by Jon English Lee | Mar 16, 2022 | Church History, Old Testament, Systematic Theology
Sabbath in the Early church
One of the most popular arguments against the doctrine of the Sabbath is the purposed silence of the Early Church fathers on the issue. While it is true that the early writers did not use the language of “Christian Sabbath,” they did have an almost uniform Lord’s Day observance. Their theological underpinnings for Lord’s Day worship were not uniform, as we shall see, but one thing is for sure: they believed that it was the duty of believers to gather and worship on the Lord’s Day.
My goal in this post is to propose one reason why Sabbath language is absent among the fathers (Persecution of Judaism) and to let the fathers themselves speak about their Lord’s Day worship practices. While the term “Christian Sabbath” was not used during the first 200 years of the church (just like Trinity, or penal substitution…), the principle of a weekly day for worship is clear.
Persecution of Judaism
One reason for the lack of “Christian Sabbath” language in the early church was the persecution that was levied against the Jews of the day. The Greco-Roman animosity toward the Jews was important in the shaping of early church practices. Odom succinctly explains:
The second century opened with intense antipathy manifested throughout the Roman Empire by pagan Gentiles toward Jews as a result of Jewish uprisings against the Roman government in Palestine, Egypt, Cyprus, and Cyrene during the reign of Trajan (98-117). It reached its climax during the Jewish revolt led by Bar Cocheba in Judea during 132-135. Emperor Hadrian (117-138) crushed the long and bloody revolt with terrible severity, razed Jerusalem, and established a heathen community there, and made it a capital crime for a Jew to set foot on its soil. Judaism was outlawed by harsh decrees of the emperor, and all of its religious practices- especially Sabbath observance, Passover celebration, and circumcision- were prohibited under penalty of death. Although the Hadrianic decrees were softened somewhat by Antonius Pius (138-161), widespread animosity toward Judaism and everything that seemed to smack of it smoldered long afterward.((Robert Leo Odom, Sabbath and Sunday in Early Christianity (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Association, 1977), 297.))
The stakes were high for those early Christians who believed that sabbath observance was still their responsibility. Furthermore, because Christians were linked with Jews, as was the case in the minds of many Romans, the early followers of Christ were also worthy of persecution. This volatile environment was the setting in which the early Fathers lived and ministered. This persecution also shows that, at least for many early Christians, the sabbath/Lord’s Day debate was not a mere academic exercise; it was, potentially, a matter of life and death. They had good reason to avoid the “Christian Sabbath” terminology, and to use the Lord’s Day language instead.
2nd Century Primary Resources
Pliny the Younger ((While not an early church father, Pliny does offer one of the earliest extra-canonical testimonies of Christian worship practices; hence his inclusion in this post.))
Pliny the Younger, a Latin author who was appointed a Roman consul by Emperor Trajan in 100 AD, was also later the governor of the provinces of Pontus and Bithynia. ((Odom, Sabbath and Sunday in Early Christianity, 72.)) In a letter written to the Emperor between 111–113 AD, Pliny remarks that his investigation has revealed that the Christians were in the habit of meeting on “fixed stated day.” While this “fixed” day of meeting is not explicitly named, and therefore cannot be assumed as a reference to the sabbath or the Lord’s Day, ((Contra, e.g., Rordorf, who posits regarding this ‘fixed day’: “No one seriously argues that the designation ‘on a fixed day’ (stato die) does not refer to the weekly Sunday,” in Sunday, 254-5.)) it does make it clear that the Christians in Bithynia did have a weekly pattern of meeting, presumably for corporate worship.
Diadache
Introduction. The Didache is believed to be a Jewish-Christian document intended for Gentile-Christian readers (as asserted by the full title, “Teaching of the Lord transmitted by the Twelve Apostles to the Nations). ((Pierluigi Lanfranchi, “Attitudes to the Sabbath in Three Apostolic Fathers: Didache, Ignatius, and Barnabas,” in Jesus, Paul, and Early Christianity, ed. Rieuwerd Buitenwerf, Harm Hollander, and Johannes Tromp (Leiden: Brill, 2008), 247.)) Most scholars believe the text to be dated in late first century, perhaps even early second century. ((See, e.g., Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, s.v. “Didache.” See also: Michael W. Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers: Greek texts and English translations (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Academic, 2007), 337.)) The text itself is divided into three main sections: the “Two Ways” (1–6), liturgical instruction (7–10), and doctrinal instruction (11–16). ((Lanfranchi, “Attitudes to the Sabbath…” in Jesus, Paul, and Early Christianity, 247.))
Relevant Text. The first verse of chapter 14 begins, “And on the Lord’s Day gather to break bread and to give thanks, after having confessed your offenses so that your sacrifice may be pure.” ((Didache 14.1, translated from La Doctrine des Douze Apôtres. Didache, ed. and trans. W. Rordorf and A. Tuilier, Sources chrétiennes 248 (Paris: 1978), 129-135. See also, Johnson, Worship in the Early Church, 1:40. For a full discussion of the Didache 14.1 textual variants, see: Francis N. Lee, The Covenantal Sabbath (London: The Lord’s Day Observance Society, 1974), 298.))
Significance. This reference to the Lord’s Day worship in the Didache gives evidence of very early second-century convictions regarding the day of worship. Significantly, the (presumably) Jewish Christian author is advising a gentile believer to worship on the Lord’s Day. Unlike Paul’s and Ignatius’ judaizing opponents, who would presumably advocate keeping a weekly sabbath, the Jewish-Christian author of the Didache neither speaks of following Jewish law, nor of the 4th commandment, nor of God’s rest after creation, nor of the exodus. Sadly, the theological reasoning is not given for this Lord’s Day observance; however, the presence of such a command does demonstrate a very early pattern of weekly Lord’s Day worship found in the early church, even in the thought of a (presumably) Jewish-Christian author.
by Ben Carlson | Mar 8, 2022 | Systematic Theology
Who is the Angel of the LORD?
A.) He is distinguished from the LORD.
There are many passages which tell us that the Angel of the LORD was a messenger sent by the LORD to represent Him and execute His will. The important thing is, there is a personal distinction made between the Angel of the LORD and the LORD.
1.) The Angel of the LORD speaks to the LORD.
- Zechariah 1:12: Then the angel of the LORD said, “O LORD of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?”
2.) The Angel of the LORD is spoken to by the LORD.
- 1 Chronicles 15:21: And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the LORD saw, and He relented from the calamity. And He said to the angel who was working destruction, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
3.) The Angel of the LORD speaks for the LORD.
- Zechariah 3:6-7: 6And the angel of the LORD solemnly assured Joshua, 7“Thus says the LORD of hosts: If you will walk in My ways and keep My charge, then you shall rule My house and have charge of My courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.”
4.) The Angel of the LORD is sent by the LORD.
The Angel of the LORD is sent by the LORD to rescue the Israelites out of Egypt, lead them through the wilderness, and make them conquerors in the land of Canaan:
- Exodus 14:19-20: 19Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.
- Exodus 23:20: Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.
- Exodus 23:23: “When My angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out,”
- Exodus 32:34: 34But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, My angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.
- Exodus 33:1-3: 1The LORD said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ 2I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 3Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
- Numbers 20:16: 16And when we cried to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt.
- Judges 2:1-2: 1Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?
- Isaiah 63:7-9: 7I will recount the steadfast love of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that He has granted them according to His compassion, according to the abundance of His steadfast love. 8For He said, “Surely they are My people, children who will not deal falsely.” And He became their Savior. 9In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
The Angel of the LORD is sent by God to deliver Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from King Nebuchadnezzar’s burning fiery furnace:
- Daniel 3:28: Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants, who trusted in Him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.
The Angel of the LORD is sent by God to save Daniel from the power of the lions in the lion’s den:
- Daniel 6:22: My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”
5.) The name of the LORD is in the Angel of the LORD.
- Exodus 23:20-22: 20“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for My name is in him. 22“But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.”
This at least means, as the Geneva Study Bible says, “I will give him my authority, and he will govern you in my name.”
6.) The Angel of the LORD usually appears in human form.
The Angel of the LORD looks like and acts like a human being.
- He is called a man (Genesis 18:2; 32:24; Joshua 5:13; Judges 13:6; Daniel 3:25; 10:5; Zechariah 1:8, 10, 11; 2:1).
- He sits under a tree (Judges 6:11).
- He stands among the trees (Zechariah 1:11).
- He holds a sword in his hand (Numbers 22:23, 31; 1 Chronicles 21:16, 30).
- He holds a staff in his hand (Judges 6:21).
- He is offered meals to eat (Genesis 18:1-8; Judges 13:15-16).
- He touches people (1 Kings 19:5, 7; Daniel 10:10).
- He encamps around those who fear him (Psalm 34:7).
- He wrestles with Jacob (Genesis 32:24 with Hosea 12:4).
- He chases and strikes down God’s enemies (Psalm 35:6; 2 Kings 19:35; 1 Chronicles 21:15; 2 Chronicles 32:21; Isaiah 37:36).
It is clear from these considerations that the Angel of the LORD is distinguished from the LORD.
B.) He is described as the LORD.
It is a mystery of mysteries that although the Angel of the LORD is sent by the LORD, we are also told in many passages that the Angel of the LORD is synonymous with the LORD. He is the Angel who is the LORD! He may appear in the form of a human and perform actions like a created being, but the Person who speaks and acts is really and truly Yahweh, the uncreated and unchangeable God!
1.) The Angel of the LORD performs the same actions as the LORD.
- He redeems His people (Genesis 48:15-16; Isaiah 63:9).
- He delivers His people (Psalm 34:7).
- He forgives sin (Exodus 23:21; Zechariah 3:4).
- He receives sacrifices (Genesis 22:9-18; Judges 13:15-20).
- He blesses (Genesis 22:15-18; 32:24-30; 48:15-16).
- He keeps His covenant and leads the people of God out of Egypt and into the Promised Land (Judges 2:1-2).
- He creates and multiplies human life (Genesis 16:10-12; 21:17-18).
2.) The Angel of the LORD possesses the same attributes as the LORD.
- His presence is holy (Exodus 3:5; Joshua 5:15).
- His character is blameless (1 Samuel 29:9).
- His appearance is very awesome (Judges 13:6; Daniel 3:25).
- His Name is too wonderful to be spoken or comprehended (Genesis 32:29; Judges 13:6, 18).
- He is wise, discerning good and evil (2 Samuel 14:17; 19:27).
- He sees and knows all things that are on the earth (Genesis 16:13; Exodus 3:7; 2 Samuel 14:20).
- When people see Him, they think they are going to die (Genesis 32:30; Judges 6:22-23; 13:22).
3.) The Angel of the LORD is given the same titles as the LORD.
- The Angel of the LORD who spoke with Hagar is identified as the LORD and as “a God of seeing” (Genesis 16:13).
- The Angel of God spoke to Jacob in a dream and said, “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to Me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred” (Genesis 31:13).
- The Angel whom Jacob wrestled with at Peniel was God, for Jacob confessed, “. . . I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered” (Genesis 32:30). Hosea identifies the Angel of the LORD with God when he says of Jacob, “. . . and in his manhood he strove with God. He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor” (Hosea 12:3-4).
- The Angel who had redeemed Jacob from all evil is the God of Abraham and Isaac and the God who had been his shepherd throughout his entire life (Genesis 48:15-16).
- The Angel of the LORD who appeared to Moses in the burning bush is identified as “the LORD” and “God” in Exodus 3:4. Additionally, the Angel said to Moses, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6) and “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14).
- The Angel of God who was in the pillar of cloud behind the Israelites is later identified as the LORD who fought against the Egyptians and destroyed them in the Red Sea (Exodus 14:19, 24).
- God spoke the law to Moses at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:1), but Stephen later recounts it came from the mouth of the Angel of the LORD: “This [Moses] is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us” (Acts 7:38).
- The Commander of the Army of the LORD who speaks to Joshua (Joshua 5:14-15) is shortly after identified as the LORD (Joshua 6:2).
- In Judges 2, the Angel of the LORD is the One who brought the Israelites up from Egypt into the land that He swore to give to their fathers (Judges 2:1) while later in the chapter it says the LORD, the God of their fathers, was the One who had brought them out of the land of Egypt (Judges 2:12).
- The Angel of the LORD who appeared to Gideon and speaks with him is also identified as the LORD (Judges 6:14, 16).
- The Angel of the LORD who was standing between Joshua the high priest and Satan speaks to them not just on behalf of the LORD (Zechariah 3:6-10) but as the LORD (Zechariah 3:1-5).
- The Angel/Messenger of the Covenant who comes is the LORD of hosts returning to His temple. Malachi 3:1 says, “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple; and the Messenger of the Covenant in whom you delight, behold, He is coming, says the LORD of hosts.”
It is also clear, then, that the OT identifies the Angel of the LORD as the LORD. In one sense He is not the LORD, but in another sense He is!
C.) He is disclosed as the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Angel of the LORD is a messenger from God as well as the manifestation of God. He is “The Uncreated Angel”. These truths may at first seem incompatible with each other, but upon further investigation they sweetly work together to teach us that the Angel of the LORD in the OT is none other than the pre-incarnate eternal Son of God. He is an “embodied” form of the Second Person of the Trinity before He took on a body at the incarnation.
I think the NT identifies Jesus as the Angel of the LORD in various ways. I want to bring to your attention two of those ways.
1.) Christ is identified as the Angel of the LORD in the Book of Revelation.
I believe this occurs in Revelation 10:1-3: 1Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, 3and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded.
This mighty angel is different than the other angels in this book. He shares many characteristics with the one like a son of man in Revelation 1 and the one with the appearance of a man in Ezekiel 1 and 2 and the one having the likeness of the sons of men in Daniel 10-12. I believe all these figures are the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew Poole states, “the most and best interpreters understand by this angel, Christ, formerly represented to us as a Lamb, here as an Angel; none but he could call the two witnesses, Revelation 11:3, his witnesses; besides, the glorious appearance of this angel speaketh him no ordinary angel.”
G.K. Beale states, “This angel is not an ordinary angel, but is given divine attributes applicable in Revelation only to God or to Christ. . . . Therefore, the angel is the divine Angel of the Lord, as in the OT, who is to be identified with Yahweh or with Christ Himself.”
In a certain sense, then, the Lord Jesus retains the title and function of the Angel of the LORD even in the NT. He is and will always be the “Messenger” and “Apostle” of God.
2.) Christ is identified as the Angel of the LORD in three key passages which address His role in the OT Exodus account.
These passages are Jude 1:5, 1 Corinthians 10:4, and 1 Corinthians 10:9-10.
a.) Jude 1:5: Christ saved and judged the Israelites in the Exodus.
The OT tells us that the Angel of the LORD saved a people out of the land of Egypt in Judges 2:1: “. . . And [the angel of the LORD] said, ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. . . .” and in Isaiah 63:9: “In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.”
The NT tells us that Jesus saved a people out of the land of Egypt in Jude 1:5: “Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.”
There is debate about the reading “Jesus” here. But the New English Translation (NET) Notes on Jude 1:5 state that this is the best reading:
The reading ‘Jesus’ is deemed too hard by several scholars, since it involves the notion of Jesus acting in the early history of the nation Israel. However, not only does this reading enjoy the strongest support from a variety of early witnesses, but the plethora of variants demonstrate that scribes were uncomfortable with it, for they seemed to exchange “Lord” or “God” for “Jesus”. As difficult as the reading “Jesus” is, in light of v. 4 and in light of the progress of revelation (Jude being one of the last books in the NT to be composed), it is wholly appropriate.
But even if we grant that “Lord” is the better reading than “Jesus”, the preceding verse already identifies the Lord as Jesus: “For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (v. 4). The Lord (Kurios) of v. 4 is the same Lord (Kurios) of v. 5.
So, Jude 1:5 is clearly teaching that the Lord, who is Jesus Christ, was active in the history of the nation of Israel in the OT. He saved the suffering Israelites out of Egypt. He destroyed the unbelieving Israelites in the wilderness. And He did all this as the Angel of the LORD.
b.) 1 Corinthians 10:4: Christ provided for the Israelites in the Exodus.
The apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, “1For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.”
I believe this is another NT passage which teaches us that Christ was actively involved in bringing the Israelites out of Egypt and into Canaan. The apostle Paul is referring to the times when the Israelites in the wilderness ate manna which came down from heaven (Exodus 16) and drank water which sprang from literal rocks (Exodus 17:1-7; Numbers 20:10-13). These common meals are called spiritual food and spiritual drink because they were miraculously given to the Israelites by a supernatural Provider. That Provider was “the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” It was not a literal rock or allegorical rock that followed them. It was a spiritual/supernatural Rock, and that Rock was Christ. “The spiritual rock” is not a description of a rock but a title of Christ. He is the God or Rock of Israel (Deuteronomy 32:4; 2 Samuel 23:3; Psalm 89:26; Isaiah 17:10; 26:4; 1 Peter 2:4-8). As the Rock of Israel, Christ personally attended the Israelites in the wilderness to nourish and bless them. As they journeyed from Egypt to Canaan, He went before them as their leader, dwelt among them as their provider, and stayed behind them as their rear guard. And when the Israelites ate the heavenly manna and drank the water from the split-open rocks, they were to recognize these blessings coming to them from the hand of their spiritual Rock. Their food and drink came from Him! Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary states,
Not the literal rock (or its water) “followed” them . . . as if Paul sanctioned the Jews’ tradition that the rock itself, or at least the stream from it, followed the Israelites from place to place. But Christ, the “Spiritual Rock” accompanied them. “Followed” implies His attending on them to minister to them; thus, though mostly going before them, He, when occasion required it, followed “behind”. He satisfied all alike as to their bodily thirst whenever they needed it; as on three occasions is expressly recorded (Ex 15:24, 25; 17:6; Nu 20:8); and this drink for the body symbolized the spiritual drink from the Spiritual Rock.
And the way Christ the Spiritual Rock went before them, behind them, and beside them was as the Angel of the LORD, for the OT tells us that it was the Angel of the LORD who did all these things!
Exodus 14:19: Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them,
Exodus 23:20: “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.
Psalm 34:7: The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
c.) 1 Corinthians 1:9-10: Christ destroyed the unbelieving Israelites in the Exodus.
1 Corinthians 1:9-10 reads, “9We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.”
I believe both verses teach us how Christ was actively involved in the judgment of the Israelites in the wilderness.
Verse 9 says that some of the Israelites put Christ to the test and were destroyed by serpents. The apostle Paul is referring to what happened in Numbers 21:4-9 when the Israelites spoke against God and Moses about their living conditions and daily provisions, and the LORD sent fiery serpents in their midst which bit and killed many of them.
Similar to Jude 1:5, there is debate on whether this should read “Christ” or the more generic title “Lord”. But the NET Notes give four main reasons why “Christ” is the better reading:
- It is attested in the majority of manuscripts.
- It evidenced in the early church.
- It is the more difficult reading.
- It is consistent with Paul’s writing style in this passage (cf. 10:4).
It then concludes by saying, “In sum, ‘Christ’ has all the earmarks of authenticity here and should be considered the original reading.”
They put Christ to the test as the God of Israel. But even more specifically, they put Christ to the test as the God of Israel embodied as the Angel of the LORD. The One they spoke against and tempted was the eternal Son of God who appeared to them in human form. Albert Barnes states,
In order to relieve this interpretation from the difficulty that the Israelites could not be said with any propriety to have tempted “Christ,” since he had not then come in the flesh, two remarks may be made. First, by the “angel of the covenant,” and the “angel of his presence” . . . that went with them, and delivered them from Egypt, there is reason to think the sacred writers understood the Messiah to be intended; and that he who subsequently became incarnate was he whom they tempted.
Calvin adds,
This is a remarkable passage in proof of the eternity of Christ; . . . Nor is it to be wondered that Christ is called the Leader of the Israelitish people. For as God was never propitious to his people except through that Mediator, so he conferred no benefit except through his hand. Farther, the angel who appeared at first to Moses, and was always present with the people during their journeying, is frequently called yhvh, Jehovah. Let us then regard it as a settled point, that that angel was the Son of God, and was even then the guide of the Church of which he was the Head.”
Verse 10 says that some of the Israelites grumbled and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Paul is probably referring to Numbers 16 when God destroyed Korah and his rebellious followers by opening the earth to swallow them up, sending fire from heaven to burn them, and letting loose a plague to consume them.
Who is the Destroyer who destroyed them? One lexicon says this title refers to “. . . an angel sent as the agent of divine punishment.” One might think he is the devil, but most likely he is the same angel who justly destroyed the firstborn in Egypt and the army of Assyria and almost destroyed the inhabitants of Jerusalem. John Gill comments, “by the destroyer may be meant an angel, such an one as smote the firstborn in Egypt, and bears the same name, Hebrews 11:28 and as smote Israel with a pestilence upon David’s numbering the people, and was about to have destroyed Jerusalem, had he not been restrained, 2 Samuel 24:15 and as, smote [185,000] in the camp of the Assyrians, in one night, 2 Kings 19:35.”
2 Samuel 24 and 2 Kings 19 specifically identify this destroying angel as the Angel of the LORD. It is very probable, then, that the Destroyer who destroyed the grumbling Israelites is also the Angel of the LORD, who is Christ.
In conclusion, these three NT passages teach us how active Jesus was in the OT Exodus account. He rescued the Israelites from the fiery furnace of Egypt. He provided for their needs in the barren wilderness. And He destroyed many of them in the wilderness for their sin and rebellion against Him. He did all this as the Angel of the LORD. And if He was the Angel of the LORD during the Exodus account, He was the Angel of the LORD throughout OT history.
Ben has been one of the pastors of Grace Reformed Baptist Church of Owensboro, Kentucky, since June 2017. In February 2018, he received his Master of Divinity from Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Ben has been married to his lovely wife Ali since September 2011. They have four children together: Liam, Luther, Cosette, and Maezie. In his spare time, Ben enjoys playing with his kids, coaching, doing yard work, and Friday family nights.
by Sam Waldron | Mar 3, 2022 | New Testament, Systematic Theology
Of God’s Decree
God’s Decree as it is described in Chapter 3 of the 1689 London Baptist Confession. Paragraph 1 reads as follows:
“yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established;”
2LCF 3:1
Several pressing questions are addressed in these words.
Does God Decree Sin?
Does this make God the author of sin? The Confession flatly and clearly asserts that it does not. Though sin is, of course, included in God’s decree, God is not the author of sin. In the decree of God, it is creatures angels and men that author or commit sin. The Bible makes clear that God’s motives in decreeing sin are entirely different than those of the creatures who commit or author sin.
He decrees sin to happen for His own glory. They commit it to deny His glory.
He decrees sin in order to use it to redeem His people. In the case of Joseph, we are told that the sin of his brothers was over-ruled for good. Genesis 50:20 says: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” God also decreed the death of Jesus by the hands of sinful men (Acts 2 and 4), but this was for the sake of the redemption of men from sin.
Sometimes also He decrees sin as a just punishment for previous sin. David numbered Israel because of God’s decree to punish Israel and David for sin. Cf. 2 Sam. 24:1; 1 Chron. 21:1. The sons of Eli refused to repent because God has decreed to put them to death for their sins (1 Sam. 2:25.
Yes, there remains a deep mystery in regard to God’s decree of sin, but the Bible plainly teaches that He is not the author of sin. James 1:13 is the key text: “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”
Does God’s Decree Destroy Man’s Will?
The confession then addresses a second question related to the universality of God’s decree.
Does this not destroy the liberty, responsibility, and significance of the wills of men and angels? The Confession denies that it does, and in fact affirms that on the contrary, it is God’s decree that establishes these things:
“nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.”
Obviously, the Confession is not working with the same definition of free will that most people affirm. Free will is not the ability to act contrary to God’s decree. Free will is not the ability to act contrary to one’s nature. Free will is simply the ability to will whatever one wants and act on that will to accomplish that want without external constraints. When someone wills what he wants, he is at liberty, he is responsible, and his will is significant. Creaturely will actually accomplishes things and does so freely and responsibly. All of this is asserted by Scripture in Matthew 17:12: “but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”
Conclusion
What should we think of all this? How should we respond to this doctrine of God’s universal decree? The Confession concludes paragraph 1 by telling us: “in which appears his wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree.” God was wise to order and in ordering all things by His decree, and if we wait on Him and the development of His plan, we will see it. God’s power is displayed in this mighty plan. We should worship His majesty. God’s faithfulness to His people and to Himself is also revealed in the accomplishment of His decree. Job 23:13 says it: “But He is unique and who can turn Him? And what His soul desires, that He does.” His soul desires our good and His glory and nothing shall deter Him in the accomplishment of His eternal good pleasure.
Dr. Sam Waldron is the Academic Dean of CBTS and professor of Systematic Theology. He is also one of the pastors of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY. Dr. Waldron received a B.A. from Cornerstone University, an M.Div. from Trinity Ministerial Academy, a Th.M. from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. From 1977 to 2001 he was a pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Waldron is the author of numerous books including A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, The End Times Made Simple, Baptist Roots in America, To Be Continued?, and MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto: A Friendly Response.
by Tom Nettles | Mar 1, 2022 | Church History
Three biblical aspects of imputation in God’s covenant of redemption include Adam’s guilt and
condemnation as ours by imputation, our sin, and condemnation placed on Jesus Christ by imputation,
and Christ’s completely meritorious work as worthy of eternal life considered ours by imputation.
Involved in these aspects of imputation are the doctrines of “original sin,” Substitutionary atonement,”
and “justification by faith.” Charles Spurgeon’s preaching consistently and profoundly gave exposition to
these central features of God’s saving work. This brief article will probe Spurgeon’s focus on
substitutionary atonement as the connecting link between the other aspects of imputation.
Among many clear explanations of imputation, Spurgeon’s sermon on “Peace: A Fact and a
Feeling,” probes the meaning of imputation as the foundation for the state of peace enjoyed by the
believer. Peace is established objectively by “the abounding mercy of God, who in order to our peace,
finds a substitute to bear our penalty, and reveals to us this gracious fact.” Sin has been laid on Christ
and he has carried it away. Faith accepts his death as a substitute for ours. He was just but died, and we
are unjust but live because the one who died under the curse now lives. By imputation of Adam’s sin,
we are conceived in condemnation before any voluntary act on our part; so that by the payment of
another we can be absolved of the punishment of guilt through no voluntary righteousness of our own.
When God devised the “plan of substitution the full penalty demanded of the guiltless surety”
brought exemption from punishment for the guilty. “That Jesus should suffer vicariously and yet those
for whom he paid the quittance in drops of blood should obtain no acquittal could not be.” He has
obeyed the law in their stead, has suffered the penalty of the law in their stead, so they must be
declared perfectly righteous and free from any susceptibility of punishment. “According to the infinite
purpose and will of God, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer.” The sinner now is
“covered with the mantle of his Redeemer’s righteousness.”
Peace may come to the heart for the believing sinner may say with perfect verity in light of an
objective historical reality, “Soul, thou art free from sin, for Christ has borne thy sin in his own body on
the tree. Soul, thou art righteous before God, for the righteousness of Christ is thine by imputation.” The
payment of “quittance in drops of blood” meant that the sinner “has borne the utmost penalty of the
law by his Substitute, which penalty God himself has accepted.”
How was such justice served through a substitute? “He took our sin, but he has our sin no
longer, for on the cross he discharged and annihilated it all so that it ceased to be, and he has gone into
the glory as the representative and the substitute of his people, cleared from their imputed
liabilities—clean delivered from anything that could be brought against him on their account.” Christ is
the manifestation of the Father’s eternal love and is thus, the “object of divine complacency.” Also, he is
loved for he has fully accomplished the Father’s will. United with him by faith, therefore, we receive that
love with which Christ was loved before the foundation of the world, and, because also embraced in the
love of a fully accomplished righteousness, “Sin is forgiven. What is more, righteousness is imputed.” ((SEE 10: 107-110. “Peace: A Fact and a Feeling.” SEE refers to Spurgeon’s Expository Encyclopedia, 15 vols. (Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1977). This publication contains sermons by Spurgeon on 118 topics over the course of
over 600 sermons and close to 150 expositions.))
Dr. Tom Nettles is widely regarded as one of the foremost Baptist historians in America. He joined the faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary after teaching at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School where he was professor of Church History and chairman of that department. Previously, he taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He received a B.A. from Mississippi College and an M.Div. and Ph.D. from Southwestern. In addition to writing numerous journal articles and scholarly papers, Dr. Nettles has authored or edited nine books including By His Grace and For His Glory, Baptists and the Bible, and Why I Am a Baptist.
Courses taught: Historical Theology of the Baptists, Historical Theology Overview, Jonathan Edwards & Andrew Fuller.
