CHRISTIANITY, PAULINE OR NT?
HE GAVE HIMSELF FOR OUR SINS
(April 4, 2010)
KEY VERSE – It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal. 5:1) SECONDARY THEME VERSES: “A man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 2:16); “If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing” (Gal. 2:21).
THEME: Salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone releases us from the yoke of the law, freeing us to live a life of love through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Legal (Imputed) Righteousness: We are justified by faith in Christ (Gal. 2:16). Imparted Righteousness: Immediate Moral Change at conversion (Gal. 6:15); Gradual Moral Change through the fruit-growing work of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) which requires our cooperation (Gal 5:16-17, 25, 6:8). We cooperate by using CCRC (Concentration, Choice, Reflection, Confession/Thanksgiving. Key verse, “By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (Heb. 10:14)
Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Galatians 5:1-5)
REVIEW: Paul and Barnabas on a missionary trip around 44 AD spent two years in the southern area of the Roman province of Galatia (South Central Turkey) and started several churches. Judaizers (Jewish believers in Jesus who taught that to be saved one must also obey the Jewish ceremonial law) infiltrated these new churches and taught that t the new Gentile converts needed to follow Jewish law in order to be complete Christians. Paul wrote the “Epistle to Galatians” to counter this false teaching. To undermine Paul’s Gospel, the Judaizers started by undermining his apostleship. So in Galatians 1:1 Paul states his apostleship and in the first two chapters defends it.
Throughout history and especially in modern times Paul has been charged with establishing Pauline Christianity and of corrupting the teaching of Jesus. People want to separate the teachings of Jesus from those of Paul.
THEME: Salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone releases us from the yoke of the law, freeing us to live a life of love through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Key Verses: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal. 5:1) “A man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 2:16); “If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing” (Gal. 2:21).
CHRISTIANITY, PAULINE OR NT?
(He gave Himself for our sins)
1. Paul’s Statements on the Purpose of the Cross.
2. The Last Supper in the Upper Room
3. Drinking the “Cup” the Father Gave Him.
4. The Cry of Abandonment on the Cross
INTRO: THE CHARGE – PAULINE CHRISTIANITY
The basic charge is that the religion of Jesus has been stolen. And Paul was the chief culprit. A book recently written has the title “Stealing Jesus.”
Paul’s writings (include) teachings that are radically different from the original teachings of Jesus. . . . Paul transmuted Jesus the Jewish Messiah into the universal Savior. . . . Paul took over the faith and transformed the Jewish teacher to the Son of God . . . . [Some say that] Paul distorted the original and true faith or claim that Christianity is, largely, his invention. . . . (Quotes taken from Wikipedia, “Pauline Christianity”)
“Paul is regarded as the great interpreter of Jesus’ mission, who explained, in a way that Jesus himself never did, how Jesus’ life and death fitted into a cosmic scheme of salvation. (Lewis Loflin)
Paul’s originality lies in his conception of the death of Jesus as saving mankind from sin. (Sierra Reference Encyclopedia)
I. PAUL’S STATEMENTS ON PURPOSE OF THE CROSS
“…who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, . . . “ (Gal. 1:4)
QUESTION: Can you think of any other verses in Galatians that state plainly the purpose of the cross?
“…the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20)
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, .…” (Gal. 3:13)
QUESTION: Can you think of any other statements from Paul that state concisely the meaning of the Cross?
“He was delivered to death for our sins . . . “ (Romans 4:25)
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (II Cor. 5:21)
“Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Eph. 5:2)
“Who gave himself a ransom for all men – “ (I Tim. 2:6)
“Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness.” (Titus 2:14)
QUESTION: Can you think of any saying of our Lord Jesus about the purpose of His death that are as specific and clear as the Pauline statements above?
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)
Three events / statements in the last day of Jesus’ time on earth that tell plainly the purpose of His death!
II. THE LAST SUPPER IN THE UPPER ROOM
READ: Matthew 26:26-30
QUESTION: How would you describe what our Lord’s main purpose was in this passage?
1. HIS DEATH IS TO BE CENTRAL IN OUR FAITH
He is giving instructions for His own memorial service. “This do in the remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19)
We always hold a memorial service for a person who dies. We do it one time. In some cultures they might hold a second one after 8 days, a third after 40 days and another after 100 days.
The Lord’s Supper is the only commemorative act authorized by our Lord. He did not authorize any commemorative acts to help us remember his birth, his words, his works. But we are told to remember His death.
2. HIS DEATH WAS FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mt. 26:28)
What is this covenant? God made a covenant with Abraham that He would bless his descendents. Later at Sinai, after he brought them out of Egypt, He renewed that covenant. The OT is the story of the Jewish nation breaking that covenant. Then 700 BC as listed in Jeremiah 31:31-34 God promises a New Covenant:
31 “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. 33 “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Our Lord sees his death as the establishing of this New Covenant and He sees His shed blood providing the forgiveness of sins to the extent that our sins will be remembered no more.
3. WE MUST APPROPRIATE HIS DEATH PERSONALLY
The Supper is patterned on that of the Passover, where the head of the household would say of the Passover food, “This is the bread of affliction which our fathers had to eat ….”
The Lord’s Supper is more than a dramatization or object lesson of His death. It is a participatory supper. The whole audience took part.
“They were not just spectators of this drama of the cross; they were participants.” (Stott, 70)
The Supper emphasizes the need to receive the sacrificial lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ personally. It is a picture of feeding on Him personally in faith.
It is not enough to know about His death; we must appropriate His death personally.
III. THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” . . . . 42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” (Mt. 26:38-42)
“Father, if you are willing take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)
Jesus heart was troubled as He thought of His coming death and wondered if He should ask the Father to save Him from it. Then He answers himself noting that this is the very reason that He came into the world. (John 12:27-28)
Luke records our Lord as saying, “I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!” (Luke 12:50)
The anguish was so intense that Luke said that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44)
QUESTION: In our Lord’s prayer, He talks about a bitter ‘cup.” What was that cup?
1. WAS THE “CUP” PHYSICAL SUFFERING?
After all of the rejection he had experienced so far it is ludicrous to think that he was afraid of pain, insult and death.
ILLUSTRATION: Socrates in the prison cell in Athens, according to Plato’s account, took his cup of hemlock without trembling or changing color or expressions. He then raised the cup to his lips, and very cheerfully and quietly drained it. When his friends burst into tears, he rebuked them for the absurd behavior and urged them to keep quiet and be brave. He died without fear, sorrow or protest. So was Socrates braver than Jesus? (Stott, The Cross of Christ, Pg. 74)
2. WAS THIS THE “CUP” MARTYRDOM?
Our Lord often told his followers to rejoice and be glad when they were insulted, persecuted and slandered. So didn’t he practice what he preached? The disciples in Acts 5:41 rejoiced after a flogging that left their backs bleeding.
ILLUSTRATION: Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch in Syria in the beginning of the second century, on his way to Rome, begged the church there not to attempt to secure his release lest they should deprive him of this honor (martyrdom)! ‘Let fire and the cross,’ he wrote, ‘let the companies of wild beasts, let breaking of bones and tearing of limbs, let the grinding of the whole body, and all malice of the devil, come upon me; be it so, if only I may gain Christ Jesus!’ A few years later in the middle of the second century, Polycarp, the eight-six-year-old Bishop of Smyrna, having refused to escape death either by fleeing or by denying Christ, was burnt at the stake, Just before the fire was lit, he prayed, ‘O Father, I bless thee that thou hast counted me worthy to receive my portion among the number if martyrs. (Stott, The Cross of Christ, Pg. 74-75)
Then you have our Lord in the Garden, prostate, sweating, overwhelmed with dread and grief, begging to be spared the drinking of the cup. How could he give inspiration to martyrs in coming ages and yet have such a hard time accepting death. Was His death different than theirs?
3. THE “CUP” – THE AGONY OF BEARING GOD’S WRATH
The ‘cup’ symbolized the spiritual agony of bearing the sins of the world, in other words, of enduring the divine judgment which those sins deserved.” (John Stott, The Cross of Christ, Pg. 76)
The Lord’s “cup” is a regular symbol of His wrath in the Bible.
This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You will drink your sister’s cup, a cup large and deep; it will bring scorn and derision, for it holds so much. You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, the cup of ruin and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria. You will drink it and drain it dry; you will dash it to pieces and tear your breasts. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD. (Ezekiel 23:32-34)
Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes men stagger. (Isaiah 51:17)
The cup our Lord was to drink, was a cup filled with the wrath of God poured out against the sin and sins of all people in all ages who ever lived in the world.
Our Lord bore the just punishment and its accompanying wrath for every sin of omission and commission ever committed by every person who ever lived on the face of the earth. The wrath of God culminated in this ‘just punishment’ Christ received on the cross.
‘Twas I that shed the sacred blood,
I nailed Him to the tree.
I crucified the Christ of God.
I joined the mockery.
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
ILL / OBJECT LESSON: (Have a large cup handy.) Society’s anger against sin defines itself in punishment equal to a crime. What is the just punishment for murder? Life imprisonment? Put it in the cup? The just punishment for child abuse? Put it in the cup. The just punishment for theft? Put it in the cup. The just punishment for anger? Put it in the cup. The just punishment for arrogance? For envy? For an act of selfishness? For failure to show appreciation? For lack of faith?
Christ felt, on the cross, the full wrath of God, that is the “just punishment” for all the sins that ever were and ever will be committed by all the people of the world.
When Peter drew the sword to help avert His arrest, Jesus said, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” (John 18:11)
IV. THE CRY OF ABANDONEMNT ON THE CROSS
When darkness came over the earth Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” (Mt 27:46)
Our Lord is quoting from a psalm of David, Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?”
When Christ was born, there was light at midnight, when He was crucified there was night at noon.
1. WAS THIS A CALL OF ANGER, UNBELIEF, DESPAIR?
If you claimed this you would be challenging the moral perfection of our Lord. You would be saying that He was guilty of unbelief.
2. WAS THIS A CRY OF LONLINESS?
This is the only place that the Lord Jesus does not call God “Father.” Was He experiencing “the dark night of the soul?” In such a state the children of God experience to approving smile, no commending voice, no manifestation of God’s favor.
Was the cry just an expression of ‘feeling’ abandoned and not an experience of ‘being’ abandoned?
3. WAS THIS A CRY OF VICTORY?
Some claim that the quoting of Psalm 22:1 is to reference His experience to the whole Psalm which later turns to triumph, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.” (vs. 22)
This interpretation seems odd. Why should Jesus quote the Psalm’s beginning if he was alluding to its end?
4. IT WAS A TRUE CRY OF ABANDONMENT
In John 16:32 our Lord said to His apostles, “But a time is coming and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my father is with me.”
But now the Father is not with Him. He is fully alone, abandoned.
“If Christ had died only a bodily death, it would have been ineffectual . . . Unless his soul shared in the punishment, he would have been the Redeemer of bodies alone.” (John Stott, The Cross of Christ, pg. 81)
“So then an actual and dreadful separation took place between the Father and the Son; it was voluntarily accepted by both the Father and the Son; it was due to our sins and their just reward; and Jesus expressed this horror of great darkness, the God-forsakenness, by quoting the only verse of Scripture which accurately described it, and which he had perfectly fulfilled, namely, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’
QUESTION: What is the determining factor in the intensity of grief one feels from rejection? What makes one experience of rejection greater than another? Why do some experiences of rejection hurt much less than others?
The grief and pain felt from rejection is going to be in direct relationship to the intensity and length of intimacy in a relationship. The Father and Son had a perfect, eternal relationship. There had always been this perfect, blissful, ecstatic circle of love in the Trinity. While the unity of the Trinity was not affected by the suffering of Christ, the intimacy was and our Savior experienced real abandonment.
SO WHAT?
1. There is no such thing as “Pauline Christianity.” There is only New Testament Christianity. Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ and Christ spoke through Paul.
2. Remember that every time you take the Lord’s Supper you are attending a Memorial Service for our Lord. The death of Christ, the cross of Christ is central to the Gospel, to the Christian religion.
3. The cup Christ drank was the cup of God’s wrath, filled with the just punishment of all my sins and the sins of the world.
4. The eternal ecstasy and intimacy of the Father and Son was broken when God the Father turned His back on His Son thus causing the abandonment of the Son while the Son bore God’s wrath, the just punishment for our sins.