which is why Paul now exalts true wisdom and exposes pseudo-wisdom. True wisdom is found only in the mind of Christ. Unbelievers have knowledge of various subjects and issues as part of God’s common grace, but they cannot get to the core of life’s meaning, the true nature of God, the way to salvation, the remedy for sin, or the nature of man.

Christians often think the culture can fix our problems of living in a sinful world as sinful people. The Corinthians were no different, clamoring after what the world had to offer. So, Paul calls them back from chasing a worldly mindset, telling them to renew their minds after the mind of Christ, which God has given them as believers.

To this end, Paul describes the mind of Christ in verses 6-9. If we want to know God’s wisdom, we must go to the mind of Christ. However, this action demands we recognize what is from the mind of Christ and what is from the world. So, Paul gives us multiple characteristics of the mind of Christ.

First, Paul tells us the mind of Christ is eternal.

If we would discern true wisdom from the pseudo wisdom of this world, we must first understand the mind of Christ – God’s wisdom – eternally stands outside of time. The mind of Christ did not begin at a certain time.

This wisdom defined as the mind of Christ in verse 16 is not of this age, which is marked by temporary things. God’s wisdom does not come from time and space, and it did not begin one day during this fallen creation.

Furthermore, Paul notes the wisdom of God, the mind of Christ, is not from the rulers of this age. God’s wisdom did not start in the minds of men, not even the greatest men. No finite being could be the source of true wisdom because there would be no real wisdom before that person existed.

Paul adds that the rulers of this age are passing away to show the mind of Christ is not temporal. True wisdom, then, cannot come from this temporary creation that will be destroyed by God, nor can it originate from rulers who are being brought to nothing by God’s righteous judgment.

On the other hand, true wisdom comes from God and is eternal. This divine wisdom is eternal because God predestined it before the ages. God is not working within time and space by reacting to His creatures’ decisions and then responding. Rather, God predetermined that sinners would be saved through the crucified Christ, and that they would hear this message through the gospel.

If we want to know the mind of Christ, we must first recognize God’s wisdom is eternal.

Second, Paul tells us this wisdom of the mind of Christ is hidden.

Since wisdom comes from God’s mind and is eternal, it is beyond our ability to naturally discern. God’s wisdom is inaccessible to us because of the infinite distance between sinners and the Holy One.

Paul shows the hidden nature of the mind of Christ when he calls God’s wisdom a “hidden mystery.” A hidden mystery in this context does not mean something God hoped one of His more intelligent creatures would find, but rather an inaccessible truth to the mind of fallen man left to himself. We certainly can understand some truths about God from creation, such as His eternity, omnipotence, and holiness so we recognize our guilt before Him. However, to understand Christ’s person and work and the truth of the gospel is impossible to the natural mind of fallen man.

Earthly powers do not understand God’s wisdom displayed in Christ, and the clearest proof of this reality is the crucifixion itself. Jesus stood before Herod and Pilate as the wisdom of God in human flesh, but they could not see God’s wisdom as they encountered Him. No one who truly understood the glorious nature of Christ’s person would have condemned Him to die on a cross like a vile criminal. Jesus’ death was the clearest and most indisputable proof in history that the mind of fallen man cannot understand or perceive God’s wisdom.

Notice Paul says they crucified the Lord of glory, which is one of the most exalted titles for Jesus in the New Testament. We cannot comprehend that the glorious Lord should bleed and die for sinners on a Roman cross, but it was the world’s wisdom that murdered Him. They did not – and indeed could not – understand the greatness of God’s wisdom revealed in Christ because of their sinful hearts.

When Paul says this, he is highlighting the immense tragedy and folly of believers resorting to the world’s wisdom to solve their problems or give them status. Do we not understand the wisdom derived from the minds of men rather than the mind of Christ led to people rejecting the Lord of glory and nailing Him to a cross? Why would we ever conform our minds to the minds of sinful men rather than to the mind of the Lord of glory?

Paul drives home the point by saying that human senses and thinking are useless by themselves to arrive at God’s wisdom. Because the senses cannot perceive or fathom the wisdom of God, there is no hope for the fallen sinner to understand the mind of Christ on his own.

The mind of Christ is both eternal and hidden, which might make things hopeless for us. How can we ever know the mind of Christ if it is beyond space and time in eternity and so far above and beyond us that we cannot use any of our natural abilities to grasp it?  This feeling of helplessness is right where God wants us, though.

We cannot save ourselves. Nothing we do will allow us to see and understand God’s wisdom in the mind of Christ. Each of us must recognize our dependance on divine grace to understand and know God. The goal of God’s wisdom is to bring us to the end of ourselves so we will trust in Him rather than ourselves. Only when we abandon all hope of saving ourselves and turn to Christ in faith will we begin to fathom the hidden and eternal mind of Christ.

The post The Hidden and Eternal Mind of Christ  appeared first on The Cripplegate.

In the Old Testament book of Ruth, we meet another woman, Naomi, whose expectations were crushed by repeated loss and trauma. Yet one of the book’s most beautiful arcs is Naomi’s redemption. She learns to trust God’s faithfulness even in seasons of deep pain.

We, too, often become discouraged when hard times arrive. Scripture warns that, as fallen people saved by God’s grace, Christians will face trials in this world. We may wonder where God is and why these painful things are happening. At times, it can even feel as though God has broken His promises, and we question whether our hope was in vain.

This exact situation appears in Psalm 90, one of the most important poems in the book of Psalms. What makes this psalm so powerful is not only its author—Moses—but also its placement. It opens Book Four of the Psalms and follows Psalm 89, in which the writer laments the exile and seems to say that God’s promise to David has failed. The psalmist cries out, “Where are You, Lord, in our suffering, loneliness, pain, and humiliation?”

Psalm 90 gives God’s answer. As the Psalms continue, they show how the Lord will keep His promise to David even when hope looks completely lost.

This psalm works on three levels. First, it reflects Moses’ own perspective as he wrote it for God’s people who stood on the edge of the Promised Land. Second, it was placed here by the prophet who shaped the final form of the Psalter under the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Third, it speaks directly to new-covenant believers today who live between Christ’s first and second comings—exiles in a world that often threatens God’s promises while we wait for the Lord’s return.

The main point of the psalm is this: we must live faithfully as exiles waiting for Christ by relating rightly to God. To help us do that, the psalm divides into four clear sections.

1. The Eternal Character of God (verses 1-2)

The psalm begins with the word “Lord.” What an encouragement! Even when wicked leaders, corrupt judges, and hostile rulers seem to control the world, Christians are never without a King. Our King sits on His throne and reigns.

Moses then declares that the Lord has been the dwelling place of His people from generation to generation. The Old Testament patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses himself—had no permanent earthly home. Yet the eternal God was their true refuge and strong tower. If He was their shelter, He is ours as well.

When we wonder where God is or why He allows hardship, we must run first to His unchanging character. He is everlasting. He has been our refuge in every generation, and He will be our eternal home. This truth comforted Moses when he could not enter the Promised Land. It comforted the exiles far from Jerusalem. And it comforts us today as we long for heaven in a broken world.

2. The Righteous Judgment of God (verses 3-6)

Moses reminds us that the deepest problem in the world is not exile itself but our sin, which brings God’s judgment. He points back to the curse on humanity: because of sin, we return to dust before an eternal God.

This truth makes clear who is truly to blame for wickedness and suffering—it is not God. Blame falls on human rebellion. God remains perfectly righteous. We see this in the reality of death, in the story of the Flood, and in the coming return of Christ, when God will judge the wicked forever.

3. A Proper Fear of God (verses 7-12)

Moses had seen both human sinfulness and God’s judgment, and it filled him with awe. He knew he could not even imagine the full force of God’s anger.

The real problem, Moses says, is that we are fools. We waste our short lives on trivial things and open sin. We act as if time will never run out. So Moses prays that God would teach us how brief our lives really are, so we will use our days wisely.

The Israelites foolishly believed they could rebel against God and never face exile. We are just as foolish when we think sin has no consequences and that we can waste our time without ever provoking the Lord’s displeasure. If we want to live faithfully as exiles, we must develop a healthy fear of God that changes how we live every day.

4. The Abundant Grace of God (verses 13-17)

The psalm ends by turning to God’s grace. We belong to the Lord, yet He sometimes feels far away. Moses asks God to return and dwell with His people as He did before the Fall.

He makes several bold requests: show us compassion, satisfy us with Your faithful love, make Your glorious works visible to us, and establish the work of our hands. These prayers rest completely on grace. We do not deserve any of it, yet Moses asks God to act toward us with mercy rather than giving us what we deserve.

Even his final request—that our lives would count for something—is built on grace. Picture Moses standing outside the Promised Land, longing for his service to have lasting value. Imagine the exiles watching their temple burn, later rebuilding a smaller version, and still asking God to make their efforts matter eternally. Today we ask the same: Lord, establish the work of our hands so that our lives bring You glory.

Living Faithfully in Exile

Christians are exiles awaiting our true home, where God will live with us forever. In this waiting time, it is easy to doubt whether the Lord will keep His promises. We live faithfully by focusing on God’s eternal character, remembering His righteous judgment, cultivating a proper fear of Him, and depending fully on His grace. When we do, even our shattered expectations can lead us closer to the God who never fails.

The post The Everlasting God appeared first on The Cripplegate.

These various perspectives and philosophies about public speaking are nothing new. The Apostle Paul faced similar concerns as he preached the gospel in the first century Greco-Roman world. The general populace valued certain elements of public speaking and came to expect that orators would meet their expectations. It was a shock, then, when the Apostle Paul came into Corinth publicly proclaiming a crucified Messiah, using methods contrary to everything popular in his day. 

In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Paul describes his ministry, starting with the method of his preaching. He rejected contemporary wisdom about public speaking, resolving instead to know nothing in his ministry except Christ, and Him crucified. Paul was convinced the pure gospel would result in salvation as the Spirit of God awakened sinners to their need of forgiveness at the cross.

Having considered the method of Paul’s preaching, we finish these five verses with the final two elements, and why his preaching was so effective, much to the surprise of both ancient and modern sensibilities.

First, we see the manner of Paul’s preaching, as described in verses 3-4.

The manner of Paul’s preaching tells how he preached this message, and perhaps gives a glimpse into seeing and hearing this apostle.

In verse three, we see Paul’s personal manner in his preaching. This verse is powerful because it pulls back the curtain of Paul’s interior life. We often have a conception of Paul like he was some spiritual superman and preaching machine who was fearless and bold.

However, people who knew Paul in the churches did not think of him this way. We observe from the criticism of Paul by his contemporaries that he was not considered to be something beyond the normal. The Corinthians were not awestruck with Paul’s gifts, ministry, perseverance, or fearlessness; rather, they found Paul to be rather unimpressive.

Paul, too, did not see himself as a spiritual titan. He was shocked that a former blasphemer and violent aggressor should be called by God to do such incredible gospel work, and he recognized the results never were the product of his own abilities but always the result of the Spirit’s power.

Notice Paul says he was with the Corinthians in weakness. When he spent eighteen months in Corinth, as we learn in Acts 18, Paul felt the reality and significance of his own weakness. In 2 Corinthians 10:10, Paul’s opponents sought to undermine his ministry by accusing him of having a lack of courage and integrity. Paul’s manner and message was so weak, inferior, and worthless compared to other secular speakers, that it didn’t deserve anyone’s time.

Furthermore, Paul would not accept money from the Corinthians for his preaching. This failure to receive monetary support made him more inferior in their sight in comparison with other speakers. However, Paul intentionally refused to take money from the Corinthians because he knew how important this worldly benchmark was to them – and he did not want them to value his preaching or his ministry because of how financially impressive it might be or not be.

Additionally, the Corinthians considered Paul weak because he rejected fleshly methods of doing ministry. In 2 Corinthians 4:2, we see that Paul rejected craftiness in his preaching, which was one of the primary means that false teachers used to gain an audience, adulterating the Word of God to suit what their hearers wanted to experience. Yet although Paul looked weak in the flesh, his weapons were divinely powerful.

Finally, Paul was considered weak because he had no self-confidence. He carried forth his mission in weakness because he knew that in himself, he was insufficient to accomplish God’s calling. Paul was content to be weak, inadequate, insufficient, and insulted as being inadequate, worthless, unimpressive, and contemptible. The only conceivable way for Paul to do ministry powerfully was to preach the cross in weakness, with a sense of his own inadequacy and insufficiency. 

In 1 Corinthians 2:3, we notice something else about Paul’s personal manner, that he was with them in fear and much trembling. Many people have said Paul was just talking about his fear of God. Paul did fear God, but he’s not talking about trembling before God, but being afraid internally as he thought about preaching Christ.

We see in 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 that Paul was afraid because he was persecuted and constantly in danger of being killed for Christ’s sake. In 2 Corinthians 6:4-10 and 2 Corinthians 2:11:23-29, Paul has more to say about his ministry. Paul sums it all up in 1 Corinthians 15:30-31, sharing that he was in danger every hour.

This man, the Apostle Paul, was not traveling the Roman world preaching the gospel fearlessly. Internally he battled fear, and sometimes it manifested itself in much trembling when he preached. In fact, he was so afraid in Corinth, that God had to comfort him with a vision (Acts 18:9). This might be why Paul highlights his fear in 1 Corinthians 2:3, because he had been so afraid until God comforted him and gave him special protection he usually did not experience.

Nothing about Paul’s manner appealed to the flesh because he was weak, fearful and trembling. However, Paul, rather than seeking status, embraced weakness in his preaching, and his example encouraged the Corinthians – and us today – to conduct themselves in such a way in the church to boast only in the cross.

Paul reiterates something so critical in verse 4, that he did not try to persuade the Corinthians using human wisdom or rhetorical techniques. Christians do not use the tactics of the world because we are not trying to persuade anyone with our own reasoning, methods, arguments, or techniques. Instead, we rely on the power of the Spirit of God to persuade our hearers.

When Paul preached Christ crucified, the resulting salvific work demonstrated the power of the Spirit of God at work in the preaching.  Paul wasn’t trying to be clever in finding a technique that would persuade his hearers to come to Christ. He was simply, weakly, fearfully, inadequately, insufficiently in himself, preaching a crucified Messiah, leaving the rest to the Spirit of God.

Second, we see the motivation of Paul’s preaching in verse 5.

Paul’s motive was that the faith of his hearers would be fully and only in the power of God. Paul essentially wanted to become invisible so that Christ alone would be put on display. 

This approach was an utter contradiction to everything the Corinthians were doing as they sought status, prestige, and importance. Everything about Christianity, from the message of the gospel itself, to the people who embrace the gospel by faith, to the men who preach the gospel – all of it – is contemptible to the world. Christians must be content to be contemptible to the world. We should be happy to disappear in our ministries just so long as Christ is magnified because then the power of the Spirit will be displayed.

Whenever ministry becomes about us, problems inevitably follow, that will tear the church to shreds if left unchecked. Paul reminds us of the power of preaching Christ crucified so we will realize that what God is doing in the church is not putting our gifts, abilities, and status on display, but demonstrating His power through the gospel. 

The post The Power of Preaching Christ Crucified, Part 2 appeared first on The Cripplegate.

For many Christians, however, a large ethical question looms over America’s 250^th birthday: biblically speaking, should America ever have come to be? Was it right for the Founding Fathers to rebel against the British crown and establish an independent nation? Or did their actions run afoul of what Romans 13 states about submitting to governing authorities?

I’ve been repeatedly asked whether it was right for the Founding Fathers to rebel against Britain and establish the United States of America. Was this country founded in an unbiblical way? If the founders were truly following Scripture, would they have ever started this nation, or would they have willingly paid the taxes, submitted to the British government, and remained part of the United Kingdom?

Christians have answered this question many ways. Some argue that the United States should never have rebelled against Britain and that the reasons given were not biblically justified. We need to ask what the Bible says about this situation. The American Revolution was a unique circumstance in history: an unprecedented effort to overthrow a government and establish a new nation that has ultimately thrived in independence for 250 years.

When we think about biblical teaching on submission to government, passages like Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 are primarily addressed to individuals. As individuals, we are to submit to governing authorities. I do not have the right to decide that I will not honor the authorities God has established over me, whether in my own nation or one I visit. As a Christian, I am obligated to obey the authorities God has established, honor those over me, obey laws insofar as they do not contradict Scripture, and pay taxes because God has established these authorities.

The question is different when it comes to the founding of the United States. Was July 4, 1776, the same as if I, as an individual, said, “I’m going to rebel against the government and start my own state or country”? No. The founding was not a collection of individuals choosing anarchy. It was a different set of circumstances. The founders were steeped in literature, philosophy, theology, and, in many cases, Scripture. They derived much of their theory of government from what the Bible teaches about government, governing authorities, and their role. In the circumstances with Great Britain and the colonies, they recognized an important biblical principle: government is established by God.

Biblically speaking, however, government is designed to exist by the consent of the governed—and we see this throughout Scripture. We can especially see this truth in a place we might least expect it: the establishment of the monarchy in Israel when King Saul arose to power and God anointed him to be king. Saul did not become king by imposing his power tyrannically over the people. Instead, God gathered the people together, and the Israelites recognized Saul as the rightful king. Saul was king by divine appointment, but he was also king by the consent of the governed.

In other words, God’s plan brings both realities together as complementary; it is not one or the other. A properly established government is designed to function in both ways: God ordains the authorities, and those under the authorities recognize them as God-ordained and submit.

We see this truth as well with King David. For seven years, he was king only over Judah while the northern tribes still recognized Saul’s line. David did not simply dominate the north and say, “I’m the rightful king.” Rather, over time it became apparent David was God’s anointed ruler. Then all Israel gathered to recognize him as the king God had ordained. David first reigned over Judah with the consent of the governed, and then for the remaining 33 years over all Israel with that same consent.

As our Founding Fathers thought about a biblical philosophy of government—how government should function and who the rightful leaders should be—they recognized both realities coming together in Scripture. A government functioning as God designed does so under His authority and with the consent of the governed, who recognize it as the rightful government. They also recognized Britain was acting in a tyrannical and unjust way toward them, violating the governmental contract, as it were, between the governed and the government.

It’s important to understand the American Revolution was not merely individuals throwing off the British crown. The participants formed a counter-government. Our founders established the Continental Congress, a standing army, and the structures necessary to form a nation under the consent of the governed in the colonies. Those residents who recognized British tyranny no longer consented to be governed by Britain; instead, they consented to a newly established American government. This was very different from guerilla warfare or people taking matters into their own hands because they disliked their rulers.

We can see the difference by contrasting the American Revolution with the French Revolution. The American Revolution recognized the consent of the governed, established a functioning government before independence, and then signed the Declaration of Independence to mark that reality. The French Revolution, by contrast, did not create a unified counter-government with the consent of the people. It became a struggle among factions and led to totalitarianism, dictatorship, and great loss of life. The difference shows the importance of applying biblical principles to a theology and philosophy of government.

When we look at this country’s founding, I believe one reason it worked—and one reason God blessed it—was that it was done in a biblical way. The founding of the United States was not a violation of Romans 13 or 1 Peter 2. It was not simply a group of people saying, “We’re sick of this government. We don’t like our leaders. We’re going to get rid of them.” No, they did something positive. They created a new nation and a new government. Then the people of the United States said, “This is now our government.” They came together as one nation to establish a government that would replace the one previously over them under the British crown.

Therefore, when we look at the founding of the United States, we can thank God for it. We can recognize how the Founding Fathers sought to apply biblical principles. Obviously, they did not do so perfectly, and not all were Christians; but they sought to establish government in a way that aligned with Scripture’s teachings about how it ought to be established and its right to rule over those it governs. We see the fruit of this biblically sound founding to this day. That is also a good lesson for us as individual Christians: Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 still apply to us. We are to submit to our governing authorities, pray for them, thank God for them, and honor them. It is not our obligation or right to rebel against our governing authorities. Instead, we should recognize they are duly established by God.

These truths should shape how we think about government and voting. With an election coming up, we should seek to elect officials who understand a biblical philosophy of government and uphold the principles this nation was founded upon, governing with the consent of the governed. When that does not happen, tyranny follows. God has given us the responsibility to vote wisely for those who will preserve the principles given in His Word and reflected in this country’s founding.

I’m thankful for America as it turns 250. I hope you all have a wonderful time celebrating this country as a great gift from God to us and the world. We pray God will continue to use this nation, and especially the church within, to advance His kingdom. God bless, and happy 4th of July!

The post American Independence: Violating Romans 13? appeared first on The Cripplegate.

There’s one more thing Paul wants to talk about in this regard: his own personal ministry among them. He started to talk about this in 1:17, but he paused to highlight the nature of the gospel. Now, he is ready to explain his ministry among the Corinthians and the example he set. The nature of the gospel, the experience of the Corinthians, and Paul’s preaching all expose their boasting for the foolishness that it is.

In 2:1-5, then, Paul expounds on the preaching of Christ crucified, focusing on why it is powerful and effective for his readers. This message is vital for our day because the reliance on the power of the gospel to save sinners has fallen on hard times.

Many leaders in today’s church have decided that preaching the Bible is not the most effective way to reach people with the gospel because they think Scripture is largely irrelevant to men and women. In his book, Communicating for a Change, Andy Stanley writes that what the church needs today is “less explanation and more inspiration. Less first century and more twenty-first century.” Stanley and many others around him tragically believe that people’s greatest need is to feel inspired by an effective communicator. 

These modern-day, progressive church leaders have determined that what happened two thousand years ago on a cross on Calvary is not highly relevant today. And so, the church has abandoned the biblical mandate to preach the Word. That is a tragedy, because God’s power is unleashed – not in progressional dialogue, re-imagining a sermon, or by the strategies of human communicators – but through the preaching of Christ and Him crucified.

Paul’s day was replete with communicators and orators who would influence and dazzle people with their wisdom and insight. He was familiar with the Andy Stanleys of his generation, and others throughout the centuries, who were indispensable to their hearers because their strategies, methods, and ministries were all the result of their own ingenuity and creativity. Paul was roundly criticized because he didn’t follow those conventions, but instead preached Christ crucified.

When we read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, we see the power of preaching Christ crucified, and why Paul made his conscious objective to proclaim a crucified and risen Messiah. To see the power of preaching Christ crucified, we need to understand three elements of Paul’s preaching ministry, and we’ll first look at the method of Paul’s preaching. 

The first two verses of the chapter are about Paul’s preaching methodology, technique, and practice of preaching. Paul came to the Corinthians proclaiming the testimony of God. The word translated proclaiming is often used in the New Testament to refer to an official herald of the gospel – someone God has appointed to preach. The message preached is the testimony of God, which is the legal witness of God about His Son.

It is crucial to understand that Paul did not decide the method himself; he was called as a herald or preacher. Paul did not gather everyone in a circle to have an impromptu discussion about how Jesus might relate to their felt needs. Rather, he declared the testimony of God as a divine ambassador under the authority of King Jesus the Messiah.

Note, too, Paul does not come with his own message, but with the testimony of God. Paul knew that as a faithful witness, he was not free to adjust the message. It would be a great sin and eternal crime to tamper with the very testimony of God Himself, which determines our eternal destiny.

Paul understood that people are not always going to want to hear the testimony of God. An ever-present danger is to worry that people may not be interested in the Bible and to give attendees what they want to ensure the church is “successful.” That’s what Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2-4. We are supposed to preach the Word in season, when the Spirit of God makes people hunger for the truth of Scripture; and out of season, when they are more interested in temporal concerns. The “out of season” nature of God’s Word in much of our culture is exactly why many churches have sermon series and services based on entertainment myths because they believe the only way to entice people is to scratch their itching ears.

Paul is not describing his method pragmatically because he lived in a culture that valued preaching. He lived in a culture that valued rhetoric, not preaching. What Paul did and how he preached was considered foolish to those who heard him. However, what people wanted to hear did not ever factor into his equation. Paul came to authoritatively preach the testimony of God.

The way Paul preached the testimony of God is explained in what he did not and did do. Notice that Paul rejected superior speech and wisdom. He did not preach in a self-aggrandizing, pretentious way, which was used by the leading orators and communicators of that culture, and was designed to impress and influence the Corinthians. In fact, their opinion never entered his mind. 

On the other hand, Paul resolved to know only Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Paul is saying, “I am resolved to clear the table of every conceivable topic, form of wisdom, and potential way to win people over, except for one and only one thing: Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” This was seemingly the worst possible strategy because the Jewish Messiah and crucifixion would never make the list of things people in the first century Greco-Roman world wanted to discuss. Nevertheless, Paul resolved that he would not move the cross from the center of his message, nor have any other message. 

What’s fascinating about this section is that Paul is dealing with church conflict. We might think we need Christ crucified plus something more to deal with such a complicated issue. Yet, Paul addresses the problem and then goes right to the cross and to Christ crucified. Anything else is inferior knowledge and wisdom, and so it isn’t really all that useful. Why would Paul resolve to know something besides the cross when it determines everything for the Christian? This is the testimony of God, that He sent His Son to die for sinners on a cross.

This message has implications for every conceivable issue of life and ministry. Paul says, “If you have a problem with church unity, then you need to go back to the cross and learn what the cross says about humility, love, grace, mercy, weakness, and forgiveness.” The cross of Christ should shape our relationships, marriages, parenting, employment, friendships, and lives.

Christian, we will never get beyond the cross. Every problem we have in our lives, churches, and world is solved by Christ and Him crucified. We don’t need more 21^st-century; we need more of first-century Calvary. Paul made it his absolute resolve to know nothing but the cross of Christ because there was nothing greater to know. That was the method of Paul’s preaching, and nothing has changed today. Preaching Christ crucified should be the method of all God calls to preach His Word.

The post The Power of Preaching Christ Crucified, Part 1  appeared first on The Cripplegate.

That’s why Solomon so warns his son, and by extension us, to be wise when we make friends. He says in Proverbs 13:20 “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Or in Proverbs 28:7 “The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father.”

God made friendship a mutual sharing of life, a two-way street. That’s as it should be. But because we are so indelibly shaped by the friends we make, Solomon says, we need to be careful to not make certain kinds of friends. The sage king writes in Proverbs 22:24-25,

Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

A couple of interesting notes on this verse: First, the “man given to anger” is literally “a baal/lord of anger” in Hebrew. This is an ancient Hebraic way of describing someone’s character, to say they are a “master of this thing.” Or, in some cases, mastered by it. Here, the person Solomon warns us against befriending is someone who has been consumed by anger, whose life is owned by their venomous wrath towards others.

Second, the word for “learn” means to become so familiar with it that you absorb it yourself. It’s learning by osmosis. This quick-tempered friend won’t sit down and tell you, “Now, here’s how you can really blow a gasket this week.” No, you’ll just pick up his or her habits as you go along. Their speech might at first seem to you to be off-putting and harsh, but then slowly, as you’re around the friend more and more, you’ll start to think of this explosive anger as actually quite normal. Eventually, rage will be entirely justifiable.

But notice the way Solomon ends this proverb: “entangle yourself in a snare.” If you befriend this irate mate, you’re trapping yourself. You set up the net, then you walked right into it. You’ve destroyed yourself through the influence that you’ve chosen.

And what is that snare? That you become an angry person, too. Because we share our lives with our friends, we become like our friends. Or, as Paul says, “Bad company ruins good morals” (1 Cor 15:33).

You might say, though, what about my evangelistic friendship with my testy co-worker or my hot-headed neighbor? Am I supposed to just abandon them? Of course not! How many saints through church history can trace their conversion to the enduring love of a Christian friend? The world needs your salt and light, and it often comes through friendship.

But notice Solomon’s language: “nor go with a wrathful man.” Meaning, don’t go in the same direction as him or yoke yourself to him. Peter says that even in our evangelistic zeal, we must be careful not to “join them in the same flood of debauchery” (1 Pet 4:4) or, as David says, “to walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, not sit in the seat of scoffers” (Ps 1:1). As fallen creatures, our sinful flesh is looking for any excuse – perhaps a close friend – to justify our self-serving desires. There is a gravity in our nature pulling us down, and we would be wise to be watchful over it, especially in our influential friendships. If you go with the angry, likely as not, you’ll become angry, too.

As a pastor, I have seen several iterations of this principle played out in the life of the church. Friends have far more power to sculpt and shape our thinking, our affections, and even our beliefs than we realize. Those who choose friends wisely – even friends who will correct us – will reap the harvest. Those who sow in the fields of anger will reap the same.

So, in our eagerness to love the lost and reach the least, in our good and earnest desire to befriend the lonely and sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others, let us also exercise some wise, biblical caution. If you will become like your friends, what kind of close friends do you have? On the other hand, are there any dear, humble, peacemaking saints in the church you can befriend? Who are your friends? Whose life are you sharing? Like whom are you becoming?

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Theologian G.K. Beale, a prolific New Testament scholar holding to infant baptism, writes, “Baptism connotes the believer’s identification with Christ’s death and resurrection: the old self or ‘old man’ (positioned in Adam) was crucified with Christ, and Christians have risen with him in ‘newness of life.’” Beale is right! Baptism is the believer’s public identification with Christ’s death and resurrection, which demonstrates we are new creatures through faith in Him.

Another regarded paedobaptist scholar, theologian Robert Reymond, stated, “I do not mean to suggest that baptism simply as an institution effects discipleship. I am thinking of baptism here as the ceremony in connection with which Christians normally and formally publicly declare for the first time their commitment to Jesus Christ.” And all the Baptists said, “Amen!” 

Calvin also wrote, “But baptism serves as our confession before men. Indeed, it is the mark by which we publicly profess that we wish to be reckoned God’s people; by which we testify that we agree in worshiping the same God, in one religion with all Christians; by which finally we openly affirm our faith.”

It is, therefore, amazing that people who understand baptism to be the believer’s public confession of faith, identification with Christ, affirmation as Jesus’ disciples, and initial act of obedience demonstrating their commitment to follow Him, would ever conclude that infants should be baptized. Everything baptism is by its very nature in the biblical teaching is outside the realm of possibility for babies. Infant baptism, then, ought to be a sheer impossibility for men like Beale, Reymond, Calvin, Sproul, and others who hold (or held) to infant baptism. Yet belief in infant baptism persists, and we regularly see people who have held to believer’s baptism change their view to paedobaptism. 

This is a serious issue. On one hand, baptism is an act of obedience to Christ. Because of the rampant belief in infant baptism throughout the church, there are millions of Christians who have never been baptized, living in disobedience to the most basic New Testament command. On the other hand, we have billions of people who are unbelievers, thinking they are assured of salvation because they were baptized as babies. 

Additionally, paedobaptists believe it is a great sin not to baptize infants. To withhold baptism to infants, Reymond and the Westminster Confession assert, is to sinfully deny infants their God-ordained rights and status in the Lord’s kingdom. So, both groups accuse the other of being in great sin, which is why baptism is not a minor issue we can ignore. Obedience matters. All Christians must ensure we are obeying God’s Word. 

To that end, we now must directly engage in the arguments from paedobaptists. The first argument to consider is that from church history.

Whenever the issue of baptism arises, many paedobaptists argue that infant baptism enjoys the weight of church history. The power of these arguments is that most Christians are not historians, and so they cannot tell us who the early church fathers were, let alone what they taught about baptism or why it matters. However, when someone comes along with a bag of church fathers who allegedly shared their view, it can be a powerful and intimidating argument. 

There are three points in response to this argument. First, we should not expect the early church to have understood everything correctly. Like us, the church fathers were fallible men, and we can learn from their writings – but they are not the standard of truth. Second, the only authority we recognize for church doctrine is Scripture. Where Scripture rules, Christ rules; and where traditions, church fathers, popes, priests, liturgies, and another other human contrivance rules, Christ’s rule is assaulted by hell’s minions. To put men’s writings and traditions equal to or above Scripture is demonic and deadly. Third, church history does not show infant baptism was the church’s established practice. Infant baptism developed over time in the first centuries of church history, especially over the issue of original sin and the increased fear of child mortality, not because of covenant theology, which did not formally exist yet. 

A second argument is the continuity with circumcision. 

Circumcision is, in a sense, the linchpin of the case for infant baptism, and all paedobaptists appeal to this argument. However, this argument is not found in Scripture. Baptism is nothing like circumcision because it is a new covenant ordinance during the time of fulfillment, not an old covenant ordinance from the time of promise. The gift of the Spirit and the circumcision of the heart shine more brightly than anything that happened under the old covenant. The sign and seal of the new covenant is not baptism, but the Spirit (see our previous post on baptism and the new covenant for more).

The third argument paedobaptists like to argue with is the case from silence. 

All Christians, regardless of their view of baptism, agree that the New Testament nowhere mentions infant baptism – nor gives any examples or instructions of it. When baptists see the New Testament’s silence about infant baptism, when it has much to say about baptism, that’s a strong argument against infant baptism. However, for paedobaptists, it’s an occasion to concoct arguments on what Scripture does not say to defend a practice it never illustrates or commands. 

This argument from silence is compelling to many. However, Scripture does, in fact, reject infant baptism explicitly. God told Jeremiah a change is coming in a new covenant, where each person will stand accountable before the Lord in a different way than under the old covenant (Jeremiah 31:29-30). John the Baptist, picking up on this theme, makes a similar point, informing the crowds that being physical children of Abraham is not grounds for baptism, but that baptism is only for those who repent, confess their sins, and commit to obey the Lord (Luke 3:8). If being a physical child of Abraham the believer does not qualify one for baptism, then being a child of any other believer does not qualify someone for baptism.

A fourth argument to consider is that of covenant children. 

Paedobaptists turn to Acts to make this argument, where Peter says the promise is for the people and their children (Acts 2:39). This promise is that of the Holy Spirit, which is only given to believers, not outright to their children. Peter uses this language in this context because he is preaching to those who invoked Christ’s blood on their children in the mob before Pilate (Matthew 27:24-25). Knowing what they said previously to Pilate, and seeing their transformation before him now, Peter offers salvation to them and their children, if they and their children would repent and believe Jesus is the Christ. They and their children will not stand under Christ’s curse if they come to faith in Him. This passage is not about covenant children, then, but God’s grace being extended to all whom the Lord calls to Himself. If God is willing to forgive those who said Jesus’ blood would be on them and their children, then He will forgive all who come to Him in faith. 

This truth is the good news of the gospel, that God’s promise is not found in baptism but in the gospel. What washes away our sins is not the water of baptism but the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7). God saves all who call on Christ in faith, turn from their sins, and put their trust in the Savior. 

Scripture’s teaching from beginning to end is that baptism is an act of obedience to Christ’s commands. Those who have repented and trusted in Christ are to be baptized in water by immersion as a public identification with Him and a declaration of commitment to follow Jesus as His disciples. In baptism, we confess that we deserve Jesus’s death, but that God had mercy on us and raised us up to life in Christ. Baptism is a public proclamation that though we are great sinners, God is a greater Savior. 

The post A Refutation of Infant Baptism appeared first on The Cripplegate.

Two fundamentally different ways shape our beliefs about baptism and the new covenant. 

One views the biblical narrative as shaped by the covenant of grace, which is the linchpin of covenant theology and paedobaptism. This basic idea is that God has one overarching covenant, and that everything happening in redemptive history flows from this covenant. 

Another view correctly sees that the biblical narrative as governed by God’s one purpose expressed in diverse covenants. These covenants do not embody the covenant of grace repeating itself in different dispensations but instead move God’s kingdom purpose forward to its intended goal, which is ultimately realized in the new covenant’s establishment, fulfillment, and consummation. 

To help us have a clear understanding of baptism and a proper appreciation of the new covenant’s significance, we must grasp five things, starting with the Old Testament Covenants. All these covenants move God’s kingdom purpose forward but fall short of accomplishing the ultimate fulfillment of that purpose.

The first Old Testament covenant was made to Noah, which reminds us that God has an unrelenting purpose for His creation (Genesis 9:13-17). The deficiency of this covenant, however, is there is no mechanism for this program to advance; this covenant only ensures the created order will survive for God to accomplish His purpose. 

The second covenant was made to Abraham (Genesis 17:1-10). There are several problems here, though. Abraham cannot walk blamelessly; God cannot be in relationship with sinful people; land in a fallen world cannot be an everlasting possession, and the problem with humanity is internal of the heart, which cannot be resolved by physical circumcision. The solutions to these detractions are unresolved in Genesis.

A third covenant is then established with Israel after the Exodus through Moses (Exodus 19:5-6). In this covenant, the promise is conditioned on obedience but also extended to cover the entire world. However, Israel did not keep God’s law nor obey His statutes, and the nation went into exile and fell under judgment. 

The fourth covenant was with David (2 Samuel 7:8-17). This covenant continues to move God’s kingdom program forward by establishing the line of the one who would reign over all as king. Like the Abrahamic covenant, this one was based on a promise.

These covenants are all related but unique, containing incredible promises supporting God’s kingdom program. However, none clearly show the path to fulfillment. There is some defect in humanity and creation that must be remedied for the ultimate expression and fulfillment of these covenants. Furthermore, someone is required to obey God’s Law and provide permanent forgiveness of sins, which is where the new covenant enters the picture, providing the critical solution at the heart of the baptism debate.

The first promise from the new covenant is a circumcised heart. God gave Abraham the covenant sign of circumcision, but this did not resolve rebellious human hearts. The point of this sign in the Abrahamic covenant was to remind God’s people before Christ’s coming that they required a new heart, which the Lord would provide (Ezekiel 36:26-27, Romans 2:28-29, 2 Corinthians 3:6). The new covenant thus fulfills God’s promise to Abraham, that He would give His people hearts to love and obey Him. 

We also see the new covenant fulfills the promise of an eternal inheritance, which was given to Abraham and David, that God’s people would inherit the land forever. In one sense, this promise was fulfilled through Joshua and Solomon, as Israel lived peaceably in their land. In another sense, though, it could not be fulfilled in this present world because it was a promise of an eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15). The new covenant thus ends the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants as such because it fulfills everything promised regarding the land. 

The new covenant gives the law-keeping Son of God to provide righteousness to His people. In the Old Testament, there are two sons of God that failed to keep His law – Adam (Luke 3:38) and the nation of Israel (Exodus 4:22-23). Everything changes, however, in the new covenant, as God provides His Son, who perfectly keeps the Law, achieves a perfect righteousness, overcomes the devil, and pleases the Father. The new covenant is grounded in Christ; we cannot break it because Jesus has already kept it as the true Son of God.

The new covenant must provide the messianic Son of David (Jeremiah 23:5-6). God would raise up Christ, and He would reign as King forever, bringing salvation, and providing righteousness for God’s people to have a relationship with Him. Jesus perfectly fulfilled this promise as the Son of David and righteous Son of God. 

The new covenant promised forgiveness of sins (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The old covenant through Moses could never provide true and lasting forgiveness of sins that was so final and glorious, that no more sacrifices would ever need to be offered. God settled that issue in the new covenant (Matthew 26:27-28). The new covenant fulfills God’s promise to forgive His people’s sins and provides real forgiveness that ends all forms of sacrifices and offerings. 

Lastly, the new covenant promised that the covenant members would know the Lord (Jeremiah 31:31-34). In the new covenant, we won’t need to teach fellow believers the necessity of knowing the Lord, because all people in the new covenant will know Him. That reality is unlike old covenant Israel, where most did not know the Lord. 

The writer of Hebrews makes abundantly clear this covenant is now in force, and Jesus is now its mediator (Hebrews 8:6-13). The new covenant is not the same as the one with Moses and Israel. It has better promises and a better Mediator. It is the covenant to end all other covenants because it fulfills all those promises.

These truths bring us to the third point, which is the new covenant sign and seal. 

It was obvious if people belonged to the covenant community with the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants because they received the sign of circumcision. What about the new covenant, though?

There are only two places in the New Testament where we find the term “seal” related to the new covenant (Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30). These passages lead us to conclude the new covenant’s sign and seal is not baptism but the presence of the indwelling Spirit of God. What marks those belonging to God’s new covenant people is not their parents or ethnicity, or something external (like circumcision or baptism), but internal. New covenant believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit. This truth makes sense because the key indicator of the new covenant is the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36, 2 Corinthians 3, Galatians 3:14, Romans 2, Colossians 2:11). 

That reality leads naturally to our fourth point, which is the new covenant members. 

The only members of the new covenant are those who have the Holy Spirit. New covenant members have had their sins forgiven and have a true knowledge of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. If people can be members of the new covenant without those things happening, then the new covenant is not qualitatively different than the old. What makes it new is its transformative effect on its members’ internal lives, that they know God, obtain forgiveness, acquire a new heart, and receive the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence and power. 

The last point is the new covenant ordinances. 

God has given us two ordinances in the new covenant: the Lord’s Supper and baptism. The Lord’s Supper is only for believers, and we understand this truth because we are called to examine ourselves every time we partake. This fact means infants are not part of the new covenant community until they can examine themselves, confess their sins, seek forgiveness, and forgive others. Additionally, baptism is only for covenant members. Baptism, like the Lord’s Supper, is an outward sign that we are one with Jesus Christ. 

While our understanding of baptism must be guided by a proper grasp of the new covenant, we also need to see that a correct view of the new covenant leads to immense power. It is as impossible for us to break the new covenant as it is to undo what Christ did through His obedience, death, burial, and resurrection. Our salvation is secure, not only because Christ has kept the covenant and ratified it with His own blood, but because He has given us the Spirit, who sanctifies and keeps us, and ensures we will remain to the end. 

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