The Relationship Between Christian Doctrine And Church Fellowship

Dunn said about The Letter to the Romans, “It is most important as being the first well-developed theological statement by a Christian theologian which has come down to us, and one which has had incalculable influence on the framing of Christian theology ever since--arguably the single most important work of Christian theology ever written.”1 Christianity in Rome likely began in the Jewish synagogues. Roman gentiles came into the church, but in 49 A.D. Jews were expelled from Rome. When Jewish Christians began to return to Rome there was likely tension between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians regarding orthopraxy (right action).2

It is obvious that Paul, in writing his theological statement that we call Romans had many purposes for writing it, but one of those purposes was to heal either potential or real division in the churches in Rome between Jewish and Gentile Christians.3 Therefore, the apostle begins the letter after a long greeting with a thematic statement (Romans 1:16-17) with three points: (1) The gospel is the power of God. (2) The gospel is for the purpose of salvation to all who believe, which includes both Jews and Gentiles. (3) The gospel reveals the righteousness of God through faith. The apostle quotes the Old Testament passage of Habakkuk 2:4 as a supporting text.4

Paul then begins to talk about the Gentile and human sinfulness (Rom 1:18-32), with which the Jews likely would have agreed. He then turns his attention towards the Jew, showing that while the Gentile sins without Law the Jew sins with Law. He then puts all humans under sin in the most concise statement on total depravity in all of scripture. (Rom 3:9-20) After this he turns his attention towards the only answer for all of humankind; (Rom 3:21-26) the God given grace received through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul then reinforces (Rom 3:27-31) that this gospel is for both Jew and Gentile.5

What about the promise to Abraham and his decedents? In (Rom 4:1-25) Paul expertly demonstrates that the true decedents of Abraham are the ones who have the faith of Abraham. He concludes with what this means for us, for the believer it means that we have peace with God. (Romans 5:1-21) In depicting the two men Adam and Christ he demonstrates that there are two possibilities for humanity; death in Adam or eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.6

In (Romans 6-8) Paul teaches on the subject of sanctification which includes the problem of sin, the problem of the Law, and the problem of the flesh and death. Then (Romans 9-11) he teaches on the issues of Israel, election, and the faithfulness of God. After laying down a firm foundation of Christian Orthodoxy (Right belief)  Paul’s doctrine (Romans 12-15:13) turns towards Orthopraxy (right action), explaining the practical outworking of the gospel.7

That outworking begins (Rom 12:1-2) by giving of yourself as a holy sacrifice for the other. Life for the believer revolves around a community of faith (Rom 12:3-8), because Christian faith is worked out in community. The way that believers interact with one another is in love. (Rom 12:9-21) Believers should live as good citizens (Rom 13:1-7) obeying the laws of the government. Believers are not only to love each other, but to love our neighbors who are outside of the fellowship. (Rom 13:8-10) All the while knowing that the end (final judgment) is coming; in Adam all die, but in Christ all will be made alive. The Jew should therefore open the door of fellowship to the gentile believer and the Gentile believer should open the door of fellowship to the Jewish believer.8

We have people within our local church who come from many different back grounds, races, ethnicities, educations, incomes, and ages. While there are many differences between us, we have something much greater in common that unites us: (1) We were all born in Adam dead in our tresspasses and sins. (2) We have all been given the God given gift of grace and have received that gift through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. (3) We are all being sanctified; therefore, our faith must be worked out in a community of believers. (4) We need the support and prayers of our community of faith, because as citizens of the Kingdom of God we presently reside in the kingdom of man.

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1 J. D. G. Dunn, “Romans, Letter to the” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, eds. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1993), 838.

2 J. D. G. Dunn, “Romans, Letter to the” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, eds. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1993), 838-839.

3 J. D. G. Dunn, “Romans, Letter to the” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, eds. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1993), 840.

4 J. D. G. Dunn, “Romans, Letter to the” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, eds. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1993), 844.

5 J. D. G. Dunn, “Romans, Letter to the” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, eds. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1993), 844-845.

6 J. D. G. Dunn, “Romans, Letter to the” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, eds. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1993), 846.

7 J. D. G. Dunn, “Romans, Letter to the” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, eds. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1993), 847-849.

8 J. D. G. Dunn, “Romans, Letter to the” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, eds. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1993), 849-850.

Unity in Christ

If I had to pick a single passage of scripture and say that it was my favorite, I would have to say that The High Priestly Prayer in John chapter 17 is that passage. It is my favorite for a number of reasons, but one of those reasons is in it the Lord prayed to the Father on behalf of the church for unity. (cf. John 17:20-23) In the epistle to the church at Ephesus 2:13-16 the apostle calls the Law of commandments the enmity. It is this enmity that divides the Jew and the Gentile. Paul established in Romans 1-3 that both Jew and Gentile are guilty, the Gentile without law and the Jew under the Law have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Therefore, both the Jews and the Gentiles alike are justified through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

J. D. G. Dunn in his Dictionary article “Romans, Letter to the” established three purposes for the apostle Paul in writing the epistle; missionary, apologetic and pastoral.1 With regards to Pastoral he said that Paul wrote to heal both a potential and real problem within the church in Rome.2 That problem was the enmity previously mentioned. Therefore, since Paul had established that both Jew and Gentile are under sin, and that Jew and Gentile are both Justified as a gift, by the grace of God, through faith in Christ Jesus there was no longer an enmity; therefore, Christian unity was now free to abound.

In Romans 12:1-2 he is telling the whole church both Jew and Gentile to give of themselves, and that their thinking about the way they saw the world is to be changed. By saying to give your bodies as a living sacrifice he was telling them to die to self. So then in chapter 15 we see what this looks like, in bearing the others weakness and not just pleasing yourself. So then he admonishes them to have one mind coming from the scriptures and not the world. That way the entire church could glorify God in unity. We all in Christ Jesus, Jew and Gentile are to accept one another and bear one another’s burdens. (Romans 15:1-7, cf. Gal 6:1-2)

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1 J. D. G. Dunn, “Romans, Letter to the” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, eds. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1993), 839-840.

2 Ibid.

What was the Rationale for Jesus Opponents?

In this blog post I would like to discuss the rationale for Jesus opponents. In order to understand their rationale, we need to ask and understand, who were the opponents? The main text for this post will be John 11:47-53.

“Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.” (John 11:47) The chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council. The Sanhedrin (council) was the supreme Jewish religious, political and legal court in Jerusalem in New Testament times.1 According to three Greek sources; the New Testament, Apocrypha and the Jewish historian Josephus there was a single body in Jerusalem.2 The Sanhedrin consisted of lay aristocracy and priest who were sympathetic to Sadducean theology; it also consisted of Pharisaic scribes. According to both the New Testament and Jewish historian Josephus, during the first century the chief priest were the leading figures in the Sanhedrin and the high priest was its president.3

Therefore, since the chief priest (one of the opponents of Jesus in John 11:47-53) were likely Sadducean sympathetic, we need to answer the question, who were the Sadducees? According to the Jewish historian Josephus they were one of three Jewish philosophies in the first century A. D., along with the Pharisees and the Essenes.4 The Essenes are not mentioned in the New Testament, however as a side note, I think that there is the possibility of Essene influence in John the Baptist.

Sadducees were popular among the wealthy, something to keep in mind when thinking about a rationale. They had significant power among the priest and within the Sanhedrin, again something to keep in mind. They were in competition for power with the Pharisees who were more popular with the general public. The Sadducees wanted to keep things as they were, and therefore pro-Roman.5 “The Sadducees believed in free will and denied the resurrection and the final judgment.”6 

The Pharisees were the other group mentioned in John 11:47-53, who like the Sadducees were members in the Sanhedrin council. The Pharisees were involved with local and national politics to preserve the highest goals of purity surrounding food, Sabbath and tithing.7 The Jewish historian Josephus says that the Pharisees had the ear of the people.8 This is something to keep in mind when thinking about a rationale. Also, Josephus said that the Pharisees believed in both providence and free will.9 In opposition to the views of the Sadducees, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection and final judgment. They were not satisfied with the status quo, and with their beliefs regarding providence and free will wrangled with how much they should work for political change, and how much they should wait for God to bring about change.10

I have established the opponents of Jesus to be members of the Sanhedrin council in Jerusalem, both Sadducees and Pharisees; two opposing Jewish philosophies who agreed and planned together to kill Jesus. (cf. John 11:53) So, what was their rationale for opposing and wanting to kill Jesus?

“If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” (John 11:48) There are three lusts that motivate men; fame, fortune and power. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16) The Pharisees were dependent on having the ear of the people. If all the people began listening to Jesus rather than them, then they would have no fame, no fortune and no power. They were members of the Sanhedrin, because they had the ear of the people. The Sadducees feared the Romans would come and take away their place of authority. When that happened, and it did in A.D. 70, the Sadducees were no more. Therefore, the rational for Jesus opponents, planning together to kill him was fear of losing fame, fortune and power. The fear that all men will believe in him (fame), and the Romans would come and take away their place (power) and nation (fortune).

  

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1 G. H. Twelftree, “Sanhedrin” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, eds. Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown and Nicholas Perrin (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013), 836.

2 G. H. Twelftree, “Sanhedrin” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, eds. Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown and Nicholas Perrin (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013), 837.

3 G. H. Twelftree, “Sanhedrin” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, eds. Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown and Nicholas Perrin (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013), 838.

4 M. L. Strauss, “Sadducees” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, eds. Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown and Nicholas Perrin (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013), 824.

5 M. L. Strauss, “Sadducees” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, eds. Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown and Nicholas Perrin (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013), 824-825.

6 M. L. Strauss, “Sadducees” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, eds. Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown and Nicholas Perrin (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013), 825.

7 L. Cohick, “Pharisees” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, eds. Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown and Nicholas Perrin (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013), 678-679.

8 L. Cohick, “Pharisees” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, eds. Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown and Nicholas Perrin (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013), 676.

9 L. Cohick, “Pharisees” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, eds. Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown and Nicholas Perrin (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013), 677.

10 Ibid.

The Theme of Christ’s Resurrection In Acts

On a certain day one of the brothers and I were making much of Jesus Christ at a local college campus when one of the students came up and said, “Christianity is a death cult, you Christians worship death.” I do not know where, or from whom this young man got his information, but it could not be any further from the truth. Christianity is a religion of life, we serve a risen Lord; in fact, without the resurrection we are like the apostle Paul said to be pitied. (cf. 1 Cor 15:16-19) Christianity centers on the person of Jesus Christ:

(1)   His bodily resurrection as witnessed by the apostles.

(2)   The promised bodily resurrection of all the dead in Christ at his return.

Christ’s resurrection is therefore a major theme in Acts, because it is the apostles witness of the resurrection of Christ and his promised return that motivates believers to spread the gospel.

The Acts of the Apostles which is a narrative history of the first century Christian Church begins with the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. The theme of Christ’s resurrection is a thread that holds together the entire narrative of the book and is paramount in the many speeches found therein. Why is the resurrection so very important? Liefeld said in his book (Interpreting the Book of Acts), “The resurrection and the ascension are important, among other reasons, because they signal God’s vindication of Christ.”[1]

“To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3) This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible, and not only this verse but the entire passage of Acts 1:1-11, which includes Jesus’ resurrection, ascension and promised return announced by angels. In verse 3, the “these” that the Lord presented himself alive to after his suffering were his chosen apostles, as understood from verse 2.

The betrayer Judas Iscariot had died and the disciples understood from scripture (Psalm 109:8) that he was to be replaced. The one to replace Judas had to meet certain qualifications; that being he was a follower of Jesus Christ throughout his ministry and he was a witness to Christ’s resurrection. (cf. Acts 1:22) You and I are not witnesses of Jesus Christ; we were not with him from the baptism of John, we are not witness of his resurrection, and we were not with him until he was taken up into heaven. His chosen apostles are his witnesses and it is their witness that we who believe in him must give to unbelievers and believers alike.

The apostles waited in Jerusalem until the day of Pentecost when they received the Holy Spirit. It is from this point onward that the apostles began to preach the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The first of which is Peter’s sermon recorded in Acts 2:14-36, with verses 24-32 specifying his resurrection from the dead. In Peter’s second sermon in the temple he once again spoke of Jesus death and resurrection. (cf. Acts 3:15) In Acts chapter 4 Peter and John were arrested by the Sadducees for preaching the resurrection in Christ Jesus, then they preached Jesus resurrection to the rulers who arrested them. (cf. Acts 4:2, 10) After this, in Acts 4:33 it says that the apostles were proclaiming the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Once again in chapter 5 the apostles were arrested and they once again proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus to the rulers of the people.

After this we have a departure from Jerusalem, the gospel began to go out to other places, even being proclaimed among the gentiles as Peter proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus Christ to the gentiles and they believed. (cf. Acts 10:40) In Paul’s first missionary journey he preached in the synagogue the resurrection of Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 13:30-37). In Athens among both the Athenians, Epicurean and Stoic philosophers he preached the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (cf. Acts 17:18, 32) When Paul was on trial before the Sadducees and Pharisees he said, “I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” (Acts 23:6) Finally in his defense before Agrippa he proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The apostles at Jesus arrest fled for their lives. What made these frightened men boldly go into the temple, synagogues and public arenas preaching in the name of Jesus Christ the resurrection from the dead? They saw Jesus, the Lord who promised eternal life to everyone who believes in him walk out of the grave alive. Therefore, we too should not fear men, but have our hope in the resurrection because the Son of God Jesus Christ is risen.

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[1] Walter L. Liefeld, Interpreting the Book of Acts (Grand Rapids, MI: Bakers Books, 1995), 81.