Acts 7 - "Stephen’s Defense and Death ”

Last time  we saw that  Stephen  (one of the 7  men of Acts 6)  was being accused for blaspheming against Moses (the law) and against  the temple (6:13,14).This is an extremely serious charge, for nothing was more sacred to the Jews than the law of God and their temple. 

Now to be clear, the law was God's word, and the temple was the manifestation  of  God's presence. But Stephen  pointed out resolutely that the law and the temple were  not an end in themselves.  Jesus was the  End of everything.And so, it was ultimately on account of Jesus, that Stephen as a true disciple of Jesus,  was  being treated in exactly the  same manner  as the Lord   Jesus  when He was being accused by  the Jewish  ruling council.

And so , as the Sanhedrin were looking (gazing)  at Stephen,   all who sat in the council saw that his face  was like the face of an angel (6:18), and it reminds us of Moses,   whose face shone in a similar manner  when he had come down from  Mount Sinai, after he had received the law of God.

With this observation  the high priest commences with the interrogation  concerning the false  charges  made in 6: 11-14. The High priest said: “Are these things so? “ (7:1)

THE DEFENCE: 7:1-53

What follows is a lengthy defense by Stephen.  His defense is actually  a history lesson  of the Jews,beginning with Abraham  and  ending  with a counter - accusing charge  in vv. 51-53 in which he accuses the Sanhedrin that  they were in fact  stiff necked and  stubborn, always  resisting the Holy Spirit. 

So, having read the text, let me sum it up in a nutshell. Remember, the primary charge is that Stephen  blasphemes against the temple and the law. Note how he defends himself: 

1.     Stephens’s defense with regard to the right use of the  temple:

The Jews  associated  the temple with the presence of God in their midst. That is  certainly  true, as many passages  (e.g. Ps. 27:4 etc) would  indicate.  And God  had indeed  promised to  manifest Himself  among the Jews in this way (2 Chron. 7) However in doing so they went far further than Scripture intended - and absolutely bound God to His temple,  by making the place and the  stones  themselves  a sacred place.

It is  fascinating to see how Stephen demolishes that sort of thinking. He uses prominent O.T. figures  such  as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses (in particular), David and Solomon to make his case.

The  important feature of  Stephen’s argument  is that  under none of these people  was God's presence limited to any particular place. The God of the O.T. was the God on the move. He was  always calling His people to move out into His purposes,  and always accompanying and directing them as they went.  Think about this :

•          Abraham had no temple.
•      Joseph had no temple.
•         Moses eventually  had a moving tabernacle (portable temple)
•        David had a tabernacle (and often not - whilst he was fleeing)
•      Solomon eventually build the temple, but  Solomon and Stephen  were quick to point out that no one could build a house for God, for no one and no building  could contain the infinite God of the Universe (see 7:48,49).
• So then, the  holy place is not  so much a temple  in Jerusalem. The Holy place is where God is, and  it is the place where he is truly honoured. And God is where His chosen people are, and if it happens to be the temple in Jerusalem,  then good and well!

Stephen, in citing both Solomon and Isaiah thus had it right when  he said, "The most High does not live in houses made by hands."(7:48 -50).  God   has always lived in the  midst  of His  people. His dwelling place is always  with them and the highest expression of  His glory is the place where  His people assemble.  The temple in Jerusalem was built for this purpose, but rarely did it serve  this purpose in history, and certainly not in Jesus  day, when  He had to tell them that the temple  was no longer used as a house of prayer and worship, but  that it had  in fact become a den of robbers.[Lk 19:45-48]

The O.T. and the  N.T agree in this !

  

So then, we remind ourselves that  God does not dwell in buildings. He dwells with His  people  -  the living stones! [1 Pet. 2:5]  If they happen to be in the building - good and well, but the building itself can  never be holy. 

Eastside Baptist Church was constituted  in the  June of 1985,  as a  community of worship, and to the glory of God.   A place of worship  was built  to  meet our need for assembly. It has in fact become a   house  in which  Christian  worshipers assemble.  The more people assemble for the worship of God, the more glory goes to God.  That  is why it is important that we do assemble, and God  in Holy Scripture has always encouraged the  assembly  of His people  in public worship.

There is something very wrong with a person  who does not enjoy   the assembly of God’s people. There is  something very wrong  with someone  who chooses to spend  his or her Sundays   apart from the people of God.

So  it is  not primarily  about the place built for worship   - it is about the people assembling  for true worship.  And sadly,  as  many places of worship  begin to take on a life of their own, and   they easily detract  from the  worship of God.

So, Jesus  and  Stephen showed that, contrary to the  popular  religion of their day  which thought   that God  was  contained in a physical  building,   they showed that God is with His people wherever they are. If God's people happened to be  obedient to Him and worshiped Him in the temple, He would be there  - naturally.  But  when  the temple becomes an end in itself, and when the people  of God  become disobedient  to Him  then the glory of God departs, and  this is  what   Ezekiel foresees in Chapter 10, as   the glory of God departs from the temple. 

2.     Stephen’s defense with regard to the right use of the law :

It is ironic that those who charged Jesus and Stephen with blaspheming against the law, where themselves  far more guilty of  breaking the law.  Stephen uses illustrations  from Israel's history to prove this:

In 7:25  Stephen shows  that  the people  in Moses’s  day  failed to recognize Moses as the heaven sent deliverer. In 7:27  Stephen argues  that  instead of recognizing the wisdom of Moses, the forefathers  pushed him aside. In  7:35 they rejected Moses'  leadership even though He had met with God, and they ignored  the fact that he  had become a true prophet among them.  In 7:39ff    they  frequently refused to obey  his leadership in the desert. In their hearts they often turned back to Egypt, and so  they became idolaters.

It was the same pattern with the prophets. Now they praise them, but then they killed them! (7:52) 

The Accused Stephen  now becomes the Accuser - 7:51 – 53.

• He accuses them of  being stiff-necked and  of  having uncircumcised hearts and ears.   which implied that they were still heathen at heart and deaf to the truth.
•  He accuses them of being just like their fathers  in terms of their willful rejection of God's Word. 
• He accuses them of always resisting the Holy Spirit.
• He accuses them of always persecuting  the prophets. In fact they were worse - because they killed God's Son, the Righteous One. So, in effect, they did not obey the law!

The heart of the  problem is that they failed to see the Christ, the promised Messiah,  whom Stephen proclaimed!

STEPHEN STONED:

Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin was full of Christ - and this continued  to be true  even unto his death. [7:55]

See  the Sanhedrin's response in  7:57. They covered their ears, yelling at their top of their voices, thus suppressing their consciences. You cannot think rationally when you close your ears or raise your voice. Thus, in a moment of madness,  fueled by a mob mentality they stoned Stephen.

Note in 7:59 the similarity of Stephen's prayer to the Lord's prayer on the cross. oth prayed for forgiveness of their executioners and  both committed their spirits into God's  hands.

CONCLUSION:

The most direct consequence of Stephen's death was that  the church was persecuted and scattered  throughout Judea and Samaria (8:1 cf Acts 1:8) and that the mission to the gentiles began.  The church was forced out of Jerusalem, and so was the gospel. It was  now being carried to gentile territories.  Saul  who saw this,  and  who must have observed the way in which Stephen died, is soon going to be converted to become the great apostle to the gentiles. And so we see that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church! 

Some would say, how gruesome! How unnecessary! Our reply is, “don't worry about Stephen. He is with the Lord Jesus.”  Rather , worry about those hard hearts who will have to stand  before the great throne of judgement having to give an account for what they have done. Be concerned for men and women who blaspheme the Name of Christ, and who have no love or concern for Him. It is true that the church must have been shocked at the death of Stephen, but with the benefit of hindsight we can now appreciate God's providence in promoting the church's mission through  this means. 
This sort of history has repeated itself again and again in the life of the church - Europe, America, Asia and Africa  - the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, and as we have said - don't be concerned about the martyrs. Do not even be concerned about your own life, if you are a Christian. 

Maybe some of us will have to die for the sake of the gospel, so that unbelieving men and women will hear! Be more  concerned about the unbelieving world. Pray, witness, go and tell! Leave the consequence with God!  However we know that  generally speaking, Christians are slow to move out. 

What will God have to do to get us involved and active in telling the gospel to the unsaved?

---

[1] E.g. Lev 26:41 ;Dt 10:16 ; 30:6 ; Jer 6:10 ;9:26 ; Ez 44:7

Acts 6: 8-8: 3 "LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF STEPHEN, THE FIRST MARTYR OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH." #1

In our study of the book of Acts we have now come to the point where the church is almost on the verge of being thrust out of  Jerusalem by the Holy Spirit (remembering  Jesus' words in Acts 1:8).

 But how did this happen?

The next 6 chapters (i.e. from Acts 6:8 - 12:24) explain how the foundations of the mission to the gentiles   were  laid. 5 key people are at the forefront of what is happening in these 6 chapters:

(i)                 Stephen (6:8 - 8:3) 

(ii)               Philip  (8:4 - 40)

(iii)             Paul (9:1 - 31)

(iv)              Peter and

(v)                Cornelius (9:32 - 12:24)

These 5 men made an indispensable contribution to the global expansion of the church. Today we begin  with  Stephen, whose story is recorded for us in the portion we have just read.

A portrait of Stephen:

We first meet  him in the first 7 verses of Acts 6 - "the dispute of the widows" , which threatened to unsettle the unity and the witness of the early church. With prayer and wisdom the early church appointed 7 godly men to oversee the diaconal/ benevolence/ social needs ministry of the church. Stephen (whose name means "crown") was one of them.  He is described to us  in Acts 6:3 as "full of the Spirit and of wisdom" and in  Acts 6:8 "full of  grace and power… doing great wonders and  signs among the people."

He was  the first Christian to wear the crown of the martyr in the history of the church.

A Christ-centered man :

What really strikes us as we see him in action in life and in his dying moments, is His absolute Christ - centeredness. His testimony in life and in death was focused on Jesus. His life showed the clearness, authority and influence of Jesus.

Opposition!

We are told that opposition arose from "members of the synagogue of the freedmen" (6:9) Also mentioned are Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. The "freedmen" (libertinoi) were probably freed slaves and their descendants. The synagogue of these "freedmen" seemed to have made up from Jews of these various  parts of the world who were now living in Jerusalem.  They began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom, or the Spirit by which he spoke. (6:10)

This  then became  a smear campaign with false witnesses  involved (6:11), and so they dragged him before the ruling council (Sanhedrin),producing false witnesses. All this sounds very similar to what happened to Jesus.

We are  very familiar  with  dirty campaigns in our day . The  present  Donald Trump versus  Hillary Clinton  campaign has been reduced from  a political campaign to a personal smear campaign.

In the case of Stephen  it is somewhat different.  He, like  the Lord  Jesus  has a real case  lined up against the  Jews  and their representative  counsel- the Sanhedrin.  But when the Jews hear  Stephen’s irrefutable logic  they turn it into a smear campaign.

John Stott  observes that the same order of events has often been repeated. At first there is a theological debate. When this fails, people start a personal campaign of lies. Finally they resort to legal action in an attempt to rid themselves of  their  adversary by force .[1]

From there the story is divided into three parts:

(i)                 The accusation made against Stephen (6:13 - 15)

(ii)               The defence made by Stephen (7:1-53)

(iii)             The  sentence carried out against Stephen /death by stoning (7:54-60)

1.      THE ACCUSATION: 6:13 - 15

…basically boils down to this: Their claim was that  Stephen had blasphemed against Moses (the law) and against God  and the  temple (6:13,14).This is an extremely serious charge, for nothing was more sacred to the Jews than the law of God and their temple. The law was God's word, and the temple was the manifestation  of  God's presence.

In what sense did Stephen speak against the temple and the law? (Read  v. 14)

The facts which they present against Stephen are not  actually wrong, for this is what Jesus had indeed  said  in John 2:19, 20  (see also  Mark  14:58 and 15:29).

In the first place Jesus had dared to speak of Himself as God's new temple, replacing the old.

In Matt 12:6 he said : "I tell you, that One greater than the temple is here."  (In that same context he also proclaimed Himself as Lord of the Sabbath! Matt 12:8)

In the second place, Stephen was quoting what Jesus had said w.r.t  the law. In Matt 5:17  Jesus claimed   that He was in fact the end of the law  and that He had come  had come to  fulfill the law.

What Stephen thus said  to the Jews was correct!  It was  based on what Jesus had taught, and Jesus had clearly claimed that the temple and the law would be superseded and completed  in Himself!

What was the problem then?

Stephen, following Pentecost  and filled with  the illumination of the Holy Spirit  saw all this very clearly.  He had seen Jesus  for who He is!  But, these particular Jews, like the Jews that  condemned Christ   could  not see in Him anything but a threat  to their religion. They had understood that  He  was saying that He was greater  than their law and their temple, but they could not see that He was right!

 

Now if we accept that Christ is God, then this is purely logical that He should be  the true fulfillment of everything! He is their Creator. The law and the temple  testify to Him. They serve Him, and  they are therefore subject to Him!

But these Jews failed to recognize Christ and therefore  they would  also  not recognzse His spokesman. For  this reason they rejected Stephen!

They  were so absorbed with the law and the temple -  that they could not see the greater  reality before  them, namely that He who created the law and  He  who gave the design for the temple was now here! In truth, all they needed to read was their own Old Testament to see  the persistent testimony of the law and the prophets  concerning the rotten status  of Israel  before God. The prophets  had  said time and again to Israel that their worship was vain and empty and that it lacked  true reverence for God  -  

See for instance  Jeremiah 7: 1  - 15!

Stephen  was preaching Christ, the Messiah  who was to come,  and he proclaimed Christ  as the One in whom all,  that the O.T. foretold,  is fulfilled, including the temple and the law.

It is highly significant then  that at this point (6:15), namely  at the height of their accusations and charges  against Stephen, they  look at  him,  and they see a radiant face - like that of an angel!This is exactly what had happened to Moses' face when he came down from Mt Sinai with the law! (see Ex.  34:29ff).

In this way God was showing that both, Moses ministry of  receiving and giving of  the law, and Stephen's  receiving  and interpretation of it had  the  approval of  God. Indeed,  we must note  that God's blessing on Stephen is evident throughout his recorded  ministry i.e. the grace and power in 6:8,  his wisdom in 6:10 and his shining face in  6:15  were proof of this  fact.

Oh, but there  are none as blind as those that will not see. Have you seen Jesus  for who He is ?

 2.      THE DEFENCE: 7:1-53

This is a lengthy defence. It is  actually a lecture in OT  history  beginning with Abraham  and  ending  with an accusing charge  in 7:51-53 in which he accuses the Sanhedrin that  they were stiff necked and  stubborn , always  resisting the Holy Spirit.  

So, let me try to sum it up in a nutshell. Remember the charge is that he blasphemes against the temple and the law. Note how he defends himself:

(i)                w.r.t  the temple: the Jews thought that the temple was associated with the presence of God. That is not entirely untrue, as many passages  (e.g. Ps. 27:4 etc) indicate. However in doing so they went far further - and absolutely bound God to His temple i.e.  they were saying where the temple is , God is!  It is interesting to see how Stephen proceeds to demolish that sort of thinking. He uses prominent O.T. figures [Abraham , Isaac ,Jacob ,Joseph, Moses (in particular), David and Solomon]. The connecting feature is that  in none of these epochs was God's presence limited to any particular place. The God of the O.T. was the God on the move, who was always calling His people to move out into His purposes and always accompanying and directing them as they went. Abraham had no temple. Joseph had no temple. Moses had a moving tabernacle (portable temple). David had a tabernacle (and often not - whilst he was fleeing). Solomon eventually built the temple, but was quick to point out ) that no one could build a house for God, for no one and no building  could contain the infinite God of the Universe (see 7:48,49). The holy place is where God is. And God is where His chosen people are! God does not dwell in this building.  He dwells with his living stones! If they happen to be in the building - good and well!  Do you see that the O.T. does not contradict the N.T.?  Solomon thus had it right when  he said: "The most High does not live in houses made by men." He lives in the hearts of His redeemed children. His dwelling place is with them. For the N.T. Christian this means that he/she should be where Christ's body is, for Christ is the head of the church! And He is where His body is!  I trust that you understand this, and that it is for this reason that I encourage you to be in fellowship with Christ and His body as often as is possible. So Stephen showed that contrary to their interpretation (God is in His temple alone), Stephen showed that God is with His people., If God's people happened to be  obedient to Him and worshiped Him in the temple, He would be there  - naturally.  Ezekiel foresees in Chapter 10 the glory of God departing from the temple. 

(ii)             W.r.t the law:  It is ironic that those who charged Jesus and Stephen with blaspheming against the law, where far more guilty of it. Stephen uses arguments from Israel's history to prove this: In the first place they failed to recognize  Moses as the heaven sent deliverer (7:25).In the second place they pushed Moses aside (7:27). In the third place they rejected his leadership (7:35). In the fourth place, in the desert they refused to obey him; instead in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, and so became idolaters (7:39ff).  It was the same with the prophets. Now they praise them, but then they killed them!

(iii)             This is where the accused now becomes the accuser : see  7:51 - 53

·    Uncircumcised hearts and ears - expression common to Moses and the prophets [2], which implied that they were still heathen at heart and deaf to the truth.

·         "you are just like your fathers" i.e. in their willful rejection of God's word

·         "you always resist the Holy Spirit"

·         "was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?" In fact they were worse - because they killed God's Son , the righteous One!

·         In effect they did not obey the law!

(iv)             The heart of the matter is that they failed to see the Christ (the promised Messiah) whom Stephen proclaimed!

3.      STEPHEN STONED:

Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin was full of Christ, and this continued into his death. Read 8:55!

See the Sanhedrin's response in 7:57 :  they covered their ears, yelling at their top of their voices, suppressing their consciences. You cannot think objectively when you close your ears or raise your voice, and thus in a moment of madness fueled by a mob mentality,  they stoned Stephen.

Note in 7:59 the similarity of Stephen's prayer to the Lord's prayer on the cross. Both prayed for forgiveness of their executioners and committed their spirits into God's  hands. Saul was there, giving approval to his death (8:1)

CONCLUSION:

The most direct consequence of Stephen's death was that  the  church was persecuted and scattered  throughout Judea and Samaria (8:1 cf Acts 1:8) and thus the mission to the gentiles began. The significance of Stephen's death can never be over estimated!

The church was forced out of Jerusalem , and so was the gospel. It was carried to gentile territories .  Saul  who saw this (and must have observed the way in which Stephen died) is soon going to be converted to become the great apostle to the gentiles.

So we see that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church!

Some would say : how gruesome! How unnecessary!  However, don't worry about Stephen. He is with the Lord Jesus. Worry about those hard hearts who will have to stand  before the great throne of Judgement. Be concerned for men and women who blaspheme the Name of Christ, and who have no love or concern for Him. 

It is true that the church must have been shocked, but with the benefit of hindsight we can now appreciate God's providence in promoting the church's mission. This sort of history has repeated itself again and again in the life of the church - Europe , America, Asia and Africa  - the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church , and as we have said - don't be concerned about the martyrs ; do not even be concerned about your own life , if you are a Christian. Maybe some of us will have to die for the sake of the gospel, so that unbelieving men and women will hear! Be concerned about the unbelieving world. Pray , witness , go and tell! Leave the consequence with God! 

Generally Christians are slow to move out with the Gospel. What will God have to do to get us involved and active in telling the gospel to the unsaved?

---

[1] John Stott :  The message of Acts , p. 127 ( BST series IVP)

[2] E.g. Lev 26:41 ;Dt 10:16 ; 30:6 ; Jer 6:10 ;9:26 ; Ez 44:7

Romans 1:16,17 "In Remembrance of the 16th Century Reformation"

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

This text from Paul’s epistle to the Romans   changed a man, and that man in the hand of God  changed the world of his day, and his influence  has  been felt to this day. Martin Luther,   in his own words :

“I had indeed been captivated with an extraordinary  desire  for understanding Paul in the Epistle to the Romans. But …. a single phrase  in  Romans  1:17, “for in it ( i.e. the gospel)  the righteousness of God is revealed,”  stood in my way. For I hated that word “the righteousness of God,” which, according to the use and custom of all the teachers, I had been taught to understand philosophically regarding the formal or active righteousness, as they called it, with which God is righteous and punishes the unrighteous sinner. Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and secretly… I was angry with God….Thus I raged with a fierce and troubled conscience. Nevertheless, I desired to know what St. Paul wanted… At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I understood the context of the words, namely, “In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’ ” There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith… Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates. There a totally other face of the entire Scripture showed itself to me. [1]

Martin Luther, born in  1483 in Eisleben, Germany, son of a miner   was  once caught in a horrific thunderstorm. He feared for his life and cried out to St. Anne, the patron saint of miners, saying, “Save me, St. Anne, and I’ll become a monk!” The storm subsided and he was not killed.   He kept his vow  and entered the  Augustinean monastery. He had an astute mind and had become a theology professor at the University of Erfurt. At  this time he was a God fearing man, but not a converted man.  Luther had understood the nature of sin as few people in our day would and  he  had understood the holiness of God in a profound way, as few people would do today.  But he did not know how to deal with his sin  before a holy God.  He knew that all his attempts   at  justifying himself  before God  were failing. 

As he was studying the letter to the Romans, it was this text  that made him understand  for the first time God’s method of justifying sinners. Until then he had always thought  of justification  from  the typical Roman Catholic works oriented perspective. It was this text in  Paul’s letter to the Romans that  helped him to see that  a person’s justification before a just, righteous and holy God was not  something that a man could achieve in his own  efforts. It was something that God  did  for man, and which a man  could  only receive by looking to God  by faith  alone.  When  Martin Luther had understood the basis of the gospel, namely, that a person’s justification came by the grace and mercy  from  God alone,  the  foundations  for a new  mighty work of God were laid. A  Holy Spirit sent revival    had begun.   

All because of Romans 1:16-17.

These words constitute the theme of  Paul’s letter  to the Romans. The whole letter to the Romans is about “the gospel of God”.  That phrase  is first used  in  v.1,  in the opening statement : “Paul… called to  be an apostle set apart for the gospel of God”.   This is the reason  that Paul wants to come to Rome.

The gospel is at the heart  of evangelical theology. This explains the difference between evangelical Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church, and  every other system of religion in the world which operates on the primary basis of works righteousness rather than a righteousness  from God – a righteousness outside of ourselves!  

VERSE 16

I am not ashamed of the gospel

Why does  Paul  say  this  negatively?  Why  does he not  say,  "I am proud of the gospel”? This form of speech is  known as  litotes   Litotes is a figure of speech in which a negative statement is used to affirm a positive sentiment.  We use it often  in our conversations e.g.  we say,   “I am not opposed to doing this” when  we could   have said  “I  can do this”. Paul may  have said it like this  because of the peculiar  position in which the Roman Christians  had found themselves.  It was not easy to be a Christian in Rome. It still is not easy to speak  about Christ for fear of ridicule or rejection. Looking at the gospel at face value, it would  appear as  "foolishness"[2].   Jesus  was the  son of a poor carpenter, with little means,  with no   formal education   and  with  no  political  ambition  or influence. His  message    was  a stumbling block to Jews and folly to gentiles (1 Cor.  1:22). He  was crucified as a common criminal. Such a man  claimed to be the Saviour of the world  and  He claimed to  be equal to God. All this was so  absurd to  Jews and Gentiles. With all these thoughts in mind  it is easy to feel ashamed of the gospel. This is what Paul experienced and yet despite  all this  Paul  was  never  ashamed of the gospel.  

Here  is  the reason, as to why he says that:

“Because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone  who believes...”

Despite the fact, that the gospel may be resented by man, it does  not deny the fact that it is powerful!     It is clearly seen in the  words and deeds of Jesus. His Word and His works  changed the world.  The gospel is  the power (Gr. dunamis) of God. Knowing this Paul felt no need to  be embarrassed for coming to Rome. He knew that in the gospel there is a power that would overwhelm  proud Romans !  

How does this power work?  Paul give  three answers.

(i)                  The Gospel provides the power to save (16a). What does the gospel do? It saves sinners from the coming  wrath of God. And it saves in the fullest sense of that word, past, present and future. The gospel has the power to …Forgive sins (past)—Impart new life (present)—Admit into heaven (future).

(ii)                The Gospel provides  the power to save those who believe (16b)  To “believe” means to make a personal commitment to the God  who  has given us the gospel. It is not enough to  hear  and to  pray a sinners prayer.  The gospel must be believed  in the fullest sense  by  hearing it, receiving it  and by a continual  walking in its truth.

(iii)             The Gospel provides  the power to save everyone  who believes 16c : “For I am not ashamed of the gospel , for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” The gospel has the power to save  all kinds of people in the world without regard to the distinctions that divide us. That’s why Paul wasn’t ashamed to preach the gospel in Rome. He knew it had the power to save anyone who would believe it.

VERSE 17

In verse 17 Paul reveals the second reason why he wasn’t ashamed of the gospel. “For in it (i.e. the gospel )   the  righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, ’The righteous will live by faith.’”  This is the text that  woke  Martin Luther  up from the dead !  Why is this such a powerful truth ?

(i)                 Because it reveals a righteousness (17a).  The key word  here is righteousness, which means to have a right standing in God’s eyes. Here is where the greatness of the gospel is clearly seen. It provides for us what we could never provide for ourselves. Righteousness is what we need but do not have. Therefore God, knowing that we could never be righteous on our own, has provided a righteousness which comes  from Him, given to us as a free gift through Christ .That brings us to the second reason why the gospel is so powerful.

(ii)                Because the righteousness that is in the gospel is received only by faith. (17b)  The key word here is faith. In the Greek, it literally reads, “is revealed by faith unto faith.”  (ESV) It has the idea of “faith from first to last.” Everyone who is saved by the gospel  is saved the same way: By faith. It is faith alone and faith always. This answers the great question,  How can I be right with God? The answer is simple: By receiving the righteousness of God that comes only by faith in Jesus  Christ alone. He  is our substitute. He alone  has  righteously kept the righteous law  of God in  His life. You have broken the law  so many times, and in God’s eyes you are unrighteous.  But God in His great love  gave His Son, the Lord Jesus, the Righteous One   to die  the   death that you deserved to die. All that God  now requires of you is to  have faith in Jesus- to trust Him with your whole life.  He is the object of your faith. 

There is a third and final reason why the gospel is so powerful.

(iii)             Because the righteousness  that is in the gospel, which when believed in,  conveys saving faith  to men and women. (17c) To prove his point Paul includes a quotation from the prophet  Habakkuk 2:4:  “The just shall live by faith.” It was this text—quoted by Paul in Romans 1:17—that ultimately shook Martin Luther to the core and brought him to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

FAITH ALONE !

From that  simple and yet profound truth, came the Protestant Reformation.  It saved  the world from the hopeless doctrine of  salvation by  a system of works  or self- justification. It restored the biblical doctrine  of  “Faith” as the operative principle  by which men and women  would be saved, and  so with it the battle-cry of the Reformation became  SOLA FIDE -  “by faith alone.”

So, how much faith does it take to go to heaven? The answer is  this : With whatever you have you must look to Jesus! Saving faith is putting your trust in Jesus Christ and Him alone. In order to do that you have to stop trying to save yourself.

What happened to Martin Luther can happen to you. Those who trust in Christ alone will never be put to shame, not in this life nor in the life to come.

Amen !

---

[1] Luther's Works, Volume 34, P336-337). cited in http://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/8742/when-and-how-did-martin-luther-arrive-at-the-justification-by-faith

[2] see Paul's arguments in 1 Cor 1:18-31

1 Timothy 5: 1-2 : “Managing Relationships in the Church”

"Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity."

(1 Timothy 5:1-2 ESV)

Paul’s  first letter to Timothy  contains  advice on  many  a subject  that a young pastor  may  struggle with in the course of his ministry. As I look back on   my years of pastoral work I can certainly identify with   every issue raised here, and I thank God that  the Bible  always provides such accurate  insight  and  solutions to the complexities  that churches  commonly  face  in this fallen world.

In   Chapter 1  Paul  addresses  the  perennial problem of false teachers and false teaching  (1:3-11)  followed by  a statement on the nature of the true gospel (the antidote  false teaching), providing also a  testimony of his own  conversion experience  (1:12-17). This is  followed by a reminder that  being a gospel minister means to be engaged in  a spiritual war,   in which sadly all too many  men  have  lost their direction, because they did not cling to the gospel (1:18-20).

Chapter  2 contains a  reminder concerning the  importance of  public prayer for  all sorts of people, a practise which  we also  follow as  indicated in our  own  church bulletin (2:1-7). Paul also  gives directions  to both men and women  as to how they ought to behave in  public worship,  speaking  particularly  to the   Christian women   in the church  at Ephesus, who were being influenced by  the  huge  feminine cult of the goddess Diana in  that city.  

In Chapter 3  Paul lays down foundational truths  for church government  as he outlines   the  traits that ought to characterize  the  ministries of elders (3:1-7) and deacons (3:8-13).

In  Chapter 4  he reminds  Timothy again  of the subtle  nature of spiritual deceit, and the importance of training for  godliness. He reminds himself that his youthfulness  in the pastoral ministry ought not to be an obstacle, but that  with the help of God  he ought to set an example  in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity towards the different age groups found in the church. Paul  encourages Timothy  to exercise  his ministry with the authority  invested in him  by  God through  his ordination  in the church under the leadership of the council of elders.

Chapter 5  is now before us.   This chapter deals mainly with   various relationships in the church.

(i)                  Vv. 1- 2. How to relate  to different  people  and age groups in the congregation.

(ii)               Vv. 3- 16.   Relating to those in the church  who are in need , especially  widows, and how to  discern and help   those who are truly in need.

(iii)             Vv. 17-20.  Relating to   church elders,    and  some helpful directives  concerning how we should deal with  full time pastor – elders.  

(iv)              Vv. 21-25.  Finally,  Paul charges  Timothy  to  be free from prejudice and  partiality as he goes about his duties.  He also warns  Timothy  to be careful  not to get dragged into the sins  of    others.   The chapter concludes with advice for treating Timothy's stomach ailment, and a reminder that both sins and good works will  eventually become evident.

                                             ------------------------------------------------------------

Since each of those  divisions  in chapter  5    are relevant and  important to us, I will try to deal with all of them in turn. Today we will only  focus on verses  1 and 2,  in which Paul outlines  the importance  of  dealing  with  various  kinds of people  in the  church. 

Vv. 1- 2 .  Relating  to different age groups in the congregation

The basis  of  Paul’s reminder to Timothy  is the fact that the church is the  household  of God  (3:15). 

The church is   to be seen as  family – a family called into being by God.  In this context  Timothy is called  to be a pastor-teacher  to this local family of God   and   he is  to lead by way of  example in speech, conduct, in love, in faith  and in purity (4:12). He was called by God to read the  Scriptures to his congregation and to  teach the Word of God  as he had received it from the apostle Paul.  This  important work if persisted in , says   Paul  “ will save  both yourself and your hearers”  (4:16).

But how exactly should he deal with his hearers- his congregation? 

Is it to be   a “one size fits all” approach?  

Apparently not!   As we have already seen, the church is  like a family, and that is  how  pastors and  all of us need to relate to one another in the church. It is very clear that we do not  treat everyone in the family equally. We do not treat  the old  and young, men and women  in the same way.  Paul instructs Pastor Timothy  that  he ought to  appeal to older men as fathers,   and older women as mothers. Younger men  were to be treated as brothers and younger women as sisters. The church consists  of these various  categories of people who need to be helped to live their lives    under the gospel.  This is the specific   work of the pastor-elder -  to help  his people to live  out the  implications of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ  in this world. We have seen already  that he needs to be an example of this  in his own life (4:12).

The  problem  is that  older men  and older women, and younger men  and younger women of the church do not always  live in a way that  honour the gospel of our Lord Jesus  Christ. So how does a Pastor deal with those  who  are departing from the faith,  or those  who  are devoting themselves to  deceitful spirits  etc. (4:1-3)? How do you deal with  angry, quarrelsome men in the church? (2:8) How do you deal  with women  in the church who  have  more of the local  Diana culture than the Christ culture in them?  How do we deal with all kinds of believers who  get involved in irreverent, silly myths? (4:7)?   

Here’s how you do  it , says Paul

1.       With Respect to Older Men

How do you deal with an older man when he  goes wrong?

v.1 “Do not rebuke (epiplēssō -  lit. to strike at) an older man (lit. presbuteros –  an older man or a church elder-) , but  encourage  or exhort  ( parakaleō)  him as if he were your father”.  Incidentally, the  word "elder" here is not used in the sense in which it used generally in the Bible i.e.  an officer of the church  (see  5:19);   it is used here in the sense of  an older man  as the ESV correctly translates.So Paul is not saying  that one should  ignore  the sins  which an older man may commit   in the context of the  church.   The emphasis here is   on the harsh  tone in which  it is done. Don’t rebuke (lit.  don’t strike at him) an older man . Don’t be aggressive to him.  If correction  is necessary, says Paul,    it should be done by way of an  exhortation,  literally a coming alongside him  and speaking  to him as if  it were  your father.  Your relationship with your  own father is supposed to be the standard for how you treat other older men. Similar counsel  is  also  given  in Galatians 6:1   in terms of  dealing with  a brother  who is “caught in a transgression”. Paul counsels   the Galatians to restore ( katartizo –  lit. to mend)  such a person in a spirit of gentleness .   So,  Timothy  as a pastoral role model  must  be gentle  in dealing with older  people who sin,   because his age calls for respect, something  that our modern generation has forgotten.   The law of God in Leviticus  19:32  reminds us in this regard: “ You shall stand  up before the gray head and honour the face of an old man, and you shall  fear your God…”

There may come a period when life with an older man   becomes  challenging. Unfortunately, sin  fuelled by Satan never ceases  with age. We have to fight sinful impulses  until the very end. The limitations of  an older body  tends  to cause frustrations. Add to that  the  very real  experience of memory loss and so  a  stubbornness and lack of co-operation which  an older   man  had never experienced before, becomes evident.  The Bible says that   we  must gently exhort such men, sometimes again and again.  This can  be  very  challenging, but   we love them through this difficult phase of their lives, remembering that in the Lord they are our fathers.  Paul tells Timothy that this is how  an  older  man  with sinful manifestations  is to be treated  in the congregation.  Do not rebuke an older man harshly but exhort him as if he were you father.

2.  With respect to younger Men :

'Treat younger men as brothers!’  When younger men in the church sin, Paul advises Timothy  to treat  them as brothers. “Do not be harsh with them”  is implied here.    Again, we  must not be tempted to think that  this means that we are to ignore their  sin. We are simply  learning  here that we are to deal with the sin of  a younger man in a particular way. We are to come alongside him  as a brother  (note the family relationship again!). A brother  stands with you  when you have fallen. 

Proverbs  17:17 says  : “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity”. 

Everybody falls down at some time. Everybody has their  spiritual wilderness experiences, and family heart-aches,  and career set-backs.   A brother will stand with us in such times. A brother  is a person  who  tells you the truth.  He doesn’t beat around the bush. He is  prepared to tell you that you are doing wrong, but when you have fallen into sin you know that he  stands with you. When you appear vulnerable and weak  he  will think no less of you.  He will  pray  with you and  counsel you  back to health.   A true brother  always remembers  that he is a fellow sinner, saved by the grace of God. He knows that only the grace of God  keeps  him, and therefore he is  not judgmental in that sense, although, if he is a spiritual man, he will represent the mind of God  to his fallen brother.  So Timothy is to treat the younger men as his brothers in Christ.

3. Treat Older Women as Mothers.

When older women sin  (and again we remember that there is no one that does not sin), how shall a pastor like Timothy deal with them?  Paul says :  “Treat them as you would treat your mother”. How do you treat  a mother? With utter respect!  Mothers and Fathers  are highly honoured in the Bible: “Honour your  father and your mother”( Ex. 20:12).

And so the NT has some special reflections  on mothers in this regard.  The Lord Jesus  thinks of his mother on the cross. He  says  to  the  apostle John in the face of His impending death :  “Behold your mother.”  Following this, John took her into his house and looked after her (Jn.  19:27).  So too with Paul. He writes to the congregation in Rome and he speaks of the mother of a certain Rufus, and he says that she “has been a mother to me as well” (Rom. 16:13).  That is the attitude which must underlie the  discipline of an older woman. When an older woman  sins  in the church and it becomes known  to  the  elders, such  a one  must not be ignored and she  must be  admonished  and treated appropriately.  She is to  be approached with the same consideration as one would approach an erring mother. A loving son  must correct his own mother with humility  and spiritual wisdom. And Timothy is counselled here by Paul  to approach the older women of the congregation in this way.

4. Treat  younger women as sisters, with  all purity.

How would Pastor Timothy, himself a young man,  deal with  any young woman who had fallen into sin in his congregation?  Paul counsels him,   “treat  her  like your  sister, with absolute purity”. Absolute purity” means never doing anything that would cause her any  harm  –  physically, mentally, spiritually or emotionally. Timothy is to be careful in his relationships with females, especially younger female.  In every way he needs to conduct himself  with  the deportment of a minister of the gospel . He needs to be above reproach. He needs  to deal with his sisters in the Lord  with  the utmost integrity and in all purity. All Christian fathers and mothers are committed to the ideal of “absolute purity” for their sons and daughters. You must do nothing to break that trust. That is the love of a brother and sister.

We are called to live like that in this impure civilisation. We are called to live in absolute purity in such a culture where  young vulnerable people are easily exploited.

And so we learn from this  text  to  be sensitive and respectful to one another.  Sensitive ministry will promote the church's unity and guard its witness to those outside. We need to learn to  value relationships in the bonds of the gospel . We need to  learn  to respond appropriately to different  ages and sexes, keeping the  directives of the Bible in mind.  Rules of respect in social relationships may vary somewhat from culture to culture, and the church and its leaders must be sensitive to obey them, but the biblical culture  is clear.

This  goes  against so much that we assume in our culture today. We think that everybody is the same, but Paul knows that everybody is not the same and we   need  to recognize that. This is God’s design and command , and we will do well to respect that.

May God endow us with   rich wisdom to live as the church of God  in this fallen world.  May God give  us grace to show thorough respect for one another, without compromising  on sin, and always remembering that we ourselves are also capable of sinning. Therefore a patient, respectful, gentle ministry  will  be the only  pastoral ministry that will  serve us well in the ministry of the church.

Amen.