Loveland Protestant Reformed Church
709 East
57th Street; Loveland, CO 80538
Services: 9:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. June
through August)
Vol. 6, No. 20 Pastor: Rev. Garry Eriks Phone: (970)
667-9481
Homepage on Internet: http://www.prca.org
Contents:
The Necessity of Christian
Discipline:
The Irresistible Call of the Gospel
Are
Sheol and Hell the Same?
The Necessity of Christian Discipline
One thing almost completely missing in the church today is Biblical church discipline. It is an almost unheard of for anyone to be excommunicated from the church, except for gross sin (they are not always disciplined even for that). People who live unchristian lives are allowed to remain in the church as members. Unbelievers serve in church offices. Ministers are allowed to preach anything and everything, no matter how unbiblical it may be. Sin, unbelief, backsliding, disobedience are rarely even rebuked.
Especially this is true of many thing which are counted "little" sins, but are especially destructive when allowed to remain unrebuked and unchecked in the church. It would be an unusual thing for sins such as speaking evil of others and gossiping to be rebuked, or for sins such as envy, hatred, or strife to be named as sin, yet they are destructive both of the church and of the service of God (Prov. 26:17-28; Matt. 5:21-24). They are like the little foxes that spoil the vines (Song 2:15).
The result of this lack of discipline is that sin in all its ruinous power flourishes and grows in the church, so that eventually the church is ruined. As the Word reminds us when speaking of sin in the Church of Corinth: "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (I Cor. 5:6). Indeed, even the lack of first love, though everything else was in place, brought on the Church of Ephesus the threat of having its candlestick removed (Rev. 2:1-7).
Christian discipline reaches its conclusion in censure and excommunication. In spite of the fact that such action is not pleasant, it is of the utmost importance for the safety and well-being of the church, and so Scripture speaks of it often (Matt. 18:15-17; I Cor. 5:1-13; I Tim. 1:19, 20; II Thess. 3:14-15; Rev. 2:2).
In Scripture this aspect of Christian discipline is described in terms of delivering a person to Satan (I Cor. 5:5; I Tim. 1:20), of excluding him or her from fellowship (Matt. 18:17; II Thess. 3:14), especially from the fellowship of the Lord's Supper ( I Cor. 5:11, 13). In some cases at least it involves an actual trial of those who have sinned (Rev. 2:2).
That Christian discipline involves such extreme measures is probably the chief reason it is seldom carried out. Nevertheless, it is important not only for the well-being of the church, but for the salvation of the sinner. I Cor. 5:5 (cf. also I Thess. 3:14), having described discipline in the strongest possible terms, insists that its main purpose is "the destruction of the flesh" and the "salvation of the spirit" in the day of the Lord Jesus. One of our church's confessions, therefore, refers to it as "the last remedy."
Discipline does not, however, just mean excommunication. It involves watchfulness and rebuke on the part of all the members. Matt. 18 teaches that the church as a whole is not even brought into the matter unless the sinner, when confronted with his sin, refuses to repent. We are convinced, then, that there would be little need for formal discipline and exclusion from the church if the members faithfully fulfilled these responsibilities. Would God it were so.
Rev. Ronald Hanko
The Irresistible Call of the Gospel (3)
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44
The reader of our Newsletter who sent in this text, submitted it without a question attached, and apparently would like to have some general comments made on the text. This I am happy to do because it is such a crucially important text in the Gospel according to John.
* * * *
When we concluded our discussion of these verses in the last article in the last Newsletter, we pointed out that verse 44 is an explanation of verse 37 and explains the certainty expressed in verse 37. All the elect shall surely come to Christ because . . . . That is, because even the coming to Christ is God's work.
Some aspects of these amazing words of Christ we shall discuss in this and in the following article.
* * * *
The Lord is very clearly laying down here a rule which applies to every single case. Many, many come to Christ. Throughout the ages, those who come to Christ constitute an innumerable throng. They are greater in number than the stars in the sky.
Yet, not one of them has come to Christ in any other way than that the Father has drawn him. It is a universal rule, applicable in every instance.
And, we must not forget, those who come to Christ are those who are given to Christ (verse 37).
* * * *
To come to Christ is the same as to believe on Christ.
The subject of faith is a dominant theme in the gospel narrative, and is, in fact, the purpose for writing the book: "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name (20:31).
John uses different ways to describe faith. Eating Christ's body and drinking His blood, e.g., is believing in Christ (47-51). Following Christ is believing in Him (10:4). Here, coming to Christ is believing in Him.
Quite obviously, coming to Christ is not to be understood geographically or spatially. That was not true even when Jesus was on earth; and it certainly is not true today. We too come to Christ when we believe in Him.
To come to Christ is to believe that He is the eternal Son of God -- ". . . that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God . . ." (20:31).
To come to Christ is to recognize the deep need for Christ because we are so evil and wicked that we are unable to do one solitary thing for our own salvation.
To come to Christ is to believe that He is an all-sufficient Savior, in Whom alone we can find blessedness for this life and for the life to come. We can and will go to none other, for none other can save us. Christ is our ALL.
To come to Christ is to flee to Him out of sheer desperation; out of longing to escape the chains of sin; out of heart-rending sorrow for all our wickedness; to flee to Him that we may hurl ourselves into His blessed arms to find peace at last.
To come to Christ is to forsake ourselves, to damn ourselves as completely unworthy sinners, and to confess that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.
To come to Christ is to be saved.
Such a one will never be cast out (verse 37). We never need fear that our sins are so many and so great that it would be useless to come to Christ. No one need think that heaven's door will ever be slammed in his face if he seeks Christ on high. No one is too young. No one is too old. No one is too great a sinner. No one is too far from the kingdom which Christ established. "Him that cometh to me (whoever he may be, it matters not), I will in no wise cast out."
It is blessed to come to Christ.
How does one come to Christ? That is the question. Prof. H. Hanko
We continue with the question: "Where did Old Testament believers go after death? I have heard of the doctrine of Sheol being the abode of the dead with upper (Sheol) for believers and lower (Sheol) for unbelievers, and this only ended after Christ had come. I don't know how to answer this."
We have pointed out that many today deny that the Hebrew word, Sheol ever refers to the place of eternal punishment called "Hell." They claim that those who lived in the OT did not know of such a place, or of Heaven either, but only of an "abode of the dead" to which all, righteous and unrighteous, expected to go at death.
The NIV, for example, translates Sheol as "grave," "death," and "depths," but never as "Hell," thus banishing Hell from the OT. It does much the same with the Greek word, Hades, translating it "Hell" only once. The AV translates Sheol as "Hell" about half the time, in a total of 31 passages. With one exception it translates Hades as "Hell," that is, some 10 times.
Now, we do not dispute that the word Sheol can refer to the grave. There are some passages such as Genesis 44:29, 31 and Numbers 16:33, where it clearly refer to the grave. Note for example Numbers 16:33 where going into the pit (Sheol) is the same as being swallowed by the earth.
It is also true, however, as the AV translators saw clearly, that it cannot and may not always be translated "grave." There are a number of passages where Sheol clearly refers to Hell as the place of eternal punishment.
In Job 11:8, Isaiah 14:15, and Amos 9:2, the contrast is between Heaven and Hell, not Heaven and the grave. In Proverbs 23:13, 14, the death referred to cannot be physical death (chastisement does not deliver from it, but from eternal death) and therefore Sheol must refer to Hell, the place of eternal death, and not the grave.
Likewise, Job 26:6, Proverbs 15:11 and 27:20 speak of "hell and destruction." The word destruction is the Hebrew word, Abaddon, which in Revelation is the name for a messenger of Hell (Rev. 9:11). In light of that NT passage it is far better to identify both Abaddon and Sheol with Hell in the passages where they are used together.
We are convinced the in the NT Hades ALWAYS refers eternal punishment. In every undisputed passage that is the case. If so, then not only is the translation of Acts 2:27, 31 correct, but those passages reflect back on Psalm 16:10, from which they quote, and suggest that they too are referring to Hell, not the grave, when they speak of Sheol.
But why in the OT is the same Hebrew word used to refer both to the grave and to Hell? The answer is that the grave, apart from the redeeming work of Christ, is the entrance, the courtyard of Hell. All who go to the grave also go to Hell, unless they are rescued by the blood and sacrifice of Christ, who destroys that victory of the grave (I Cor. 15:55), and opens a new way out of it for those whom the Father gave Him.
The grave, therefore, even in the OT, as the place to which all go, is not a neutral place, but a place of suffering from which one must be redeemed (Ps. 116:3-8). And we are redeemed! Because of Christ's obedience and suffering the grave and death could not hold Him (Acts 2:24), nor can it hold those who are in Him by faith. Through Him who loved them believers are more than conquerors even over the grave (Rom. 8:37). Rev.Ronald Hanko
We offer the free copy of the pamphlet, "Jehovah-The Savior" by Rev. Steven Houck. The pamphlet examines Isaiah 43:3a and examines Who the Savior is and what it means to be saved.