Hudsonville
Protestant Reformed Church
5101 Beechtree
Hudsonville, Michigan 49426
Services: 9:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Homepage on Internet: http://www.prca.org
Vol. 8, No. 22
God’s Hammer (11):
Unbreakable Scripture (Part 2)
Tattoos
Is
Universal Atonement True? (1)
God's Hammer (11): Unbreakable
Scripture (Part 2)
Last time we heard Jesus quote
God in Psalm 82:6: "I said, Ye are gods," and then add that "the scripture
cannot be broken" (John 10:34-35). Thus according to the Son of God, the OT
declaration, "Ye are gods," cannot be loosened, undone, dissolved, annulled,
subverted, done away with or in any way deprived of its authority. Just as surely as God
"cannot lie" (Titus 1:2) and a man "cannot see the kingdom of God"
except he is born again (John 3:3), so it is absolutely and utterly impossible for this
statement to be invalidated: it cannot be broken! And why can it not be broken? Because it
is Scripture: "the scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35).
If this Scripture cannot be
broken, then no Scripture can be broken. (1) Psalm 82:6: "I said, Ye are gods"
is an otherwise obscure portion of the Bible. It is not found in the Decalogue or in a
Messianic prophecy or in a popular Psalm. If it were not quoted by Jesus in John 10, we
would otherwise have paid little or no attention to it. Yet if this obscure verse cannot
be broken, surely no verse can be broken. (2) The words, "I said, Ye are gods,"
are found in poetic, hymnic material designed to be sung. Someone could argue, "But
can you base an argument on a song written by Asaph in glowing lyrical verses?" Yes,
we can, for the Son of God did so in John 10 and He said that this Scripture cannot be
broken. If poetic material cannot be broken, surely explicit teaching material cannot be
broken. (3) Someone could also say that the declaration, "Ye are gods," is a
hyperbole, an overstatement. It is true that the judges in Israel were not gods in the
sense that they possessed divine attributes or were to be worshipped (cf. Ps. 82:1-8).
Rather they were called gods in the sense that God gave them the office of judge to
exercise His righteous judgment according to the standard of His Word (John 10:35). So
these words, "Ye are gods," when correctly explained, have binding, unbreakable
force. Thus other Scriptural statements, especially those in clear and literal language,
are unbreakable too. (4) If Psalm 82:6 had read, "Ye are judges," and not
"Ye are gods," it wouldn't have served Christ's argument. Christ here is
teaching us plenary inspiration, namely that God breathes every word of Scripture. This is
necessary for Scripture to be inerrant, without any mistakes. If even one word of
Scripture was not breathed forth by God, then it could be broken. And if not even one word
of Scripture can be subverted or annulled, how much more verses, or chapters or books?
So not just Psalm 82:6 or John
10:35, but all of the Scriptures are unbreakable and inerrant. Why? Because all Scripture
is God-breathed and the breathed Word of God is true and omnipotent. This is the
confession of true, saving faith.
Rev. Angus Stewart
Ye shall
not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the
Lord (Leviticus
19:28).
They shall not make
baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make
any cuttings in their flesh (Leviticus 21:5).
The question which accompanied
these texts reads: "Recently I was asked if it was OK for believers to have
themselves tattooed. I was told by some believers that there is nothing in Scripture about
this. What about these texts in Leviticus [above]? Further, the believer's body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost and we as believers are indeed priests: a royal priesthood and a
peculiar people (I Peter 2:5-9). Am I right in this matter, or is there a better
answer?" In my judgment the questioner is absolutely right in this matter. The whole subject is so important that it deserves
more explanation.
The first point that needs
emphasis is that many of the laws given to Israel were to forbid Israel to adopt the
customs of the heathen nations who formerly lived in the land of Canaan, and some of whom
continued to live in close proximity to God's chosen people (Judg. 2:1-5; 3:1-2).
Repeatedly in the law God warned Israel against adopting practices common among the
heathen nations. Most of these practices that Israel was forbidden to adopt were closely
associated with and connected to heathen religions. This is evident from the text itself
that forbad cuttings in the flesh "for the dead" (Lev. 19:28). But this is also
evident from times of apostasy in Israel where these practices were, to Israel's shame,
practiced (I Kings 18:28).
The nation of Israel was God's
chosen people, the church of the Old Dispensation, the nation that received God's
revelation of His truth and covenant, and the people from whom Christ was born according
to the flesh (Rom. 9:4-5). Because they were God's people, they were commanded to live in
spiritual separation from the wicked nations that surrounded them. They were to dwell
alone, spiritually isolated from the wicked (Deut. 33:26-29). They were called to serve
the living God and not idols. And they were called to serve their God in their whole life
and by all they did — in distinction from the heathen whose idolatry touched on every
part of their wicked life.
This is called the doctrine of
the antithesis, and it is outlined in the New Testament for the New Testament
church: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And
what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living
God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people ... Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the
fear of God" (II Cor. 6:14-16; 7:1).
It could be argued, I suppose,
that the OT laws are all fulfilled in Christ, and that, therefore, Leviticus 19:28 is also
fulfilled. But is this argument valid? While we would certainly never deny that Christ has
fulfilled the law for His church, it remains a fact that the question of the relevancy of
an OT law depends on the reason why it was given. It is clear that it was given to
distinguish God's people from the world. This reason remains relevant today, and thus the
point that the law makes — to live in spiritual separation from the world —
remains relevant. In my judgment, it cannot be argued that tattoos and body piercing can
be used to glorify God in our calling to live lives of service to Jesus Christ. Why? The
motive for tattoos and body piercing is very clear: to imitate the current fashions and
customs of the wicked world in which we live.
There are two movements in
western Christian nations today that go hand in hand. On the one hand, efforts are being
made to erase all references to Christianity from national life; on the other hand there
is a return to paganism. C. S. Lewis even argues that the entire feminist movement and
especially the reference to God as "she" are a return to pagan notions of
feminine deities. When people tattoo themselves and pierce their bodies they are reverting
to pagan practices — even as pagan religions are becoming increasingly popular.
"Christian" countries are becoming pagan once again. Tattooing and body piercing
are defiant gestures against the true God and are indicative of a return to paganism.
As Christians, our bodies are
the temples of the Holy Ghost (I Cor. 6:19-20). This gives further Biblical support to the
Christian opposition to tattooing and body piercing. The argument is this. Because our
bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost, our bodies also belong to Christ. God saves our
bodies as well as our souls. In question and answer 1 of the Heidelberg Catechism, the
believer confesses that "with body and soul" he belongs to his faithful Savior.
Christ died to save our bodies. He will save them fully and perfectly in the resurrection
of the body in the day of His coming.
We love our bodies, not as
narcissistic body worshipers, but as those redeemed in body and soul. We love our bodies
for God's sake, because they are loved by God, redeemed in the cross, and destined to be
raised. Because of this, we treat our bodies with respect and are very careful what we do
with our bodies. The believer respects the human body as a creation of God, saved in the
blood of Christ. He cares for the body; does not unnecessarily endanger it; treats it with
respect; and, when death comes, care fully buries the body in the earth in the hope of the
resurrection. Body piercing and tattooing is, in reality, a thumbing of the nose at God by
doing to our bodies what we want and by refusing to acknowledge that they are God's.
Is Universal Atonement True? (1)
A number of readers have asked about the extent or purpose of the atonement, that is, For whom did Christ die? This question is especially important because many evangelicals today believe that Jesus shed His blood for everyone head for head excluding no one. This view is preached in many pulpits and widely promoted in books and pamphlets. But this position must be analyzed very carefully. Is it really true that Jesus gave His life to save absolutely everybody without exception? Let us ask some questions of this view.
(1) How could the Triune God, who is possessed of infinite wisdom and understanding, send His dearly beloved Son to ransom from sin and Hell those who were already in Hell, a place from which the damned have no way out (cf. Luke 16:26)?
(2) God sent His Word to only one nation, the Israelites, during the Old Testament age, and “He hath not dealt so with any [other] nation” (Ps. 147:19-20; Acts 14:16). Moreover, Jehovah does not send the gospel in the New Testament age to everybody either (cf. Acts 16:6-8; Matt. 24:14). Why then would God send Christ to die for those who never hear the gospel and hence could never be saved (Rom. 10:14, 17)?
(3) The Bible teaches that Judas was “the son of perdition” (John 17:12), that is, a man wholly characterized by perdition, ruin and eternal destruction. Did Jesus really die for Judas when He knew that the Old Testament had already prophesied that Judas would betray Him (Ps. 41:9) and “go to his own place,” namely Hell (Acts 1:25; Ps. 109; John 17:12)?
(4) Scripture
states that God hated Esau (Rom. 9:13) but everywhere Christ’s atonement is
spoken of as the fruit of God’s love (e.g., John 3:16; 15:13; Rom. 5:8; I John 4:10).
How then could God send Christ in His infinite, eternal and boundless love (Eph. 3:18-19)
to die for Esau whom He hated? Rev. Angus Stewart
For more information, ask for two FREE pamphlets - God So Loved the World (by Homer C. Hoeksema) and Christ’s Predetermined Death (by Robert C. Harbach).