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James Chapter 2

  • In Chapter 1, James compared the absurdity of hearing the Word, then ignoring it, to a man looking at his face in a mirror and then immediately forgetting what he looks like. In chapter 2, James urges readers not to show favoritism or partiality.
  • This Chapter includes the controversial view that it is not enough to simply have “belief” in God. James says any religious “faith” which doesn’t result in good works is a dead faith. Some think this is a contradiction to the teachings of Paul who taught that faith alone results in salvation.
    • James clarifies that “faith” that cannot save is nothing more than an intellectual belief – one who claims to have faith in Christ but doesn’t behave like a Christian will not be saved. True faith saves, but it also results in works.
    • Paul emphasizes the “cause,” which is trusting faith while James emphasizes the “effect,” which is good works. James stresses that so-called-“faith”, which is merely mental agreement and does not produce good and loving works and is not a genuine, saving faith.
    • James summarizes this with the explicit comparison to a dead body. A body which exhibits no spirit or breath is not alive. In the same way, a “faith”—in this case, meaning “intellectual belief”—with no resulting works is also dead.
  • Paul teaches that we are saved by faith alone, but James clarifies that the faith that saves is never alone—works always accompany it.

Group Discussion:

  • Understanding the relationship between faith and works in James 2 and Ephesians 2 can be challenging, but it’s important to see how they complement rather than contradict each other.
    • Ephesians 2:8-9 (CSB) states:
      “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.”
    • James 2:24 (CSB) says:
      “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
  • Here’s how these passages work together:
    • Context and Audience:
      • Ephesians 2: Paul is addressing believers who might think they can earn salvation through their own efforts. He emphasizes that salvation is a gift from God, received through faith, not something we can achieve by our works.
      • James 2: James is speaking to those who claim to have faith but show no evidence of it in their actions. He stresses that genuine faith will naturally produce good works.
    • Purpose of Faith and Works:
      • Paul: Focus is on salvation. He clarifies that we are saved by grace through faith alone, not by our works. This ensures that no one can boast about earning their salvation.
      • James: Emphasis is on the evidence of salvation. He argues that true faith will be demonstrated through actions. If someone claims to have faith but has no works, their faith is dead and useless2.
    • Complementary Teachings:
      • Paul and James do not contradict each other, but address different issues.
        • Paul is concerned with how we are saved (by grace through faith)
        • James is concerned with what true faith looks like (it produces good works).

Notes from the Video: James for Men Bible Study Guide

  • Based on Vince Miller’s James for Men Bible Study Guide
  • The evidence of inconsistency
  • Do not play favorites in the church
  • We sometimes may favor a rich man over a poor man – favoritism implies rewards
  • We want to be rewarded by those we favor
    • This is a form of cronyism
  • James is concerned about cronyism and favoritism in the church
    • 2:6-7 – the rich are the ones who oppress you
    • the payoff for favoritism is falsehood and oppression
  • Consistent problem of sin
    • We consistently act with sin by playing favorites
    • Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point fails the whole law
    • Sin applies to all – rich and poor. This means everyone is in need of God’s mercy
    • We defeat sin with consistent faith
    • Even demons believe in God and they shudder about it.
    • Abraham had the ultimate faith in God and was willing to sacrifice his son over it.
      • Abraham’s offering of Isaac is an example of a consistent faith
  • We are justified by works and not by faith alone.
    • Faith + ACTION enables the world to witness your faith.
    • Sadly, we are INCONSISTENT with whom we bring the Gospel to
    • We eradicate INCONSISTENCIES with a CONSISTENT faith
    • Consistent faith is infused with action
    • Our consistent works evidence consistent faith
  • How to build consistency:
    • Recall the law of sin
    • Live out your belief
    • Let your consistency be a witness for God in this world
    • Be a CONSISTENT man of God
  • How can you be more consistent?

Notes from the Revival School video on James 2:

  • Do not show favoritism – share the gospel with EVERYONE!
    • be careful not to favor the rich or those you know when sharing the gospel
  • 4 Reasons why we should not play favorites
    • God has accepted many poor people as His own
    • the rich often persecute Christians (this is still happening today)
    • playing favorites violates Jesus’ law of love
    • God will judge those who violate the law of love
  • God wants us to be rich in faith, not in material things
  • The rich frequently blaspheme the “noble name” that was pronounced over you as a believer in Christ
  • Keep the royal law: love your neighbor as yourself – both the rich and the poor
  • If you show favoritism you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors
    • Whoever keeps the entire law yet fails in one area fails the entire law
      • The whole law is an expression of God’s will for His people
      • show love to all – then mercy will triumph
  • Speak and act as those who will be judged by God’s law – this is more important than worrying about what the world thinks of you
    • Act like you are God’s children, not in this world
  • Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic church and said we are saved through faith alone
    • Martin Luther called the book of James “an epistle full of straw”
    • Martin Luther disagreed with what James wrote about works
  • We fully believe we are saved through faith alone – but not to the point of removing James from the Bible
    • James is going after those who claim they don’t need to do good deeds because they already have faith
  • If you have faith works naturally flows out of it
    • faith and works are not enemies
      • true faith and righteous works go hand in hand
      • faith motivates good works
      • good works brings people to the faith
  • Faith is the cause, Works is the effect
    • This means faith without works is dead by itself
  • Even demons believe and shudder at the diety of Christ (see Mark 3)
    • while they believe they obviously aren’t doing good works
  • Your faith gives you the desire to do good works (share the gospel)
    • if you aren’t working and walking out your faith how real is it?
    • see Matthew 7:23
  • You are living out your faith if you are doing good works
  • We’re saved by faith alone – but you gotta do something with that faith

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About James

  • The book of James is about specifically understanding what saving faith looks like. How does faith in Christ reveal itself in a believer’s life? What choices does real trust in God lead us to make? Those are the questions James answers.
  • It’s important to note that James is writing to people who already believe in Christ as their Savior. This ensures we are reading the Book of James in the proper context.
  • Most scholars believe the writer was Jesus’ half-brother, a son born to Joseph and Mary after Jesus’ birth.
  • James may not have come to believe Jesus was the Messiah until after the resurrection. Eventually, though, he became one of the leaders of the Christian church in Jerusalem.
  • This is possibly the earliest-written of all the New Testament books, around AD 40–50. James addresses his letter to Jewish Christians scattered around the known world.

James Chapter 1

  • The first chapter in the book of James sets the course for the rest of his letter to Christians worldwide.
  • God wants us to trust Him more, and more deeply, as we learn more of Him.
  • This is so important to God that He calls on us to find joy, even in hard times, because hardship helps us trust God more. Those who really trust God will ask Him for wisdom, will be excited about their status in eternity, will recognize Him as the source of all good in their lives, and will work to act on what they find in His Word.

Video: James for Men Bible Study Guide

Reflection:

  • What’s a trial you’ve had to endure lately?
  • How are you handling this?
  • What could you do to improve how you are handing
    this?
  • What is God teaching you through it?

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Resources

  • Romans overview (video): Part 1, Part 2
  • Romans is structured as follows:
    • Books 1-4: Revealing God’s Righteousness
    • Books 5-8: Creating a New Humanity
    • Books 9-11: Fulfilling God’s Promise to Israel (Past/Present/Future)
    • Books 12-16: Unifying the Church

Romans 15: Unifying the Church – Love in Unity Without Judgment

Context

  • Many decisions in the Christian life don’t come with absolute, yes-or-no, one-size-fits-all answers.
    • On major issues, God’s Word is clear. But on less important subjects, Christians might find it necessary to agree to disagree. How to live out that kind of unity is the focus of Paul’s comments in Romans 14.
    • Some actions are clearly right such as setting ourselves aside in love and service to others and be in submission to human authorities.
    • Other things are clearly wrong, such as sexual immorality, jealousy, and drunkenness.
    • Some practices not clearly right or wrong for all people.
    • The debate on right vs wrong is based on some of the rules and restrictions of the law of Moses.
  • Christ’s followers were freed from following some of Moses’ rules, but doubts lingered.
    • Is it right or wrong now to eat meat that might not be kosher according to the law?
    • Is it right or wrong now to observe special days like Jewish festivals and the Sabbath?
  • Paul divides the church into two groups based on their response to such questions:
    • Those who follow Christ are free to eat and drink anything.
    • Believers who are “weak” in their faith may not feel comfortable eating or drinking whatever they want, thinking it’s still wrong for Christians to eat non-kosher meat (Romans 14:1–2).
    • Paul calls these concerned believers “weak in faith,” and instructs those who strong in their faith to help those who are weak.
    • Neither group should pass judgment on the other. God has welcomes both groups into His family.
  • A key component of Paul’s teaching is that we must not judge each other.
    • Judgment is coming for Christians when Christ will examine all our works. He will determine which of our deeds were worthwhile and which were worthless.
    • Though our salvation in Christ is secure, each of us must give an account of ourselves to God for how we spent our days. We will not be judged according to the preferences of other believers (Romans 14:10–12).
  • The group of “stronger” Christians must not brag about their strength. These stronger Christians must set aside their freedom to promote peace, unity, and building up the church.
  • Having the “freedom” to do something does not make that action acceptable in all times and places. It’s better to not do anything that causes another Christian to stumble.
  • A strong Christian’s first priority should be to avoid tripping up someone who is weaker in his or her faith.
    • If someone believes something is unclean—meaning their conscience cannot agree to partake in it—then it really is unclean for them, individually. To violate their conscience in that case is a sin. (Romans 14:13–24).
  • “Weaker” faith Christians don’t have the authority to put their restrictions on other believers (1 Corinthians 10:29–30; 1 Timothy 4:4).
    • Just because something is a sin to you does not make it a sin for all other Christians.
    • Anyone who violates their conscience in unclear matters is committing a sin.
  • All Christians should keep disagreements about non-essential convictions and practices between themselves and God.

Notes from the video

  • When mature believers have a conflict with immature believers you will have a threat to church unity.
  • Mature Gentiles understand idols are not gods and could eat the meat that had been offered to the idols. The weaker believers refused to eat meat that had been offered to the idols even though they knew the idols were not gods.
    • A more modern example: some Christians will still watch R-rated films.
  • Verse 1: we should accept anyone who is weak in the faith
    • We must not judge someone who is weaker in the faith.
    • Example: some people smoke outside the church before going in for the service.
    • Example:Romans 12 talks about gifts. A new person in faith may not accept these gifts because they think the gifts are “weird”.
  • Verse 2: being picky about what to eat
    • A mature faith can eat anything,
  • Verse 3: Those with strong faith must not look down on those with weaker faith.
    • Example: Someone who doesn’t drink must not judge (condemn) someone who does.
  • Verse 4: God will sustain each one of us.
  • Verse 5: The day you worship is an individual choice – no day is better than any other day.
  • Verse 8-9: If we live, we live for the Lord. Whether we live or die we belong to the Lord.  Christ rules over the dead and the living.
    • He died to free us from sin and to enslave us to Him.
    • We gave up ourselves for His glory.
  • Verse 10: Why do you look down upon your brother?
    • One day we will have to give an account of ourselves to God. We will be judged.
    • God knows and sees everything. We cannot hide anything from Him.
  • Verse 11: Every knee will bow to the Lord and every tongue will give praise to God.
    • This references Isaiah 45:23, Isaiah 49:18, and Revelation 20:11-15
  • Verse 12: Each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
  • Verse 13: Since God is the ultimate authority His judgment is final.
    • We should edify one another – don’t criticize one another
    • 1 Corinthians 8:9 – be careful you don’t create a stumbling block to those with weaker faith
  • Verse 14: Nothing is unclean in and of itself – what we do with it is what makes it bad
    • Some may think things are still unclean – we need to respect this
  • Verse 15: If your brother is hurt by something you do in front of them, don’t do it
    • Example: Someone loves candy and is on a fast – do not tease them by eating candy in front of them
  • Verse 17: The kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, not restricting things we drink or eat
    • Peace: a loving tranquility only produced by the Holy Spirit
    • Joy: a consistent attitude of praise and thanksgiving
    • Eating and drinking is an immature perspective
  • Verse 18: You will see unity when you focus on righteousness, peace, and joy
  • Verse 19-20: Focus on what brings peace and builds up one another. Don’t tear each other down over things unrelated to righteousness, peace, and joy – this is putting stumbling blocks in your brother’s path.
  • Verse 23: Everything that is not from a conviction is sin.

Group Discussion

  • Many people use the actions of others to divide the church.
    • Some people think it’s sinful not to use the KJV translation. When you talk to these people you should reference KJV to avoid creating a stumbling block for them,
    • Some people will not consume alcohol – don’t drink around them.
  • Discussion of Verse 14: Nothing is unclean in and of itself – what we do with it is what makes it bad
    • Wine is consumed in church but some drink wine in excess outside of church to get drunk
    • When where and how is what creates the sin
    • If I read the Bible at work instead of doing my job this is a sin
  • Verse 23: Everything that is not from a conviction is sin.
    • Example: some people think playing cards is bad. If these people were to play cards then that is a sin since it goes against their conviction.
    • If you feel guilty about doing something then you are likely violating one of your convictions (even if it’s not a sin to God) and you shouldn’t be doing it.

 

 

 

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Resources

  • Romans overview (video): Part 1, Part 2
  • Romans is structured as follows:
    • Books 1-4: Revealing God’s Righteousness
    • Books 5-8: Creating a New Humanity
    • Books 9-11: Fulfilling God’s Promise to Israel (Past/Present/Future)
    • Books 12-16: Unifying the Church

Romans 14: Unifying the Church – Love in Unity Without Judgment

Context

  • Many decisions in the Christian life don’t come with absolute, yes-or-no, one-size-fits-all answers.
    • On major issues, God’s Word is clear. But on less important subjects, Christians might find it necessary to agree to disagree. How to live out that kind of unity is the focus of Paul’s comments in Romans 14.
    • Some actions are clearly right such as setting ourselves aside in love and service to others and be in submission to human authorities.
    • Other things are clearly wrong, such as sexual immorality, jealousy, and drunkenness.
    • Some practices not clearly right or wrong for all people.
    • The debate on right vs wrong is based on some of the rules and restrictions of the law of Moses.
  • Christ’s followers were freed from following some of Moses’ rules, but doubts lingered.
    • Is it right or wrong now to eat meat that might not be kosher according to the law?
    • Is it right or wrong now to observe special days like Jewish festivals and the Sabbath?
  • Paul divides the church into two groups based on their response to such questions:
    • Those who follow Christ are free to eat and drink anything.
    • Believers who are “weak” in their faith may not feel comfortable eating or drinking whatever they want, thinking it’s still wrong for Christians to eat non-kosher meat (Romans 14:1–2).
    • Paul calls these concerned believers “weak in faith,” and instructs those who strong in their faith to help those who are weak.
    • Neither group should pass judgment on the other. God has welcomes both groups into His family.
  • A key component of Paul’s teaching is that we must not judge each other.
    • Judgment is coming for Christians when Christ will examine all our works. He will determine which of our deeds were worthwhile and which were worthless.
    • Though our salvation in Christ is secure, each of us must give an account of ourselves to God for how we spent our days. We will not be judged according to the preferences of other believers (Romans 14:10–12).
  • The group of “stronger” Christians must not brag about their strength. These stronger Christians must set aside their freedom to promote peace, unity, and building up the church.
  • Having the “freedom” to do something does not make that action acceptable in all times and places. It’s better to not do anything that causes another Christian to stumble.
  • A strong Christian’s first priority should be to avoid tripping up someone who is weaker in his or her faith.
    • If someone believes something is unclean—meaning their conscience cannot agree to partake in it—then it really is unclean for them, individually. To violate their conscience in that case is a sin. (Romans 14:13–24).
  • “Weaker” faith Christians don’t have the authority to put their restrictions on other believers (1 Corinthians 10:29–30; 1 Timothy 4:4).
    • Just because something is a sin to you does not make it a sin for all other Christians.
    • Anyone who violates their conscience in unclear matters is committing a sin.
  • All Christians should keep disagreements about non-essential convictions and practices between themselves and God.

Notes from the video

  • When mature believers have a conflict with immature believers you will have a threat to church unity.
  • Mature Gentiles understand idols are not gods and could eat the meat that had been offered to the idols. The weaker believers refused to eat meat that had been offered to the idols even though they knew the idols were not gods.
    • A more modern example: some Christians will still watch R-rated films.
  • Verse 1: we should accept anyone who is weak in the faith
    • We must not judge someone who is weaker in the faith.
    • Example: some people smoke outside the church before going in for the service.
    • Example:Romans 12 talks about gifts. A new person in faith may not accept these gifts because they think the gifts are “weird”.
  • Verse 2: being picky about what to eat
    • A mature faith can eat anything,
  • Verse 3: Those with strong faith must not look down on those with weaker faith.
    • Example: Someone who doesn’t drink must not judge (condemn) someone who does.
  • Verse 4: God will sustain each one of us.
  • Verse 5: The day you worship is an individual choice – no day is better than any other day.
  • Verse 8-9: If we live, we live for the Lord. Whether we live or die we belong to the Lord.  Christ rules over the dead and the living.
    • He died to free us from sin and to enslave us to Him.
    • We gave up ourselves for His glory.
  • Verse 10: Why do you look down upon your brother?
    • One day we will have to give an account of ourselves to God. We will be judged.
    • God knows and sees everything. We cannot hide anything from Him.
  • Verse 11: Every knee will bow to the Lord and every tongue will give praise to God.
    • This references Isaiah 45:23, Isaiah 49:18, and Revelation 20:11-15
  • Verse 12: Each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
  • Verse 13: Since God is the ultimate authority His judgment is final.
    • We should edify one another – don’t criticize one another
    • 1 Corinthians 8:9 – be careful you don’t create a stumbling block to those with weaker faith
  • Verse 14: Nothing is unclean in and of itself – what we do with it is what makes it bad
    • Some may think things are still unclean – we need to respect this
  • Verse 15: If your brother is hurt by something you do in front of them, don’t do it
    • Example: Someone loves candy and is on a fast – do not tease them by eating candy in front of them
  • Verse 17: The kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, not restricting things we drink or eat
    • Peace: a loving tranquility only produced by the Holy Spirit
    • Joy: a consistent attitude of praise and thanksgiving
    • Eating and drinking is an immature perspective
  • Verse 18: You will see unity when you focus on righteousness, peace, and joy
  • Verse 19-20: Focus on what brings peace and builds up one another. Don’t tear each other down over things unrelated to righteousness, peace, and joy – this is putting stumbling blocks in your brother’s path.
  • Verse 23: Everything that is not from a conviction is sin.

Group Discussion

  • Many people use the actions of others to divide the church.
    • Some people think it’s sinful not to use the KJV translation. When you talk to these people you should reference KJV to avoid creating a stumbling block for them,
    • Some people will not consume alcohol – don’t drink around them.
  • Discussion of Verse 14: Nothing is unclean in and of itself – what we do with it is what makes it bad
    • Wine is consumed in church but some drink wine in excess outside of church to get drunk
    • When where and how is what creates the sin
    • If I read the Bible at work instead of doing my job this is a sin
  • Verse 23: Everything that is not from a conviction is sin.
    • Example: some people think playing cards is bad. If these people were to play cards then that is a sin since it goes against their conviction.
    • If you feel guilty about doing something then you are likely violating one of your convictions (even if it’s not a sin to God) and you shouldn’t be doing it.

 

 

 

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Resources

  • Romans overview (video): Part 1, Part 2
  • Romans is structured as follows:
    • Books 1-4: Revealing God’s Righteousness
    • Books 5-8: Creating a New Humanity
    • Books 9-11: Fulfilling God’s Promise to Israel (Past/Present/Future)
    • Books 12-16: Unifying the Church

Romans 13: Unifying the Church

Context

  • Romans 13 covers three important points:
    • God puts every human authority in place to serve His purposes. This means Christians must submit to them
    • We must love our neighbors as ourselves.
    • We are called to live as people of the light and throw off works of darkness (drunkenness, sexual immorality, and jealousy).
  • Christians are to submit to earthly authorities because God put them there. To improperly resist authority, then, is to resist God (Romans 13:1–2).
  • I thought this seemed to contradict other parts of the Bible:
    • midwives who wouldn’t kill babies in defiance of the law (Exodus)
    • Daniel kneeling down in front of a window and praying in defiance of the law
    • Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego won’t bow down to the golden statue despite the king telling them to do so
    • In Acts 5:29 Peter says we must obey God rather than any human authority.
  • Does Romans 13:1–7 mean civil disobedience is always wrong for Christians? Why would Paul write this?
    • Paul knew Caesar was going to read his letter and he wanted to make sure the ruling authorities in Rome would know Christians are not anarchists.
    • Here is some helpful guidance from John Piper.
      • “Don’t get your back up so easily, because being wronged by a government sends nobody to hell, but being rebellious and angry and bitter and spiteful does send people to hell. And so it is a much greater evil for you to be rebellious than of the government to mistreat you.“
  • Christians are called to have a submissive spirit and follow leadership but this is not absolute.
  • God defines the limits of leaders and when these limits violate scripture, we are to follow God, not man.

Notes and Discussion

  • Once you put your faith in Christ you are justified – one and done.
  • How do we interact with our government?
    • the word of God tells us what we’re supposed to do
  • God is the ultimate authority, regardless of what country or government you live under
    • Followers and leaders are accountable to God
    • The ones who resist authority are in opposition to God’s command
      • This means we shouldn’t disrespect our government leaders even if we disagree with them politically.
      • The scripture says if we oppose authority judgment will come upon us.
  • God uses government to carry out His good purposes on earth.
    • Some governments persecute those who do good. Typically the law breakers have a problem, not the law-abiding citizens.
  • Government is God’s servant for your good.
    • If you go against the government they can punish you.
    • Government is God’s servant. This applies no matter who is in office.
    • If the government wants you to do things that go against the scriptures you might be punished by the government since God is the ultimate authority, not government.
  • Obedience is a matter of inner convictions as well as external law.
  • As believers we serve the highest of all authorities: God Himself.
  • Christians are called to have a submissive spirit and follow leadership but this is not absolute.
  • God defines the limits of leaders and when these limits are violated or government laws violate scripture, we are to follow God, not man. 
  • We seemed to focus mostly on the first of the three points that Romans 13 covers. We must not forget the other two points:
    • Love our neighbors as ourselves.
    • We must live as people of the light and throw off works of darkness (drunkenness, sexual immorality, and jealousy).

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Resources

  • Romans overview (video): Part 1, Part 2
  • Romans is structured as follows:
    • Books 1-4: Revealing God’s Righteousness
    • Books 5-8: Creating a New Humanity
    • Books 9-11: Fulfilling God’s Promise to Israel (Past/Present/Future)
    • Books 12-16: Unifying the Church

Romans 11: Fulfilling God’s Promise to Israel (Past)

Context

  • This chapter concludes the section on Fulfilling God’s Promise to Israel (Past) of Paul’s letter, contained in Romans 9—11.
    • These three chapters ask and answer the question, “What about Israel?”
  • Paul begins this chapter by asking if Israel’s rejection of Christ means that God has rejected Israel.
    • God has not rejected Israel. Paul is an Israelite who came to faith in Christ and has been saved, showing that this is possible for all Jewish people.
    • Paul refers to the smaller subset of Jewish people who have turned to Christ, comparing them to the remnant of those in Israel who had not bowed to Baal in Elijah’s day.
    • By His grace (Romans 9:6–8), God has set aside this remnant of Jewish Christians as true Israel (Romans 11:1–5).
  • Paul warns about salvation by grace vs salvation based on works. They are incompatible.
    • If something is truly by “grace,” it cannot be in any way based on works, and vice versa (Romans 11:6).
  • Paul’ says God has hardened the hearts of those who refuse to believe Jesus is Messiah. God caused them to trip over the stumbling block of Jesus, but not permanently.
  • One reason for Israel’s unbelief is to make room on the main body (“the root”) of God’s tree.
    • This space is intended for Gentiles coming to God through faith in Christ.
    • The Gentiles are like branches of a wild olive tree grafted onto the trunk of a cultivated plant.
    • The old branches are the unbelieving Jews – they have been broken off for a time to make this grafting possible (Romans 11:11–16).
  • Paul warns Gentile Christians not to be arrogant toward unbelieving Jews..
    • After the right amount of the Gentiles have believed in Christ, God will remove the hardening from the unbelieving Jews.
    • The Jews will then turn to faith in Christ and, as a people, be grafted back onto God’s symbolic olive tree, from which they had previously been pruned.
    • God is not done with Israel (Romans 11:17–24).
  • Despite their disbelief, the Jewish people of Israel are deeply loved by God because of the promises He made to the patriarchs. God never breaks His promises.
    • God’s gifts and His calling on Israel can’t be taken back.
    • God will use His grace and mercy toward the Gentile Christians to make Israel jealous. He will use these events to bring her back to Himself as a nation, in the form of those individual Jews who eventually trust in Christ at some future time (Romans 11:25–32).
  • Paul concludes with a poem about the vast un-knowable-ness and independence of our merciful God (Romans 11:33–36).

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Resources

  • Romans overview (video): Part 1, Part 2
  • Romans is structured as follows:
    • Books 1-4: Revealing God’s Righteousness
    • Books 5-8: Creating a New Humanity
    • Books 9-11: Fulfilling God’s Promise to Israel (Past/Present/Future)
    • Books 12-16: Unifying the Church

Romans 10: Fulfilling God’s Promise to Israel (Past)

Context

  • Romans 10 emphasizes salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, available to all, contrasted with the limitations of seeking righteousness through the Law.
  • Understanding Romans 10 provides a richer understanding of the key message of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.
  • Important verses in Romans 10:
    • Romans 10:4: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (NIV)
    • Romans 10:9: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (NIV)
    • Romans 10:13: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (NIV)
  • Verse review:
    • v1-4: Paul’s Anguish for Israel (1-4)
      • Paul expresses deep sorrow for the Jewish people’s spiritual condition.
      • He desires their salvation and recognizes their zeal for God, but they are misguided in their pursuit.
    • v4-13: Righteousness Through Faith, Not Works
      • Paul clarifies that true righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not by following the Law perfectly.
      • He contrasts the Law’s demands with the simplicity of believing in Jesus’ sacrifice for sin.
    • v9-13: Salvation Through Confession and Belief
      • Salvation is accessible to everyone who believes in their heart that Jesus rose from the dead and confesses Jesus as Lord.
      • This belief and confession are necessary for salvation
      • Romans 10:9 is often considered the key verse of Romans 10, summarizing the core message of salvation by faith:
        • “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (NIV)
      • This verse highlights two key aspects of receiving salvation:
        • Publicly declaring Jesus as Lord.
        • Having faith in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
      • The entire chapter builds upon this concept,  contrasting it with the limitations of seeking righteousness through following the Law perfectly.
    • v11-18: Universality of the Gospel
      • The Gospel message is for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike.
      • Passages from the Old Testament are used to support the universality of God’s offer of salvation.
    • v14-17: The Need for Hearing the Gospel
      • People cannot believe in something they haven’t heard.
      • The importance of preaching the Gospel is emphasized.
    • v18-21: Israel’s Rejection and God’s Faithfulness
      • Despite Israel’s rejection of the Gospel, God remains faithful to his promises.
    • v19-21: God’s Righteous Anger Towards Israel
      • Paul, quoting Isaiah, highlights God’s anger towards Israel’s disobedience but also suggests the possibility of their future acceptance.

Notes from the video

  • Romans 9-11 are about the Israelites.
    • Paul is a Roman citizen but also an Israelite.
    • Romans 9 looked at Israel’s past election (historically chosen by God)
    • Romans 10 looks at Israel’s present rejection of Jesus as messiah
    • Romans 11 looks at Israel’s future restoration by the coming messiah
  • God put it all in place but man says “no thanks”
    • They’ve been waiting on the messiah but when He came they denied Him
  • Reasons for their rejection:
    • v1: Paul prays for their salvation but they don’t see a need for it.
      • Many atheists believe they same – they don’t see a need
      • Don’t give up praying for these people.  This is the least you can do for them.
    • v2: they have zeal for God but not for knowledge
      • Galations 3:24: their pride prevents them.
      • “Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.”- Galatians 3:24 NLT
    • v3: they don’t submit to God’s righteousness
      • prideful and self-righteous
    • v4-v13: Christ is the end of the law for everyone that believes
      • “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.” – Matthew 5:17
    • The Jews were rejecting the messiah because they didn’t see a need for Him.
      • But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him. – John 12:37
    •  The remedy for their rejection is v15-v17 (the beautiful feet spreading the news about the peace that can only come from Christ):
      • And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
      • But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”  
      • So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
    • So the remedy for rejecting the gospel is to actually hear the good news about Christ.
  • What are the results of their rejection?
    • v18: But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.”
    • v19: But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: “I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.”
      • Paul says he will also bring the good news about Christ to the gentiles because the Jews are rejecting it.
      • Despite their rejection God still yearns for acceptance by His people.
      • This recalls Isaiah 65 v1-2:
        • The Lord says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me.
        • I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name.
        • All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes.
    • v20: But Isaiah is very bold and says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
    • v21: But to Israel he says: “All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
  • There are four reasons why the church needs to share the gospel:
    • Command from above
      • And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” – Mark 16:15
      • Share the gospel with everyone, not just the Jews.
    • Request from below 
      • “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. –  Luke 16:27
      • The rich man was in hell and pleading for his family to hear the gospel to prevent his family from also landing in hell.
    • Call from without
      • That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” – Acts 16:9
      • Gentiles also needed to hear the gospel.
    • Call from within
      • Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. – 2 Corinthians 5:14
      • Christ died for all, not just the Jews.

Group Discussion

  • Brief chat about reasons to share the gospel
  • The law was never meant to make you righteous – Jesus fulfilled the law. We are not able to do so on our own, but we can do so by acceptomg Jesus as our savior.
    • None of our works matter per Matthew 7:21-23 – keeping the law and our relationship with Christ are far more important than any works we will ever do.
    • Galatians 5:22-23 explains this clearly:
      • “But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
    • I believe my relationship with Christ makes me want to uphold and follow the law because if I don’t follow the law I am breaking my relationship with Christ.
    • Christ stated there was a new covenant – all that was the old laws is wrapped up in loving God and loving others.
  • “In this life and this world we won’t be sinless, but we should sin less” – Charles Stanley, pastor
  • Review of prayer requests for each other.

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Resources

  • Romans overview (video): Part 1, Part 2
  • Romans is structured as follows:
    • Books 1-4: Revealing God’s Righteousness
    • Books 5-8: Creating a New Humanity
    • Books 9-11: Fulfilling God’s Promise to Israel (Past/Present/Future)
    • Books 12-16: Unifying the Church

Romans 9: Fulfilling God’s Promise to Israel (Past)

Context

  • Romans 9 finds Paul heartbroken that his people, the Jews, have rejected Christ.
  • Paul insists that God will keep His promises to Israel, but that not everyone born to Israel is truly Israel.
    • God will show mercy to whomever He wishes, calling out His people from both the Jews and the Gentiles to faith in Christ.
  • If God is faithful to his promises, why haven’t most Jews accepted Jesus, the Messiah?
  • A drastic change of attitude occurs between chapter 8 and chapter 9.
    • Chapters 9–11 deal with the basis of salvation, the electing purpose of God, and the faithlessness of unbelieving Israel versus the faithfulness of YHWH!
    • Chapter 9 is one of the strongest NT passages on God’s sovereignty (the other is Eph. 1:3–14)
    • Chapters 9:30–33 provides a summary of chapter 9 and the establishes the theme of chapter 10.
  • Romans 9 is a complex passage that has been debated for centuries. Here’s a breakdown of two viewpoints:

    • Staunch Calvinistic View:
      • Predestination: God has eternally chosen some for salvation (the elect) and others for reprobation (those not chosen). This choice is based solely on God’s will, not on any foreseen merit or actions of the individuals.
      • Sovereignty of God: God has absolute control over everything, including the hardening of hearts (e.g., Pharaoh) to display His power and justice.
      • Verses Highlighted: (9:11-13, 9:16-18, 9:21)
    • Free Will Christian View:
      • Corporate Election: God chose Israel as His special people, not individuals for salvation. This choice was based on their potential to carry out His plan for the Messiah.
      • Conditional Hardening: God allows hearts to harden as a consequence of rejecting Him, not as a forced action.
      • Human Responsibility: People have a genuine choice to respond to God’s grace. This free will allows for genuine faith and the possibility of anyone coming to Christ (e.g., Gentiles attaining righteousness).
      • Verses Highlighted: (9:24-26, 9:30-33)
  • Key Points of Contention:
    • Meaning of “vessels of wrath and mercy”: Calvinists see these as predetermined groups, while free will proponents see them as consequences of choices made.
    • Jacob and Esau: Calvinists see this as an illustration of predestination, while free will proponents see it as God’s plan for the nation of Israel.
  • Both viewpoints acknowledge God’s sovereignty and human responsibility to some degree. There are additional interpretations of Romans 9 beyond these two.
Further Exploration:
  • For a Calvinistic perspective, you could look at resources from John Piper or R.C. Sproul.
  • For a free will perspective, resources from Norman Geisler or William Lane Craig might be helpful.

Here are some key points:

  • God’s Promises Haven’t Failed
    • Despite Israel’s rejection of Jesus, God remains true to his word. However, not all ethnic Israelites are the true Israel (v.6).
  • Sovereignty of God’s Grace
    • God has the right to choose whom he shows mercy to (v.18). He uses illustrations from Israel’s history (e.g., Rebekah’s twins) to show his freedom to choose (v.10-13).
  • Election Based on Faith, Not Ethnicity
    • Being a descendant of Abraham doesn’t guarantee salvation; it’s about faith (v.6-8). God can call people from anywhere (Jews and Gentiles) based on his purpose (v.24-25).
    • God’s choice of who is included in His plan (often referred to as “election”) is not based on ethnicity, but on faith.
        • Jacob and Esau: Paul uses the story of Rebekah’s twins, Jacob and Esau, as a key example (v.10-13). Even before they were born and hadn’t done anything good or bad, God chose Jacob. This emphasizes God’s sovereign choice, not based on their actions or ethnicity (both were descendants of Abraham).
        • Not All Israel is Israel: Paul clarifies that not everyone descended from Abraham is part of the true Israel, the people of God (v.6-8). It’s about faith, not just physical lineage.
        • Gentiles Included: Romans 9 and 11 together show that God’s plan isn’t limited to Israel. He can call and include people of faith from anywhere, even Gentiles who weren’t part of the Abrahamic covenant (v.24-26).
          Here’s a deeper look:
    • Imagine God is inviting people to a banquet (His salvation plan).
      • Being a descendant of Abraham might get your name on the invitation list, but it doesn’t guarantee a seat.
      • The deciding factor is whether you accept the invitation (have faith) or not.
  • Romans 9 explains that God’s plan of salvation unfolds according to his will, not because of human merit.
    • While it upset Paul that many Jews rejected Jesus, he affirms God’s faithfulness and his plan to include both Jews and Gentiles in his salvation.

Notes from the video

  • The next three chapters focus on the following:
    • Chapter 9 focuses on Israel’s past election
      • Election means historically how they were chosen by God.
      • Analogy: an invite was sent to all people to attend a wedding but not everyone accepts the invitation and goes.
      • Just because you’re a child of Isaac it doesn’t mean you’re a chosen one of God
      • This is compared to Esau and Jacob. Jacob was not perfect but God brought the promise through him. Esau was also not perfect and was not chosen.
      • Calvinists see this as an illustration of predestination, while free will proponents see it as God’s plan for the nation of Israel.
    • Chapter 10 focuses on Israel’s present rejection of Jesus
    • Chapter 11 focuses on Israel’s future restoration when the messiah comes.
  • At the end of Chapter 8 it talks about God having a purpose for believers and nothing can separate His people from His love.
    • So what to do about the Jews who don’t believe in Christ was the messiah?
    • When God says something He means it.
  • The first 13 verses of Chapter 9 focus on God’s faithfulness
    • v1: God speaks the truth and never lies
    • v2: Paul has intense sorrow and anguish over the Jews not believing in Christ
    • v3: Paul compares being cutoff from Jesus to being cursed. Paul offers to give up his salvation to save the Jews.
    • v4-5: Paul describes the Jews and explains the messiah came from them.
      •  theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises
      • the promises are going to continue
      • Romans 9:5 makes it clear that Jesus is God:
        • ‘Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. ‘
    • v6-13: Paul explains how the Jews are the descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel is God’s first born son. They are His favored people.
      • God’s word has not failed.
      • God’s chosen people are from Israel but not everyone in Israel is part of His chosen people. Not everyone in Israel is part of God’s plan.
        • ‘In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.’ (Romans 9:8)
  • Paul compares the situation to Jacob and Easu where Jacob was the favored son. This is based upon God’s righteousness.
    • God shows mercy to those He wants to and hardens those whom He chooses.
    • ‘For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” ‘ (Romans 9:17)
  • God patiently waited to show His wrath:
    • ‘What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? ‘ (Romans 9:22-24)
  • Because of God’s fathfulness, righteousness, and justice – you will see God’s grace,
    • ‘Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality.” ‘ (Romans 9:27-28)
  • Jesus is the stone in Romans 9:33:
    • ‘As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”’

Summary

  • Jewish leaders witnessed Jesus performing many miracles yet still didn’t believe He was the Son of God.
  • This is still true for the majority of the Jewish people today.
  • Isiah 53:4-6 in the Old Testament (Jewish Torah) provided evidence that Jesus was the messiah but Jews to this day still do not acknowledge it.

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I shared a news story on our Slack group earlier in the morning. The story explained how German researchers have decoded the earliest known copy of the Gospel of Thomas, an apocryphal book detailing Jesus’ life as a child.

We spent so much time chatting about the Apocrypha and Gnostic gospels that we didn’t have time to watch the Romans 9 video and discuss the chapter. We will discuss Romans 9 next week.

Group Chat and Additional Notes

  • Brief discussion of this the story:
    • German researchers decode earliest known written record of Jesus’ childhood
      German researchers say they have decoded the earliest known copy of the Gospel of Thomas, an apocryphal book detailing Jesus’ life as a child.
      • This document is long known to church history, and it was declared heretical all the way back to the times when the books of the Bible were being affirmed.It’s unfortunate that the secular world places so much emphasis on this. But they do it just because it is anti-Christian and it is a tool of the devil to divert weak Christians and potential seekers away from the true word of God.
        • There are many documents in history that have been clearly determined to be frauds, corrupted by heretical teaching, or simply heretical in whole.
        • Here are some reasons why some gospels weren’t included in the New Testament:
          • Different Christology: These gospels might have portrayed Jesus differently than the eventually accepted view.  For example, some Gnostic gospels presented a more spiritual Jesus, while others emphasized a more earthly Jesus.
          • Date of authorship: Early dating of some gospels was challenged. The Gospels included in the New Testament were believed to be written by disciples or close associates of Jesus, lending them authority.
          • Content: Some gospels contained fantastical elements or teachings that contradicted those seen as central to Christianity.
        • These Gospels (e.g., Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Mary) emerged from a belief system called Gnosticism.  They emphasized hidden knowledge and a more spiritual understanding of Jesus and salvation.
        • Gospel of Marcion: This gospel heavily edited existing Gospels, removing references to the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and portraying God differently.
    • The Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches include some or all of the same texts within the body of their version of the Old Testament, with Catholics terming them deuterocanonical books
    • Traditional 80-book Protestant Bibles include fourteen books in an intertestamental section between the Old Testament and New Testament called the Apocrypha, deeming these useful for instruction, but non-canonical.
    • These books are commonly referred to as “the Apocrypha“:
    • The canon of the Catholic Church was affirmed by the Council of Rome (AD 382), the Synod of Hippo (AD 393), two of the Councils of Carthage (AD 397 and 419), the Council of Florence (AD 1431–1449) and finally, as an article of faith, by the Council of Trent (AD 1545–1563).
      • Those established the Catholic biblical canon consisting of 46 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament for a total of 73 books.
    • See here for more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_canon.
  • Below are some deep insights from Jim in our Slack group:
      • The councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) were local councils.
      • The earlier Ecumenical Council of Rome (383) was NOT a local council, but included the representatives of the entire church.
        • (“Ecumenical”, when in the context of church councils, means “whole church” or “universal”).
      • The Ecumenical Council of Rome did NOT include the deuterocanonical (Apocryphal) books (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, 1&2 Macabees, etc.). It ONLY included the books that were in the Jewish Scripture set, the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings, or the 39 books we know today.  The Council also affirmed the same 27 New Testament books we have today.
      • The LOCAL Councils of Hippo (393) and the LOCAL Council of Carthage (397) did include SOME of the deuterocanonical (Apocryphal) books, but the two lists differed considerably.
        • They did agree with the 39 Jewish Scriptures and the 27 New Testament books, but differed from each other with which deuterocanonical books they included.
      • Answers to the Catholic Arguments:
        • The New Testament and the Apocrypha
          • There may be New Testament allusions to the Apocrypha, but not once is there a definite quotation from any Apocrypha book accepted by the Roman Catholic church.
          • There are allusions to Pseudepigraphical books (false writings) that are rejected by Roman Catholics as well as Protestants, such as the Bodily Assumption of Moses (Jude 9) and the Book of Enoch (Jude 14–15). There are also citations from Pagan poets and philosophers (Acts 17:28; 1 Cor. 15:33; Titus 1:12). None of these sources are cited as Scripture, nor with authority.
          • The New Testament simply refers to a truth contained in these books which otherwise may (and do) have errors. Roman Catholic scholars agree with this assessment. The New Testament never refers to any document outside the canon as authoritative.
        • The Septuagint and the Apocrypha
          • The Septuagint is the Greek Old Testament. It is the earliest existing Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Hebrew.
          • The fact that the New Testament often quotes from other books in the Greek Old Testament in no way proves that the deuterocanonical (Apocryphal) books it contains are inspired. It is not even certain that the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) of the first century contained the Apocrypha. The earliest Greek manuscripts that include them date from the fourth century A.D.
            • Even if these writings were in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) in apostolic times, Jesus and the apostles never once quoted from them, although they are supposed to have been included in the very version of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) that the Lord and apostles usually cited.
              • Notes in the currently used Roman Catholic New American Bible (NAB) make the admission that the Apocrypha are “Religious books used by both Jews and Christians which were not included in the collection of inspired writings.” Instead, they “… were introduced rather late into the collection of the Bible. Catholics call them ‘dddeuterocanonical’ (second canon) books” (NAB, 413).
        • Use by the Church Fathers
          • Citations of church fathers in support of the canonicity of the Apocrypha is selective and misleading.
          • Some fathers did seem to accept their inspiration; other fathers used them for devotional or homiletical (preaching) purposes but did not accept them as canonical. An authority on the Apocrypha, Roger Beckwith, observes:
            • When one examines the passages in the early Fathers which are supposed to establish the canonicity of the Apocrypha, one finds that some of them are taken from the alternative Greek text of Ezra (1 Esdras) or from additions or appendices to Daniel, Jeremiah or some other canonical book, which … are not really relevant; that others of them are not quotations from the Apocrypha at all; and that, of those which are, many do not give any indication that the book is regarded as Scripture. [Beckwith, 387]
            • The Epistle of Barnabas 6.7 and Tertullian, Against Marcion 3.22.5, are not quoting Wisd. 2:12 but Isa. 3:10 LXX, and Tertullian, On the Soul 15, is not quoting Wisd. 1:6 but Ps. 139:23, as a comparison of the passages shows. Similarly, Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 129, is quite clearly not quoting Wisdom but Prov. 8:21–5 LXX. The fact that he calls Proverbs “Wisdom” is in accordance with the common nomenclature of the earlier Fathers. [Beckwith, 427]
          • Frequently in references, the fathers were not claiming divine authority for any of the eleven books infallibly canonized by the Council of Trent. Rather, they were citing a well-known piece of Hebrew literature or an informative devotional writing to which they gave no presumption of inspiration by the Holy Spirit.
        • The Fathers and the Apocrypha.
          • Some individuals in the early church held the Apocrypha in high esteem; others were vehemently opposed to them.
            • J. D. N. Kelly’s comment that “for the great majority [of early fathers] … the deuterocanonical writings ranked as scripture in the fullest sense” is out of sync with the facts. Athanasius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Origen, and the great Roman Catholic biblical scholar and translator of the Latin Vulgate, Jerome, all opposed inclusion of the Apocrypha. In the second century A.D. the Syrian Bible (Peshitta) did not contain the Apocrypha (Geisler, General Introduction, chaps. 27, 28).
        • Catacomb Art Apocrypha Themes.
          • As many Catholic scholars admit, scenes from the catacombs do not prove the canonicity of the books whose events they depict. Such scenes indicate little more than the religious significance the portrayed events had for early Christians. At best, they show a respect for the books containing these events, not a recognition that they are inspired.
        • Books in the Greek Manuscripts.
          • None of the great Greek manuscripts (Aleph, A, and B) contain all of the apocryphal books. Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, and Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) are found in all of them, and the oldest manuscripts (B or Vaticanus) totally exclude the Books of Maccabees.
          • Catholics appeal to this manuscript in support of their view. No Greek manuscript has the same list of apocryphal books accepted by the Council of Trent (1545–63; Beckwith, 194, 382–83).
        • Acceptance by Early Councils.
          • These were only local councils and were not binding on the whole church. Local councils often erred in their decisions and were later overruled by the universal church.
          • Some Catholic apologists argue that, even though a council was not ecumenical (universal – pertaining to the whole church), its results can be binding if they were confirmed by a Pope. However, they acknowledge that there is no infallible way to know which statements by Popes are infallible. Indeed, they admit that other statements by Popes were even heretical, such as the monothelite heresy of Pope Honorius I (d. 638).
          • It is also important to remember that these books were not part of the Christian (New Testament period) writings. Hence, they were not under the province of the Christian church to decide. They were the province of the Jewish community which wrote them and which had, centuries before, rejected them as part of the canon.
            The books accepted by these Christian Councils may not have been the same ones in each case. Hence, they cannot be used as proof of the exact canon later infallibly proclaimed by the Roman Catholic church in 1546.
      • The Dead Sea Scrolls also provide insight to the view the early Jewish leaders had of what was Scripture or not:
        • Apocryphal Writings at Qumran.
          • The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran included not only the community’s Bible (the Old Testament) but their library, with fragments of hundreds of books.
          • Among these were some Old Testament Apocryphal books. The fact that no commentaries were found for an Apocryphal book, and only canonical books were found in the special parchment and script indicates that the Apocryphal books were not viewed as canonical by the Qumran community.
          • Menahem Mansoor lists the following fragments of the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha: Tobit, in Hebrew and Aramaic; Enoch in Aramaic; Jubilees in Hebrew; Testament of Levi and Naphtali, in Aramaic; Apocryphal Daniel literature, in Hebrew and Aramaic, and Psalms of Joshua (Mansoor, 203).
          • The noted scholar on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Millar Burroughs, concluded: “There is no reason to think that any of these works were venerated as Sacred Scripture” (Burroughs, 178).
      • More from the summary of this topic from the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics:
        • Evidence indicates that the Protestant canon, consisting of the thirty-nine books of the Hebrew Bible and excluding the Apocrypha, is the true canon.
          • The only difference between the Protestant and ancient Palestinian Canon lies in organization.
            • The ancient Bible lists twenty-four books. Combined into one each are 1–2 Samuel, 1–2 Kings, 1–2 Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah (reducing the number by four).
            • The twelve Minor Prophets are counted as one book (reducing the number by eleven).
          • The Palestinian Jews represented Jewish orthodoxy. Therefore, their canon was recognized as the orthodox one.
          • It was the canon of Jesus (Geisler, General Introduction, chap. 5), Josephus, and Jerome. It was the canon of many early church fathers, among them Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, and Athanasius.
          • Arguments in support of the Protestant Canon can be divided into two categories: historical and doctrinal.
            • The test of canonicity (historical argument).
              • Contrary to the Roman Catholic argument from Christian usage, the true test of canonicity is propheticity.
              • God determined which books would be in the Bible by giving their message to a prophet. So only books written by a prophet or accredited spokesperson for God are inspired and belong in the canon of Scripture.
              • Of course, while God determined canonicity by propheticity; the people of God had to discover which of these books were prophetic.
              • The people of God to whom the prophet wrote knew what prophets fulfilled the biblical tests for God’s representatives, and they authenticated them by accepting the writings as from God:
                • Moses’ books were accepted immediately and stored in a holy place (Deut. 31:26).
                • Joshua’s writing was immediately accepted and preserved along with Moses’ Law (Josh. 24:26).
                • Samuel added to the collection (1 Sam. 10:25).
                • Daniel already had a copy of his prophetic contemporary Jeremiah (Dan. 9:2) and the law (Dan. 9:11, 13).
                • While Jeremiah’s message may have been rejected by much of his generation, the remnant must have accepted and spread it speedily.
                • Paul encouraged the churches to circulate his inspired Epistles (Col. 4:16).
                • Peter already had a collection of Paul’s writings, equating them with the Old Testament as “Scripture” (2 Peter 3:15–16).
        • Early church council rejection.
          • No canonic list or council of the Christian church accepted the Apocrypha as inspired for nearly the first four centuries. This is significant, since all of the lists available and most of the fathers of this period omit the Apocrypha.
          • The first councils to accept the Apocrypha were only local ones without ecumenical (universal/church-wide) force.
            • The Catholic contention that the Council of Rome (382), though not an ecumenical council, had ecumenical force because Pope Damasus (304–384) ratified it is without grounds.
            • Catholics acknowledge this council was not an ecumenical (church-wide) body.
            • Not all Catholic scholars agree that such affirmations by Popes are infallible.
              • There are no infallible lists of infallible statements by Popes. Nor are there any universally agreed upon criteria for developing such lists.
            • Appealing to a Pope to make infallible a statement by a local council is a double-edged sword. Even Catholic scholars admit that some Popes taught error and were even heretical.
        • Early fathers’ rejection.
          • Early fathers of the Christian church spoke out against the Apocrypha. This included Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius, and the great Roman Catholic Bible translator, Jerome.
        • Rejection by Jerome.
          • Jerome (340–420), the greatest biblical scholar of the early Medieval period and translator of the Latin Vulgate, explicitly rejected the Apocrypha as part of the canon.
          • He said the church reads them “for example and instruction of manners” but does not “apply them to establish any doctrine” (“Preface” to Vulgate Book of Solomon, cited in Beckwith, 343).
          • He disputed Augustine’s unjustified acceptance of these books.
          • At first, Jerome even refused to translate the Apocrypha into Latin, but later made a hurried translation of a few books.
      • No New Testament writer quotes from the “tweeners”
        • Jesus quoted MANY passages of OT scripture, but NO quotes from them.

Summary

  • We spent so much time chatting about the Apocrypha and Gnostic gospels that we didn’t have time to watch the Romans 9 video and discuss the chapter.
  • The Gnostic gospels are spurious.