Reasonable Faith

            The age old question of the relationship between Faith and Reason in the Christian worldview is just as relevant today as it has ever been and may I say just as challenging to resolve.
The Church has struggled with this issue from the very beginning, much like it has regarding the question of the relationship of Faith and Works.
           The Bible is filled with references as to the importance of right thinking, correct understanding, the gaining of sound knowledge and the renewing and enlightening of the mind; and so we see that reason plays a huge role  according to God's list of important priorities, in the bringing of salvation to those that are lost in the darkness of  wrong thinking, who are ignorant of proper understanding, who are without knowledge of the truth, and those who are blinded in their minds to the things of God.
           Equally abundant throughout the scriptures we find the admonition to believe in God, to believe in Jesus, to believe in the word of God, to believe in the Holy Spirit, to have faith in the Gospel and to exercise our faith in order to receive the blessings of God.
           Let me say right at the beginning that I believe that the Church in our day has erred on the side of promoting the idea that there is some kind of virtue in proclaiming Faith without Reason, as though reason is somehow the inferior component of belief and that it somehow defiles "pure faith."
           Nothing could be further from what the Bible has to say concerning the matter, but the problem is that sound biblical exegesis has fallen out of favor for the very same reason that rationality has fallen from favor, that being the emergence of Pietistic Skeptical Fideism as the darling of modernist, post modernist, existentialist, contemporary theologians. The philosophers of the past two centuries have relentlessly attacked the foundations of reason, logic and the continuity and consistency of the meaning of language, particularly as they relate to God, the things of God, the soul of man and the dependability of the historical record of the Gospel. The result is a lack of concern for, lack of appreciation of and dismissal of the ability to know, objective truth.
            Preaching now, in many cases, has been reduced to lip service to a few passages from scripture followed by feel good story telling, anecdotal experiences,  a good joke or two, heart pounding sensual music accompanied by repetitive chanting of simple phrases, and the abandonment into mindless "praise" and empty meditation, this has become so called worship for thousands and has replaced sound biblical exegesis and proper reverence before a Holy God.
             The Christian Faith is more than reason but it most emphatically is not less! Faith without reason is credulity, and reason without faith can never save a lost sinner. Both components must be in place to bring new life into the heart, mind and spirit of one dead in trespasses and sin, bound in the chains of ignorance and deception, hardened with the obstinacy of self will, defiled with the relativism of the world system, foolish in their embrace of such concepts as gradual spontaneous generation and naturalistic evolution, darkened in their imaginations and slaves to the lusts of their flesh, worshiping a reality reflecting their own image and suppressing the truth in unrighteousness all their futile meaningless days. If I have painted a bleak and alarming picture of those who reject Christ and the Gospel then I have accomplished my intention. In truth their condition is even worse than all that I have stated, for all of these sad conditions are yet temporary at this point, but they will produce permanent grave results after this life is ended if there is no change.
              Back to the idea of skepticism in the Church as regards man's knowledge of God and the deep things of God. The idea being that God is so far above man and so transcendent to His creation that we lack any good point of reference for comparison with Him, and therefore cannot know anything positive about Him, only what He is not, He is not like us. The problem is that this is not what Jesus is recorded as saying in the Gospels. Jesus said things like "If you have seen Me you have seen God," and "I am the way the truth and the life...the truth will set you free...if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed." So what place for the setting aside the need for truth and the laws of reason? How is it helpful to relate to a lost and dying world the idea that there is no real reason for the hope that Christianity offers and in fact no place for and no need for a reason. Where is the motivation for trust if we say, "just take it on faith!"?

 Let me share a passage from the Bible with you that I think will help make the point.

II Corinthians 4:3-6- And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

               Notice that it is the mind that lacks the light of understanding that defines the unbeliever. The content / notitia / data of the gospel is veiled to their blinded mind. The job of the Christian is to introduce Jesus Christ by the proclamation of the gospel through which shines the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. This is accomplished by the power of the God of creation in the same way that He created light in the first place. In this way He produces the opportunity for the darkened heart of unbelief to see the light of the truth and the choice to believe and  exercise faith in the entire process which amounts to an affirmation of the existence of God, the acceptance of the truth claims of the gospel and the belief that Jesus Christ is indeed Lord and Savior. We need to consider the impact of this section of scripture. You see that two components are required to attain to belief or saving faith, first there is a mind capable of receiving and retaining knowledge, but incapable of attaining that knowledge due to the state of that mind. Second we see that the supernatural illumination of God's Spirit is ready, willing and able to assist that mind and to enable it to see out of the darkness and understand the truth claims of the gospel. Only after the mind considers the facts, accepts their validity and exercises faith in them does salvation come. Leave out the role of the mind in understanding the truth or of the heart in the exercising of faith in the God who revealed that truth and you fall short of saving faith.

Why Evil?

If God is good why is there evil?

The study of God's attributes raises many questions, perhaps the most common and poignant one being;
"If God is the Creator and He is all good and all powerful then why is there evil in the world?"
The question of the existence of evil is actually not as difficult to answer as some make it out to be. The real difficulty is in people's willingness or lack thereof to accept the obvious answer; prejudice, presupposition and  prejudgment are all deeply embedded in the psyche of natural man and prevent him from seeing the truth.
For Christians the facts concerning what God is, who God is and what He does should be settled and established, He is the Creator, He is Good and He is all powerful (Omnipotent), trust in God and faith in God are required before further understanding can be achieved concerning this or any of the other big questions in life, the Church Fathers put it this way "I believe in order that I may know", to remain in a state of doubt and second guessing concerning the goodness, power or intentions of God is to remain in ignorance concerning God's attributes. That is why we have taken the time to review them over these past weeks, to clear up any confusion or misunderstanding. We may not be able to readily process all of the concepts and information that the scriptures reveal about God, but we do need to acknowledge them as a starting point in our understanding of how reality works.
Now, with all that being said, let's get to the issue at hand, why doesn't God fix things?
Answer; He is fixing things, the process is ongoing , this world of sin and suffering is not the final product of God's creation, evil will be eliminated, justice will prevail, God's goodness will be established and vindicated, all questions concerning the existence of evil will be answered perfectly and acceptably for everyone, the end of the story is clearly spelled out in scripture for anyone with eyes to see, believing this is the starting point to understanding the presence of evil in God's good creation.
OK, we see that, but the question remains "where did evil come from"?

Let's outline the issue:
1. God is all good and all powerful and the creator of all things.
2. God created good creatures.
3. One of the good attributes that God gave to some of His creatures
(angels and humans) is free moral choice.
4. Free moral choice must allow for the possibility to choose the contrary, to choose good or evil, or else it is not real free choice.
5. Free moral choice must be self caused or else it is not free; God is the primary cause of all that exists but He is not the cause of free moral choices made by His creatures, He is the cause of the power of free moral choice, but He does not do the choosing.
6. Some good creatures used their good, God given ability to make real free moral choices to chose evil.
7. Therefore, God did not create evil, He created good creatures with the good power of choice which necessarily included the possibility for choosing evil.
8. Therefore good creatures with the power of free moral choice are the cause of evil.

To summarize: God does not perform the free acts of His creatures, He is the primary cause for their existence and their abilities and in this sense all creatures are secondary in causality.
But when it comes to free moral choice the creature's actions are self caused.
In order to understand this it is necessary to consider the concept of causality a little more closely.

Basically there are three possibilities when it comes to causality and choice.
1. Determinism: a free act is actually caused by another, or by some irresistible force. This of course would eliminate responsibility for the individual and place it upon the one who actually acted (making God the author of evil, which is obviously unacceptable).
2. Indeterminism: a free act is uncaused. This is logically irrational and impossible.
3. Selfdeterminism: a free act is self caused. This in fact must be and is the case.

God has a purpose for everything in creation (Prov.16:4), even though we may not be able to fathom all of the ramifications for God's purposes that doesn't mean He doesn't have them, we can understand some things now and for others we may have to wait, our job right now is to get to know God more fully, and in this way we can come to trust Him even in the things that are hard to understand. Keep reading your Bible, keep trusting in God and I hope you will continue to study along with us here at Friends and Family Forum.

The Order of God's Decrees

THE ORDER OF GOD’S DECREES

When considering the essentials of “The Faith Once Delivered to the Saints”,

It is be helpful to review some key concepts that heavily inform ones view of Salvation.

Although there is general agreement as to the origin of salvation among professing Christians (Salvation is from God and God alone), there is however great debate and disagreement concerning the Order of God’s Salvific Decrees. 

Before we can consider any meaningful discussion regarding the sequence of God’s decrees, it is necessary to clarify and remember that whenever we speak in terms of God’s attributes we are doing so for the sake of our human understanding. We must resort to language devices. Here we are using what theologians refer to as anthropomorphism (speaking in human terms by way of analogy).

 There is no Chronological order in God’s decrees. God is eternal. He does not think or decide in a time related sequence like we do. He is Nontemporal, not subject to the laws of time as relates to His own being. Whatever decisions He has made, thoughts He has thought or decrees He has made, he has done so simultaneously, from all eternity. I find the term Simultaneity helpful to grasp the concept.

There is no Logical order in God’s decrees. While it is true that God is the author of logic.

And in Him there is no contradiction or confusion, even so God is not subject in His own thinking to the sequential laws of logic as we are (as having one thought after another). God knows all things immediately and intuitively in Himself eternally (Omniscience).

There is an Operational order to God’s decrees. God relates to His temporal (time related) creation in the sequential order of the execution of His decrees. God eternally willed and decreed all things to happen in a certain pre-ordained temporal sequence (one after the other). It makes no sense to speak of God having a chronological or logical order in His mind as though one thought must follow another except as it relates to His creation in time and space. Whatever God is He is eternally without change and whatever God knows He knows all at once from eternity without change. Which is why the Bible speaks of election as being in Accordance with God’s Will; Eph.1:5; 1Pet.1:2 not based upon or independent of any other of His attributes, such as solely upon His Sovereignty (which is the error of extreme and strong Calvinism) or upon His Foreknowledge (which is the error of extreme Arminianism)  for example.

Supralapsarianism is a Latin term (as are all the categories we will consider in this study); it comes from supra – above and lapsus – fall. The idea being that God decreed the eternal destination of all people before He decreed the fall. Indeed He predestined both the saved and the eternally damned before He even decreed to create the universe. This concept is seen by its adherents to give the most glory to God by removing any possibility for any other consideration than God’s sovereign will to be involved in election. The theological term for this point of view is Theologism; simply stated “that which seems to give the most glory to God must be true”. However it is not what one thinks seems to give glory to God that is true; it is what really is true, actually, that is true.

Supralapsarianism is also known as Antelapsarianism, Hyper-Calvinism and Double Predestination. According to this view God's predetermination is done independent of His foreknowledge of human free acts (this concept is contrary to God’s Omniscience, Simplicity and Simultaneity and is therefore actually impossible).

Consequently, 1) the actuality of human free will must be denied (theistic determinism is affirmed along with a denial of the power to choose the contrary).

2) The necessity of the imposition of irresistible force by God upon the unwilling must be embraced (so called Irresistible Grace which in point of fact is akin to rape which is anything but gracious).

3) God’s Omnibenevolence (all-lovingness) must be denied.

 In order to explain away the obvious inconsistencies between this dogma and the revealed word of God, it was necessary to create and delineate a new Systematic Theology including the redefinition of critical terms. For example; know now means love, love means choose, choose means what God has predetermined, free means in bondage, death means spiritual separation from God and so on. These terms and concepts are contained in the so called TULIP principles of Calvinism, euphemistically labeled “the doctrines of grace” and are held by both hyper-Calvinists and strong-Calvinists.

Infralapsarianism is the belief that God decreed His election (infra – beneath) after He decreed creation and the fall. Unlike Supralapsarianism, Infralapsarianism does not hold to  the idea of double predestination. The predestination of the elect is maintained but the concept of Reprobation (the predestination of the lost) is denied. God simply passes over the “un-chosen” and thereby allows them to go to hell without interfering or intervening in their destiny. He simply allows justice to take its course, after all He doesn’t owe anybody anything and He can do as he wishes with what He makes (Theologism). The “L” principle of the TULIP is embraced (indeed all 5 are embraced), that being Limited Atonement the idea being that Christ did not die for the sins of the whole world (contrary to a plain reading of numerous scripture texts such as Jn.3:16; 1Jn.2:2, Heb.2:9 etc.), but He died only for the sins of the elect. The argument being that if Christ’s death was sufficient for all men then all men would necessarily have to be saved (universalism). The dogma of Particularism is stipulated as it is with Supralapsarianism.  However, the Bible does declare that Christ’s death is in fact Sufficient to save all mankind as previously demonstrated, but it is Efficient for the salvation of only those who believe, i.e. the elect according to the foreknowledge of God.

Sublapsarianism (below the fall) is the understanding that, the order of God’s decrees are consistent with all of God’s attributes (Divine Essentialism) simultaneously (In Accordance With, never inconsistent with or independent of any one attribute over the other) and that God has ordained that each person is personally responsible and capable in the moral sense to freely believe and accept, or freely reject His offer of salvation.

Sublapsarianism is similar to Infralapsarianism except that the order of God’s providing salvation precedes His order of election. This is a critical difference. It is a strong denial of the whole concept of Limited Atonement. God’s Omnibenevolence is acknowledged and embraced. Man’s free will is understood in the unambiguous and normal meaning of terms to affirm his ability to respond to God’s call either positively or negatively.  The critical difference between Supralapsarianism and Sublapsarianism is in how they view the sufficiency of the atonement.

 Supralapsarianism holds to limited atonement while Sublapsarianism holds to unlimited atonement. Sublapsarianism is also known as Moderate Calvinism and sometimes as Compatibilism or Soft Determinism.

Arminianism is the final position we will look at for now. In fact, we will concentrate on a particular form of Arminianism, that of Wesleyan Arminianism, which is prevalent in many churches today. Wesleyans insist that election is Conditional. It is based upon God’s foreknowledge concerning the behavior of an individual. Election is not just in accordance with God’s foreknowledge, it is dependent upon it. This is a critical error and the distinction is easily overlooked. Again, it must be emphasized that God’s choice in election is not dependent upon His foreknowledge of human choice. God’s fore choosing and His foreknowing are not sequential, they are simultaneous and coordinate.         

Furthermore Wesleyanism denies the doctrine of Eternal Security. All three of the previous positions maintain the belief in eternal security. In this regard Wesleyanism is distinct from all forms of Calvinism. And so, there are several considerable problems with Arminian doctrine.

1) It is in direct conflict with the biblical definition of Grace. Consider Eph.2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; and Rom.11:6 for example.

2) It diminishes the efficacy of the atonement of Christ and it denies the sufficiency of His ability to completely save lost sinners. See Rom.8:1-2, 31-39; and 1Pet.1:3-5.

3) It runs contrary to the doctrine of God’s Simplicity, which doctrine we outlined before concerning the concept of simultaneity in God. God’s thoughts and His knowledge are not sequential but are simultaneous, unchanging and eternal. A distinction must be maintained between the objects of God’s knowledge (which exist in a time space continuum of chronology and sequence) which are not part of His nature or essence, and God’s knowledge itself, which is inherent in His unchanging eternal essence.

One aspect of Arminianism that is helpful is the concept of so called “Libertarian Freedom.” This concept defines man’s free will as being “the ability to choose the contrary”, which idea is Biblical and can be seen in many verses of scripture such as Zech.1:2-4; 7:8-13; Jn.5:40; Lk.13:34 etc. However caution must be maintained to not overstate the case for freedom. Man’s freedom is limited by the parameters that God has set for it. It is not autonomous freedom to do anything. It is the freedom to make self determined moral choices. This is the basis for human responsibility and accountability before God. And this is a very important component to preserve in ones theology.

HEBREWS Chapters one and two

                Hebrews

I. The God who is is a God of revelation, He speaks -  Heb.1:1; Amos 3:7.

Scripture records God’s Propositional Revelation in words. (Revelation is not an event or an action or an experience as some modern theologians have tried to define it.)

God speaks through His servants  - II Pet.1:20, using declarative statements that can be verified or falsified through the use of reason and logic - Acts 17:10-11.

The doctrine of Inspiration - II Tim.3:16, stands or falls with this truth.

II. God’s revelation has culminated in His son Jesus Christ - Heb.1:2.

Jesus is the final word on what God has spoken – Mat.17:5; Mk.12:6; Jn.1:17-18.

When Jesus comments on previous revelation, He is the final authority. I Pet.1:11; Rev.19:10d.

When Jesus gives new revelation, instruction or commandment, He speaks with the full authority of God Jn.15:15; Gal.4:4-7.

III. Jesus Christ is preeminent in all things. He is heir of all things – Heb.1:2c; Mt.28:18; Jn.3:35; 13:3; 16:15; 17:2-5; I Cor.8:6; Eph.1:18-23; Phil.29-11; Col.1:15-20.

IV. Jesus Christ is one with God as creator of all things – Heb.1:2e; Is.45:11- 12 + Jn.1:3; Col.1:16-17.

V. Jesus Christ shares all of the attributes of God the Father, both communicable and incommunicable –

 Heb.1:3;

Lk.1:35 – “the Holy Offspring...The Son of God”;

Ps.99:5.

                The Father is Holy and the Son is Holy

(of course the Holy Spirit is also Holy):

                both in essence: (metaphysical, nonmoral attributes) 

                “Set Apartness” Jn.1:1-3; 17:5;

                And in character: moral uniqueness, absolute perfection – Jn.8:46; Heb.4:15; Ps.92:15.

                There cannot be more than one absolutely perfect, Holy Being. For there to be more than one they would have to differ in some way, otherwise they would be the same, they would be one. To differ would mean that one would have to posses a perfection that the other lacked, but then the one who lacked would be less than perfect. God is “The Holy One” Hos.11:9; Jesus is “The Holy One” Acts 3:14.

   Jesus Christ is What God is: “The radiance of His glory” –  Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God’s essential being (compare I Cor.15:40-41). Jn.1:1,14; II Cor.4:6

   Jesus Christ is Who God is: “The exact representation (Gk. character) of His nature”,  

In His personal character attributes. Jn.14:9-10; Col.1:15

   Jesus Christ does What God Does: “Upholds all things by the word of His power” –  Col.1:17; Rev.4:11


page 2.

 

The attributes of God are the essential traits of His being, His nature and His activities.

                What (essence): Nonmoral (not immoral),

                Incommunicable, Metaphysical.

Pure Actuality- “I Am”-ness, Isness, Being (Ex.3:14; Jn.8:58)

Simple- Indivisible- “God is one” (Deut.6.4; Jn.14:9)

Aseity- Self Existent (Ps.90:2; Jn.1:1, 3)

Necessity – 1) His nonexistence is not possible,

2) His existence is essential to all being,

3) His essence is to exist, 4) His essence and existence are identical. - (Acts 17:23-25; Ro.11:36; Col.1:17).

A Necessary Being is one that cannot not exist. God is that being. 

Immutability – Changeless (Mal.3:6; Heb.1:10-12; Jas.1:17; Heb.13:8)

Eternality – Above and Beyond Time (Nontemporal, Timelessness) – Is.57:15; II Tim.1:9; Heb.1:2e-   

[There are 3 states of being regarding duration in time and eternity; 1. Temporal- having beginning and end (earthly creatures including man). 2. Aeviternal- having beginning but no end (Angels and resurrected men). 3. Eternal - having no beginning and no end (God only).]

                Immateriality and Immensity – Nonspatial and Not Measurable. 

                God is present at every point in space

                but He is not part of space or confined to it or

                limited by it. Gen.1:1; Jn.1:3.

Infinity – Non Finite (Limitless in His Being) –

I Kngs.8:27; Col.1:17; Ps.90:2; Ro.5:20-grace.

Impassibility – Not subject to passion. This attribute is easily misunderstood and is rejected by many. When properly understood it is obvious that it follows from many of God’s other attributes such as absolute perfection, sovereignty, pure actuality and immutability. This does not mean that God is without feelings; it means that His feelings are not subject to outside influence. His feelings flow from His own essential nature and do not change. It does not mean that God is static and immobile: God does act but not because He is moved to do so by others. He remains the Unmoved Mover of all else. Is.40:13-14, 28; Num.23:19. God does have feelings, even different feelings but not changing feelings. He always feels good about good things and bad about bad things. God does not change, we change and move under another unchangeable attribute of God. God is not reactive but proactive in His feelings. He has sensitivity but not sentimentality - Eph.4:30; Ps.45:7; Det.29:20; Heb.11:6. 

Omnipotence – Almighty (Heb. shaddai; Gk.

pantokrator) Is.9:6; 10:21.

Omnipresence – Everywhere at once –

Ps.139:7-10; Mt.28:20.

                Omniscience – All knowing – Heb.413; Jn.5:25.

Omnisapience – All wise – Jude 25 KJV; I Cor.1:24.

Light – God is spiritual light – Is.60:19-20;

He gives spiritual light – Ps.19:8; He is the

Great Illuminator – Jn.8:12; I Tim.6:16;

His glory is radiant – Is.60:1; Mt.17:2.

Majesty – The greatest, most eminent,

most exalted most glorious being conceivable.

Rev.4:11; 5:12; Ps.104:1.

Beauty – That aspect of God’s being that when

perceived produces in the beholder an

overwhelming sense of pleasure and delight - Ps. 96:9; Is.33:17. The fact that beauty is universally accepted to exist in degrees, that is to say some things are more beautiful and some are less, infers irresistibly that there is an objective standard for beauty. That standard is the source of all beauty. That objective standard is God’s nature and is the ultimate basis for knowing what is beautiful.

Immortal Life – God is alive (He is life in the essence of His being) and He is the source of all life – Jer.10:10; Jn.1:4.

    

page 3.

Unity and Triunity - There is only one God,

    not two or more. God is not made up of parts.

He is Simple as we have seen.  There are three

Persons in the one God. He is three Who’s and

one What. God has three “I’s” in His one “It” –

there are three Subjects in one Object.

All of this is a great mystery, but it is not a

contradiction. To say that there are the three

beings in one being (essences in one essence)

would be a contradiction. To say there are three

persons in one person would also be a

contradiction.

Deut.6:4 – The most significant declaration in

scripture of whom and what God is; a declaration

of unity in plurality. “Jehovah our God

(Elohim = plural) is one (Echad = unity in plurality; Gen.2:24) Jehovah.” Jn.14:9-11, 16-18.

Who (character): Moral, Communicable

(do not necessitate infinitude).

Holiness – Absolute moral purity, absolute moral

perfection – Ex.15:11; Lev.19:2; Acts 4:25-27;

Jn.17:9; Heb.2:11; I Jn.3:3.

Righteousness – Justice (intrinsically absolutely just), “Right”-ness – God is the basis and the standard for

justice – Zeph.3:5; I Jn.2:1. Jesus made it possible

for man to be righteous (extrinsically – added to him,

not of his internal nature) – Ro.3:21-26; 8:3-4; Phip.3:9.

Jealousy – Holy Zeal,  Angry Wrath – Ex.20:5; 34:14;

Jn.2:17 – God declares that His name is “Jealous.”

He is jealous for His name, His people, His land

and His city and against idols, other gods and

other sins. God’s jealousy is always right and never

wrong, with man there is inconsistency, never with

God. But even with man godly jealousy is right –

II Cor.11:2; Num.5:11-31.

Perfection – Morally Impeccable, Complete, Without

Blemish, Whole, Finished – Deut.32:4; Heb.2:10;

Mt.5:48.

Truthfulness – Faithful, Real, Reliable, Correct,

Upright – Heb.6:16-18; Jn.14:6.

Goodness/ Love – Omnibenevolence, Loving-kindness,

Good Will – Jer.31:13; I Jn.3:16.

Activities

Sovereignty – God’s authority over all things, God’s governance over His creation, God’s

right to control all things. “God, from all eternity,

did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own

will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatever

comes to pass.” The Westminster Confession of Faith.

Because God is the Creator and the Sustainer of all

things, He has dominion over all things.

Sovereignty is not an attribute of God; it flows from

and is in accordance with His attributes, but it is

an activity of God as He relates to His creation. Ps.115:3;135:6; Rev.19:16.

Mercy – Ransom, Compassion, Kindness, Pity,

Sympathy, Propitiation /the Mercy Seat –

Ex.15:13; 34: 7; Heb.13:5; Mt.28: 20a.

Mercy is not an attribute of God; it is an act of God

flowing from His attributes particularly His Goodness

and Love. It is Everlasting, Faithful, Unfailing, and Longsuffering. God’s mercy is received by the

repentant – Num.14:9; I Jn.2:1-2.

    Wrath – Burning Anger, Fury, Rage – Rev.6:16.

Wrath is not an attribute of God; it is an act

that flows from His attributes, particularly His

Righteousness, Holiness and Jealousy. God’s wrath

is for the unrepentant – Ro.1:18; 2: 4-9.

page 4.

Hebrews 1:4-14 – 

The superiority of the Son of God over the Angels of God.

A. The Son of God:

1. The Son is better than the Angels; He is the Heir of God, He has a more 

    excellent name than the Angels. vs. 4

            Eph.1:21; Php.2:9-11; Col.1:15,18; 2:10; Rev.5:11-12.

2. God calls Him “My Son”, “Begotten Son”, “a Son to Me”. vs. 5

II San.7:14; I Ch.17:13-14; 22:10; Ps.2:7; 89:26-29; Jn.3:16; Acts 13:33; 

Heb.5:5; I Jn.4:9.

3. He is God’s “First Born”; He is to be worshiped by the Angels. vs. 6

            Ps.89:27; Jn.1:14, 18; Ro.8:29; Col.1:15; Rev.1:5; 5:9-12.

4. He is God (the Son); He has an eternal throne and a kingdom. vs. 8

            Ps.45:6; 72:1-14; 145:13; Is.9:7; 32:1; 45:21-22; Jer.23:5; 33:15; 

            Zech.9: 9.            

5. The Son is God, “God the Anointed”, He is above His companions. vs. 9

Is.7:14; 9:6; Mt.1:23; Jn.10:30; 20:28; Ro.9:5; I Tim.3:16; 

Tit.2:13-14; I Jn.5:20;  Ps.45:7.

6. He is LORD of creation. vs. 10

            Ps.8:3;19:1;102: 25-27; Is.48:12-13; Jn.1:1-3; 

           Col.1:16-17; Rev.3:14.

7. He is eternal. vs.11

            Is.44:6; 51:6, 8; Jn.8:58; II Pet.1:11; Rev.1:17-18.

8. He is unchanging. vs. 12

            Jn.8:58; Heb13:8.

9. He is seated at the right hand of God; God Himself will defeat all of the 

    enemies of the Son. vs. 13

Ps.2:8; 21:8-9; 110:1; 132:18; Is.63:3-6; Mt.24:44; Acts 7:55; 

Eph.1:20; I Pet. 3:22.

B. The Angels:

1. They are less perfect than the Son in inheritance and in name. vs. 4

            I Cor.6:3; Heb.2:5.

2. No Angel is God’s begotten Son. vs. 5

            Job 1:6; 2:1.

3. Angels are to worship the Son. vs. 6

            Ps.103:20;

4. Angels are ministers and servants of God. vs. 7

            I Kng.22:19; Job 1:6; Ps.104:4; 103:20-21; Dan.7:10; 

            Zec.6:5; Mt.13:41, 49-50; Lk.16:22; Acts 5:19; 10:3-4; 12:7; 27:3; II Th.1:7; Jude 14. 

5. No Angel is invited to sit at God’s right hand. vs. 13

Isa.6:2; 22:19; Dan.7:10;

6. Angels are ministering spirits whose job it is to serve those who 

    will inherit salvation. vs. 14

Gen.19:15; 32:1; Ps.34:7; 91:11; Dan.6:22; 9:21-23; 10:11-12; 

Mt.1:20; 2:13; 18:10; Lk.1:19; 2:9, 13.


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Hebrews chapter two

1) A word of warning: With all of the astounding and beautiful declarations and revelations of chapter one in mind we need to pause and reflect on the impact of what has been said.

a) Jesus Christ is to be the focus of our attention above all else; who He is, what He is, what He has said and what He has done is doing and will do.

b) The nature of reality is twofold including the visible material world in which we live and move as well as the invisible realm in which the angels live and move. Jesus is Lord over both realms.

c) We have need of remembering what God has revealed: Deut.4:9 – “Be careful...do not forget.”

d)  We have need of applying what we have learned:  

Jas. 1:22-25 - But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

2-3) The Law and the Gospel: We know that the Law and the Prophets are unalterable (Mt.5:18) and we have the record of the consequences of ignoring them.

How much more so the words and the gospel of Jesus Christ who is Lord over all and superior to the Prophets and the Angels (Acts 7:53 – the angels were active in the giving of the Law).

4) God Himself has validated the Apostles teachings regarding Jesus:

a) Signs – semion – An event or occurrence that transcends the normal course of nature through which God validates the message and authority of His servant. A “Sign” points to God’s man and God’s message. (Sometimes translated into English as miracle)

b) Wonders – teras – That which causes astonishment and terror in those who observe it through which God declares Himself; God’s self attestation through astounding demonstration. (Never occurs alone in the New Testament)

c) Miracles – dunamis – Mighty works of power, ability and strength beyond the natural realm.

d) Gifts of the Holy Spirit – merismos – A portion, share or part of the whole of the catalog of gifts that God provides to the Body of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

5) The privileged position of man:

a) The world to come promised to redeemed mankind.

    Mt.25:34; I Cor.2:9; II Pet.3:13; I Jn.3:2

6) The object of God’s consideration:

a) He will not forget His love for mankind.

    Lk.1:68-75; Jn. 3:16; II Cor.6:1-2; I Jn.4:9-10

7) Crowned: God bestows value upon His creation mankind, the “Crown of Creation.”

a) With glory/Kabod = worthiness; in the image and likeness of God, 
male and female. Gen.1:26-27; Ro.5:8

b) With honor/hadar = ornamentation, splendor; the image of God, 
man has intrinsic value, his life is valuable to God.

Gen.9:6; I Cor.11:7; Jas.3:9

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                8) Man’s dominion over creation: Ps.8:4-8

                a) In the beginning, before the fall.

                Gen.1:28-31

  b) Not yet, until the regeneration.

                 Job 41; Mt.19:28

  c) In the future.

                Isa.65:17-25; II Tim.2:12; Rev.5: 9-10; 20:6; 22:5

   

                9) We see Jesus: Gen.3:15; Isa.7:14-15; 9: 6-7; 11:1-5

                a) Suffering servant

                Isa.52:13- 53:12; Phil.2:7-8; Heb.10:5-7

                b) Crowned King

                Phil.2:9-11; Rev.19:11-16

                c) All sufficient sacrifice

                Jn.1:29; 11:50-52; 12:32; Ro.5:8, 18; 8:3-4, 32-39;

                II Cor.5:14-15; Gal.4:4; I Tim.2:5-6; I Jn.2:2

               10) The Author of salvation: Heb.12:2

                a) All things are for Him.

               Isa.43:21; Ro.11:36; I Cor.8:6;

               b) All things are through Him.

               II Cor.5:18; Col.1:16-20

               c) Brings many sons to glory through His suffering.

               Hos.1:10; Ro.8:29-30; II Cor.6:18; Rev.7:9-10

               d) Perfect through sufferings.

               Lk.24:26, 46-47; Jn.19:30; Col.2:13-14; Heb.5:8-10

              11) One Father: Ro.8:15

              a) He who sanctifies

              Jn.10:36; 17:19; Heb.10:10, 14; 13:12

              b) Those who are sanctified

              Jn.17:21; Acts 20:32; 26:18; I Cor.1:2

              c)  Brethren

              Gal.4:4; Heb.11:16; Mt.12:48-50; 25:40;

              28:10; 20:17; Ro.8:29

             12) Our Brother: Eph.1:5

             a) “I will proclaim Thy name.

             Ps.22:22, 25; 111:1

             b) “In the midst of the congregation”

             Ps.40:10; 89:1

            13) I will put My trust in Him: Ps.118:8

            Ps.18:2; 91:2; Isa.50:7-9Mt.27:43

            a) I and the children God gave Me. 

            Isa.53:10; Jn.10:29; 17:6-12   

               page 7

                           14) Flesh and Blood:

                           a) He Himself.

                           Gen.3:15; Isa.7:14; Jn.1:14; Phil.2:7-8; I Tim.3:16;

                           Heb.2:18; 4:15

                           b) Through death.

                              Isa.53:12; Jn.12:24, 31-33; Ro.14:9; Heb.9:15; Rev.1:18

                           c) Destroy the power of the devil.

                            Isa.25:8; Hos.13:14; I Cor.15:54-55; II Tim.1:10; I Jn.3:8-10

                          15) Deliver:

                           a) From death.          

                               Ps.56:13; 89:48; II Cor.1:10

                           b) From fear

                           c) From slavery.

                              Ro.8:15; II Tim.1:17

                          16) Children of Abraham: Mat.1:1

                           a) Physical descendents

                              Gen.12:1-3; 15:1-21; 17:18-21; 22:15-18; 26:24-25;

                              25:21-26; 27:26-30; 28:10-16; 49:1-27; Is.41:8-14

                           b) Spiritual descendents

                              Ro.4: 16; Gal.3:29

                          17) The Perfect High Priest: Exodus chapters 28+29

                               the office of the Levitcal High Priest

                            a) The offerings made by the Aaronic priests

                               Leviticus chapters 1-7; The sin offering Lev.6:25 –

                               “It is Most Holy.”

                            b) Our superior High Priest

                                Heb.7:17-28; Phip.2:7-8; II Cor.5:21; Ro.5:10;

                                Rev.1:5; Heb.9:14

                          18) Tempted;

                           a) Mt.4:1-10; 26:37-39; 41-56; Heb.4:15-16; 5:1-10

                           Jesus the God/ man: Mt.3:17 + 4:1-2; 8:23-27 + 29;

                           Lk.2:52 + Jn.20:27-30; Jn.1:14 + 4:5-6; 11:35; 19:28 + 34;

                           Ro.1:2-3; Heb.1:2-3, 4-6, 8-13 + 2:14, 17-18; 4:15

                          Jesus is the perfect mediator between God and man because

                          He is the exact representation of God to man: Heb.1:2-3;

                          Jn.14:9; 12:44-45; Acts 4:12

                          Jesus is the perfect mediator between man and God because

                          He is the perfect representation of humanity before God:

             Heb.2:10-12, 14, 17-18; 4:15; 5:7-9; I Tim. 2:1-6