Does Matthew 17:11 Promise a Future Coming of Elijah?

[Jesus] answered,

“Elijah does come, and he will restore all things.”

(Matthew 17:11, ESV)

How do sound teachers from Church history answer this question?

And Jesus answered and said unto them

By way of concession,

John Gill

Elijah indeed will come first. 

this is indeed a tenet of the Scribes, and it is also certain, that there is a prophecy in (Malachi 4:5) of the coming of Elias; of one that goes under that name, not of Elias the Tishbite, in person, but of one that was to come in his power and spirit,

John Gill

We have stated elsewhere the origin of that error which prevailed among the Jews. As John the Baptist was to resemble Elijah by restoring the fallen condition of the Church, the prophet Malachi (Malachi 4:5) had even given to him the name of Elijah; and this had been rashly interpreted by the scribes, as if Elijah the Tishbite (1 Kings 17:1) were to return a second time to the world. Christ now declares that every thing which Malachi uttered was true, but that his prediction had been misunderstood and distorted from its true meaning. “The promise,” says he, “that Eliah would come was true, and has been already fulfilled; but the scribes have already rejected Elijah, whose name they idly and falsely plead in opposing me.”

John Calvin

Christ allows the prediction (v. 11); “Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things; so far you are in the right.” Christ did not come to alter or invalidate any thing foretold in the Old Testament. Note, Corrupt and mistaken glosses may be sufficiently rejected and exploded, without diminishing or derogating from the authority or dignity of the sacred text. New-Testament prophecies are true and good, and are to be received and improved, though some hot foolish men may have misinterpreted them and drawn wrong inferences from them. He shall come, and restore all things; not restore them to their former state (John Baptist went not about to do that), but he shall accomplish all things (so it may be read), all things that were written of him, all the predictions of the coming of Elias. John Baptist came to restore things spiritually, to revive the decays of religion, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children; which means the same with this, he shall restore all things. John preached repentance, and that restores all things.

He asserts the accomplishment. The scribes say true, that Elias is come, v. 12. Note, God’s promises are often fulfilled, and men perceive it not, but enquire, Where is the promise? when it is already performed. Elias is come, and they knew him not; they knew him not to be the Elias promised, the forerunner of the Messiah. The scribes busied themselves in criticizing upon the scripture, but understood not by the signs of the times the fulfilling of the scripture. Note, It is easier to explain the word of God than to apply it and make a right use of it. But it is no wonder that the morning star was not observed, when he who is the Sun itself, was in the world, and the world knew him not.

Matthew Henry

And will restore all things. 

The Syriac and Persic versions render it, “shall perfect, or complete all things”, that are prophesied of him; and shall put a period to the law and the prophets, and close the Mosaic economy, and direct persons to Christ; in whom are the perfection of the law, and the fulfilling of the prophets.

The Arabic version reads it, “he shall teach you all things”; the whole of the Gospel being to be reduced to these two heads, repentance towards God, and faith in Christ; both which were taught by the true Elias: but the truest sense of the phrase is to be learned out of (Malachi 4:6) .

“He shall restore, he shall turn all things, the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers”; and as this is explained in (Luke 1:17) “he shall turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, and make ready a people prepared for the Lord”: which is other, and better sort of work, than what the Jews assign to their Elias, whom they expect, and whom they make to be a restorer of all things, in their way: they often speak of his purifying of things, or pronouncing things pure, that were defiled; and among others, that he will purify bastards, and, “restore them” to the congregation of the Lord.

Though Maimonides denies, that when he comes he will pronounce defiled that which is pure, or pronounce pure, that which is defiled.

They pretend, that he is now employed, and very busy, in writing everything that is done in every age; so that when he comes, he will be able to give an account of everything: and nothing is more common with them, than to say concerning any matter, that there is any doubt or difficulty about it, “let it be left till Elias comes”.

John Gill

This does not mean that John the Baptist restored them perfectly, but that he conveyed and handed them over to Christ, who would complete the work which he had begun. Now as the scribes had shamefully rejected John, Christ reminds his disciples that the impostures of such men ought not to give them uneasiness, and that it ought not to be reckoned strange, if, after having rejected the servant, they should, with equal disdain, reject his Master. And that no one might be distressed by a proceeding so strange, our Lord mentions that the Scripture contained predictions of both events, that the Redeemer of the world, and Elijah his forerunner, would be rejected by false and wicked teachers.

John Calvin

What do we pray for in the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer?

Q. 103. What do we pray for in the third petition?

A. In the third petition, which is, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven, we pray that God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Q. 192. What do we pray for in the third petition?

A. In the third petition, (which is, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,) acknowledging, that by nature we and all men are not only utterly unable and unwilling to know and do the will of God, but prone to rebel against his Word, to repine and murmur against his providence, and wholly inclined to do the will of the flesh, and of the devil: we pray, that God would by his Spirit take away from ourselves and others all blindness, weakness, indisposedness, and perverseness of heart; and by his grace make us able and willing to know, do, and submit to his will in all things, with the like humility, cheerfulness, faithfulness, diligence, zeal, sincerity, and constancy, as the angels do in heaven.

Westminster Larger Catechism

Lord’s Day 49 Q & A 124

Q. What does the third petition mean?

A. “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” means: Help us and all people to reject our own wills and to obey your will without any back talk.

Your will alone is good.

Help us one and all to carry out the work we are called to, as willingly and faithfully as the angels in heaven.

Heidelberg Catechism

What is the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer?

Your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

(Matthew 6:10, ESV)

And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.””

(Luke 11:2, ESV)

What the Bible says about doing God’s will

Let the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight, O Lord,
my rock and my redeemer.

(Psalm 19:14, ESV)

Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord!

Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,

who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!

You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.
Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!

Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.

I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.

I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me!

(Psalm 119:1–8, ESV)

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(1 Thessalonians 5:23, ESV)

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

(Hebrews 13:20–21, ESV)

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

(Matthew 7:21, ESV)

Then Jesus told his disciples,

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?

Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

(Matthew 16:24–26, ESV)

…saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.

Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

(Luke 22:42, ESV)

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

(Romans 12:1–2, ESV)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

(Titus 2:11–12, ESV)

What the Bible says about God helping us to do his will

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.

This is my rule in all the churches.

Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision.

Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision.

For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.

Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.

Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord.

Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.

So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.

(1 Corinthians 7:17–24, ESV)

Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.

Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

(Ephesians 6:5–9, ESV)

What the Bible says about us being unable and unwilling to know or do God’s will

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.

For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

(Romans 7:18, ESV)

They say to God,

‘Depart from us!
We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.’

(Job 21:14, ESV)

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

(1 Corinthians 2:14, ESV)

What the Bible says about us being prone to rebel against God’s word

For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

(Romans 8:7, ESV)

What the Bible says about us murmuring against God’s providence

And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

(Exodus 17:7, ESV)

And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt!

Or would that we had died in this wilderness!”

(Numbers 14:2, ESV)

What the Bible says about us being wholly inclined to do the will of our flesh and the devil

…in [trespasses and sins] you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

(Ephesians 2:2, ESV)

How we should pray concerning God taking away our natural blindness

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

(Ephesians 1:17–18, ESV)

How we should pray concerning God taking away our natural weakness

that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

(Ephesians 3:16, ESV)

How we should pray concerning God taking away our natural indisposedness

And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping.

And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

(Matthew 26:40–41, ESV)

How we should pray concerning God taking away our natural perverseness of heart

I have heard Ephraim grieving,

‘You have disciplined me,
and I was disciplined,
like an untrained calf;

bring me back
that I may be restored,
for you are the Lord my God.

For after I had turned away,
I relented,

and after I was instructed,
I struck my thigh;

I was ashamed, and I was confounded,
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’

(Jeremiah 31:18–19, ESV)

What the Bible says about knowing, doing, and submitting to God’s will

Let the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight, O Lord,
my rock and my redeemer.

(Psalm 19:14, ESV)

And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said,

“Let the will of the Lord be done.”

(Acts 21:14, ESV)

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(1 Thessalonians 5:23, ESV)

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

(Hebrews 13:20–21, ESV)

See also Psalm 119.

What the Bible says about doing God’s will with humility

He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice,
and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

(Micah 6:8, ESV)

What the Bible says about doing God’s will with cheerfulness

Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

(Psalm 100:2, ESV)

And [Job] said,

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked shall I return.

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord.”

(Job 1:21, ESV)

Then the king said to Zadok,

“Carry the ark of God back into the city.

If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place.

But if he says, ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.”

(2 Samuel 15:25–26, ESV)

What the Bible says about doing God’s will with faithfulness

and [Hezekiah] said,

“Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.”

And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

(Isaiah 38:3, ESV)

What the Bible says about doing God’s will with diligence

You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.

Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!

(Psalm 119:4–5, ESV)

What the Bible says about doing God’s will with zeal

For zeal for your house has consumed me,
and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.

(Psalm 69:9, ESV)

His disciples remembered that it was written,

“Zeal for your house will consume me.”

(John 2:17, ESV)

Do not be slothful in zeal,
be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord.

(Romans 12:11, ESV)

What the Bible says about doing God’s will with sincerity

Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.

Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

(Joshua 24:14, ESV)

May my heart be blameless in your statutes,
that I may not be put to shame!

(Psalm 119:80, ESV)

Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

(1 Corinthians 5:8, ESV)

For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.

(2 Corinthians 1:12, ESV)

What the Bible says about doing God’s will with constancy

I incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.

(Psalm 119:112, ESV)

What the Bible says about angels doing God’s will

Bless the Lord,
O you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!

Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!

(Psalm 103:20–21, ESV)

Above [the Lord] stood the seraphim.

Each had six wings:

with two he covered his face,
and with two he covered his feet,
and with two he flew.

And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

(Isaiah 6:2–3, ESV)

See that you do not despise one of these little ones.

For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

(Matthew 18:10, ESV)

Is it significant that Jesus was “crucified” instead of dying some other way?

Lord’s Day 15: Q & A 39

Q. Is it significant that [Jesus] was “crucified” instead of dying some other way?

A. Yes. By this I am convinced that he shouldered the curse which lay on me, since death by crucifixion was cursed by God.

Heidelberg Catechism

Bible Verses about Jesus being cursed in my place

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—”

(Galatians 3:10–13, ESV)

And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God.

You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.

(Deuteronomy 21:22–23, ESV)

James 1:1 – “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”

James, the slave?

The word servant is sometimes used to imply an abject and vile condition, as that of a slave; thus the apostle Paul says, “neither … slave nor free … for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28); for “slave” he uses the word James uses for servant.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

(Galatians 3:28, ESV)

This great apostle, James, thinks it an honor to be the servant of God. The lowest ministry and office for God is honorable.

But why not “apostle”?

James was well known

He does not mention his apostleship, first, because there was no need, as he was eminent in the opinion and reputation of the churches; therefore Paul says he was reputed to be a pillar of the Christian faith (Galatians 2:9). Paul, whose apostleship was openly questioned, often asserted it.

and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

(Galatians 2:9, ESV)

An apostle doesn’t need to mention his apostleship in every letter

Secondly, Paul himself does not call himself an apostle in every letter.

Sometimes his style is, “Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus” (Philemon 1); sometimes “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:1); sometimes nothing but his name Paul is prefixed, as in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 2 Thessalonians 1:1.

Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker

(Philemon 1, ESV)

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

(Philippians 1:1, ESV)

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

(1 Thessalonians 1:1, ESV)

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

(2 Thessalonians 1:1, ESV)

James 1:1 – “And of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Some people take both these clauses to apply to the same person and read it thus: “A servant of Jesus Christ who is God and Lord”; indeed this was one of the verses that the Greek fathers used when arguing, against the Arians, for the Godhead of Christ.

But our reading, which separates the clauses, is to be preferred as less forced and more suitable to the apostolic inscriptions.

Christ and the Father are one

Neither is the dignity of Christ impaired hereby, as he is the object of equal honor with the Father; as the Father is Lord, as well as Jesus Christ, so Jesus Christ is God, as well as the Father.

Christ commissioned James

Well, then, James is not only God’s servant by the right of creation and providence, but Christ’s servant by the right of redemption; yes, especially appointed by Christ as Lord—that is, as mediator and head of the church—to do him service as an apostle.

Serving Christ is serving God

I suppose there is some special reason for this distinction, a servant of God and of … Christ, to show his countrymen that in serving Christ he served the God of his fathers, as Paul pleaded in Acts 26:6-7.

And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day.

And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king!

(Acts 26:6–7, ESV)

Spiritual relationship with Christ better than physical

So James, the Lord’s kinsman, calls himself the Lord’s servant.

Note that inward privileges are the best and most honorable, and spiritual relationship is preferred to physical.

Mary was happier having Christ in her heart than in her womb, and James in being Christ’s servant rather than his brother.

Christ himself speaks about this in Matthew 12:47-50.

But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”

And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!

For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

(Matthew 12:47–50, ESV)

The truest relationship to Christ is founded on grace, and we are far happier receiving him by faith than touching him by blood.

Whoever endeavors to do his will may be as sure of Christ’s love and esteem as if he were linked to him by the closest outward relationship.

No dishonor for the highest to be Christ’s servant

It is no dishonor for the highest to be Christ’s servant.

James, whom Paul calls “a pillar”, calls himself a servant of … Christ; and David, a king, says, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked” (Psalm 84:10).

For a day in your courts
is better than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

(Psalm 84:10, ESV)

Idolatrous Levites punished to be doorkeepers

The office of the Nethinim, or doorkeepers in the temple, was the lowest; and therefore when the question was proposed what they should do with the Levites who had moved away from God to idols, God says, “They must bear the shame”; that is, they shall be degraded and employed in the lowest offices and ministries of the temple, as porters and doorkeepers (see Ezekiel 44:1013).

But the Levites who went far from me, going astray from me after their idols when Israel went astray, shall bear their punishment.

They shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple.

They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before the people, to minister to them.

Because they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have sworn concerning them, declares the Lord God, and they shall bear their punishment.

They shall not come near to me, to serve me as priest, nor come near any of my holy things and the things that are most holy, but they shall bear their shame and the abominations that they have committed.

(Ezekiel 44:10–13, ESV)

Yet David says, “I would rather be a doorkeeper”; human honor and greatness is nothing compared with this.

Paul found honor in lowliness

Paul was “a Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5)—that is, from an ancient Hebrew race and extraction, there being, to the memory of man, no proselyte in his family or among his ancestors, which was seen as a very great honor by that nation.

circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;

(Philippians 3:5, ESV)

Yet Paul says he counts everything dung and dogs’ meat in comparison with an interest in Christ Jesus (see Philippians 3:8).

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

(Philippians 3:8, ESV)

The highest in the Church are only servants

The highest ranks in the church are still only servants: James, a servant. See 2 Corinthians 4:1.

“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.”

(2 Corinthians 4:1, ESV)

The sin of Corinth was man-worship, giving excessive honor and respect to those teachers whom they admired, setting them up as heads of factions and giving up their faith to their dictates.

The apostle seeks to reclaim them from that error, by showing that they are not masters but ministers: give them the honor of a minister and steward, but not that dependence which is due only to the Master. See 2 Corinthians 1:24.

Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.

(2 Corinthians 1:24, ESV)

We are not to prescribe articles of faith but explain them.

Ministers are not to be masters of our consciences

So the apostle Peter bids the elders not to lord it over God’s heritage (see 1 Peter 5:3), not to have mastery over their consciences.

not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

(1 Peter 5:3, ESV)

Our work is mere service, and we can but persuade; Christ must impose himself upon the conscience.

Matthew 23:10 – “Neither be called instructors”

This is Christ’s own advice to his disciples in Matthew 23:10: “Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ.”

Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.

(Matthew 23:10, ESV)

All the authority and success of our teaching is from our Lord.

We can prescribe nothing as necessary to be believed or done that is not according to his will or word.

In short, we come not in our own name and must not act with respect to our own ends; we are servants.

Honor the Father and the Son

In everything we do we must honor the Father, and also the Son: “all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father” (John 5:23); that is, God will be honored and worshiped only in Christ.

…that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.

Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

(John 5:23, ESV)

“Trust in God; trust also in me” (John 14:1).

Let not your hearts be troubled.

Believe in God; believe also in me.

(John 14:1, ESV)

Believing is the highest worship and respect of the creature; you must give it to the Son, to the second person as mediator, as well as to the Father.

Look for the acceptance of your work in Christ

Do duties so as to honor Christ in them; and so:

First, look for their acceptance in Christ.

It would be sad if we were only to look to God the Father in our work.

Adam hid himself and did not dare to come into God’s presence until the promise of Christ.

The hypocrites cried, “Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?” (Isaiah 33:14).

The sinners in Zion are afraid;
trembling has seized the godless:

“Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire?
Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?”

(Isaiah 33:14, ESV)

Guilt can form no other thought about God when looking upon him apart from Christ; we can see nothing but majesty armed with wrath and power.

But now it is said that “in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Ephesians 3:12); for in Christ those attributes that are in themselves terrible become sweet and comforting, just as water, which is salt in the ocean, once strained through the earth, becomes sweet in the rivers.

in [Christ] we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

(Ephesians 3:12, ESV)

Look for your assistance from Christ

Second, look for your assistance from him. You serve God in Christ:

a. When you serve God through Christ: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

(Philippians 4:13, ESV)

When your own hands are in God’s work, your eyes must look to Christ’s hands for support in it: see Psalm 123:2; you must go about God’s work with his own tools.

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he has mercy upon us.

(Psalm 123:2, ESV)

Have an eye for the concerns of Jesus Christ in all your service of God

b. When you have an eye for the concerns of Jesus Christ—in all your service of God (2 Corinthians 5:15).

and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

(2 Corinthians 5:15, ESV)

We must “live … for him who died for [us]”; not only for God in general, but for him, for God who died for us.

You must see how you advance his kingdom, propagate his truth, further the glory of Christ as mediator.

Do all for Christ’s sake

c. When all is done for Christ’s sake.

In Christ God has a new claim on you, and you are bought with his blood, that you may be his servants.

Under the law the great argument for obedience was God’s sovereignty: do so-and-so, “I am the Lord”— as in Leviticus 19:37.

And you shall observe all my statutes and all my rules, and do them:

I am the Lord.

(Leviticus 19:37, ESV)

Now the argument is gratitude, God’s love in Christ: “For Christ’s love compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;

(2 Corinthians 5:14, ESV)

The apostle often persuades with that motive: be God’s servants for Christ’s sake.

– An Exposition of the Epistle of James by Thomas Manton

James 1:1 – Who is “James”?

There were two people of this name James—the son of Zebedee, and the son of Alphaeus (James the Less); the latter is the author of this letter.

Was there a thirteenth apostle names Chobliham or Oblias?

Many of the ancients thought that there was a third person called James— James the brother of the Lord, also called Chobliham, or Oblias, or James the Just, who they thought was not an apostle but Bishop of Jerusalem. Jerome calls him the thirteenth apostle.

James, an apostle, pillar, and brother of the Lord

But there were only two Jameses, this latter James being the same as the son of Alphaeus; for plainly the brother of the Lord is reckoned among the apostles in Galatians 1:19 and is called a pillar in Galatians 2:9; and he is called the brother of the Lord because he was in the family of which Christ was a member.

“But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.”

(Galatians 1:19, ESV)

“and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.”

(Galatians 2:9, ESV)

Well, then, there being two, to which of these is the letter to be ascribed?

James the son of Zebedee couldn’t be the author

The whole stream of antiquity carries it for the brother of the Lord, who, as I said, is the same as James the son of Alphaeus; and with good reason, the son of Zebedee being beheaded long before by Herod, from the very beginning of the preaching of the Gospel (Acts 12:2).

“He killed James the brother of John with the sword,”

(Acts 12:2, ESV)

But this letter must be of a later date, as it alludes to some passages already written and notes the degeneration of the church, which was not the condition of the church at the beginning.

James the Less is the person whom we have found to be the instrument whom the Spirit of God made use of to convey this treasure to the church.

James’ offices

He was by his private calling a husbandman, by public office in the church an apostle, and was especially called to visit the church in and around Jerusalem, either because of his eminency and being a close relation of Christ, or for the great esteem he had gained among the Jews.

James’ location

And therefore, when the other apostles were going to and fro disseminating the Word of life, James was often found at Jerusalem. (See Galatians 1:18-19; Acts 1:14, 21; 15; etc.)

“Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.”

(Galatians 1:18–19, ESV)

“All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”

(Acts 1:14, ESV)

“So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,”

(Acts 1:21, ESV)

“In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said,”

(Acts 1:15, ESV)

James’ personal holiness

By disposition he was very strict and exceedingly just, and so was called James the Just. He drank neither wine nor strong drink and ate no meat.

His knees were like a camel’s hoof through frequent prayer.

He died a martyr.

Why is James called “the Lord’s brother”?

He was Christ’s close relative and, therefore, in a Hebraism, is called “the Lord’s brother” (Galatians 1:19)— not properly and strictly, as Joseph’s son (though some of the ancients thought he was, by a former marriage), but his cousin.

“But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.”

(Galatians 1:19, ESV)

– An Exposition of the Epistle of James by Thomas Manton

Why did Jesus suffer “under Pontius Pilate” as his judge?

Lord’s Day 15: Q & A 38

Q. Why did [Jesus] suffer “under Pontius Pilate” as judge?

A. So that he, though innocent, might be condemned by an earthly judge, and so free us from the severe judgment of God that was to fall on us.

Heidelberg Catechism

What does the Bible say about the innocent Jesus being condemned by an earthly judge?

Why did Jesus suffer “under Pontius Pilate” as judge?

So that Jesus, though innocent, might be condemned by an earthly judge,

Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them,

“You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people.

And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him.

Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us.

Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him.

I will therefore punish and release him.”

But they all cried out together,

“Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder.

Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!”

A third time he said to them,

“Why?

What evil has he done?

I have found in him no guilt deserving death.

I will therefore punish and release him.”

But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified.

And their voices prevailed.

So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted.

(Luke 23:13–24, ESV)

Pilate went out again and said to them,

“See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”

(John 19:4, ESV)

From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out,

“If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend.

Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”

So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha.

Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover.

It was about the sixth hour.

He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”

They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!”

Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”

The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus,

(John 19:12–16, ESV)

What does the Bible say about Jesus freeing us from the judgment of God?

and so free us from the severe judgment of God that was to fall on us.

Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.

(Isaiah 53:4–5, ESV)

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

(2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV)

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written,

“Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

(Galatians 3:13, ESV)

What does the Apostles’ Creed mean when it says that Jesus “suffered”?

Lord’s Day 15: Q & A 37

Q. What do you understand by the word “suffered” [in the Apostles’ Creed]?

A. That during his whole life on earth, but especially at the end, Christ sustained in body and soul the wrath of God against the sin of the whole human race.
This he did in order that, by his suffering as the only atoning sacrifice, he might deliver us, body and soul, from eternal condemnation, and gain for us God’s grace, righteousness, and eternal life.

Heidelberg Catechism

What does the Bible say about Christ enduring God’s wrath against human sin?

What do you understand by the word “suffered”?

That during his whole life on earth, but especially at the end, Christ sustained in body and soul the wrath of God against the sin of the whole human race.

“Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

(Isaiah 53, ESV)

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed.”

(1 Peter 2:24, ESV)

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,”

(1 Peter 3:18, ESV)

What does the Bible say about Christ being the only atoning sacrifice for our sin?

This he did in order that, by his suffering as the only atoning sacrifice,

“[Christ] God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.
This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”

(Romans 3:25, ESV)

“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

(Hebrews 10:14, ESV)

“He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

(1 John 2:2, ESV)

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

(1 John 4:10, ESV)

What does the Bible say about Christ delivering us from eternal condemnation?

he might deliver us, body and soul, from eternal condemnation,

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.
By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

(Romans 8:1–4, ESV)

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—”

(Galatians 3:13, ESV)

What does the Bible say about Christ gaining for his people God’s grace, righteousness, and eternal life?

and gain for us God’s grace, righteousness, and eternal life.

““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

(John 3:16, ESV)

“[We] are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.
This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

(Romans 3:24–26, ESV)

What do we pray for in the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer?

What do we pray for in the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism?

Q. 102. What do we pray for in the second petition [of the Lord’s Prayer]?

A. In the second petition, which is, Thy kingdom come, we pray that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed; and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it; and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened.

Westminster Shorter Catechism

What do we pray for in the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer?

What is the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer?

In the second petition, which is, Thy kingdom come, we pray …

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

(Matthew 6:10, ESV)

“And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.”

(Luke 11:2, ESV)

What does the Bible say about Satan’s kingdom being destroyed?

That Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed;

“Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.
And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.
How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

(Matthew 12:25–28, ESV)

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

(Romans 16:20, ESV)

“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

(1 John 3:8, ESV)

What does the Bible say about the kingdom of grace being advanced?

and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced,

“May [“the king”] have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust! May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!”

(Psalm 72:8–11, ESV)

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

(Matthew 24:14, ESV)

“Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”

(1 Corinthians 15:24–25, ESV)

What does the Bible say about ourselves and others being brought into and kept in the kingdom?

ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it;

“Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!”

(Psalm 119:5, ESV)

“but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.
And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.””

(Luke 22:32, ESV)

“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men.
For not all have faith.
But the Lord is faithful.
He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command.
May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.”

(2 Thessalonians 3:1–5, ESV)

What does the Bible say about the kingdom of glory being hastened?

and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened.

“He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”
Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus!”

(Revelation 22:20, ESV)

What do we pray for in the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer according to the Westminster Larger Catechism?

Q. 191. What do we pray for in the second petition [of the Lord’s Prayer]?

A. In the second petition, (which is, Thy kingdom come,) acknowledging ourselves and all mankind to be by nature under the dominion of sin and Satan, we pray, that the kingdom of sin and Satan may be destroyed, the gospel propagated throughout the world, the Jews called, the fullness of the Gentiles brought in; the church furnished with all gospel officers and ordinances, purged from corruption, countenanced and maintained by the civil magistrate: that the ordinances of Christ may be purely dispensed, and made effectual to the converting of those that are yet in their sins, and the confirming, comforting, and building up of those that are already converted: that Christ would rule in our hearts here, and hasten the time of his second coming, and our reigning with him forever: and that he would be pleased so to exercise the kingdom of his power in all the world, as may best conduce to these ends.

Westminster Larger Catechism

What do we pray for in the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer?

What is the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer?

In the second petition, (which is, Thy kingdom come,)

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

(Matthew 6:10, ESV)

“And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.”

(Luke 11:2, ESV)

What does the Bible say about everyone being under the dominion of sin and Satan?

acknowledging ourselves and all mankind to be by nature under the dominion of sin and Satan,

“in which [trespasses and sins] you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

(Ephesians 2:2–3, ESV)

we pray,

What does the Bible say about the kingdom of sin and Satan being destroyed?

that the kingdom of sin and Satan may be destroyed,

“God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him!”

(Psalm 68:1, ESV)

“You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.”

(Psalm 68:18, ESV)

“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

(Revelation 12:10–11, ESV)

What does the Bible say about the gospel being propagated throughout the world?

the gospel propagated throughout the world,

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.”

(Psalm 67:1–2, ESV)

“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you,”

(2 Thessalonians 3:1, ESV)

What does the Bible say about the Jews being called?

the Jews called,

“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for [the Jews] is that they may be saved.”

(Romans 10:1, ESV)

What does the Bible say about the fullness of the Gentile being brought in?

the fullness of the Gentiles brought in;r

“I am praying for them.
I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.”

(John 17:9, ESV)

““I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,”

(John 17:20, ESV)

“Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;”

(Romans 11:25–26, ESV)

“To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.

God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!”

(Psalm 67, ESV)

What does the Bible say about the Church being furnished with gospel officers and ordinances?

the church furnished with all gospel officers and ordinances,

“therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.””

(Matthew 9:38, ESV)

“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you,”

(2 Thessalonians 3:1, ESV)

What does the Bible say about us being purged from corruption?

purged from corruption,

“For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering.
For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.”

(Malachi 1:11, ESV)

““For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord.”

(Zephaniah 3:9, ESV)

What does the Bible say about the Church’s relationship to the civil magistrate?

countenanced and maintained by the civil magistrate:

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

(1 Timothy 2:1–2, ESV)

“Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers.
With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.””

(Isaiah 49:23, ESV)

What does the Bible say about the ordinances or sacraments of Christ?

that the ordinances of Christ may be purely dispensed, and made effectual to the converting of those that are yet in their sins, and the confirming, comforting, and building up of those that are already converted:

“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.””

(Acts 4:29–30, ESV)

“…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

(Ephesians 6:18–20, ESV)

“I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,”

(Romans 15:29–30, ESV)

“so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.”

(Romans 15:32, ESV)

“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,”

(2 Thessalonians 1:11, ESV)

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.”

(2 Thessalonians 2:16–17, ESV)

What does the Bible say about Christ ruling in our hearts?

that Christ would rule in our hearts here,

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,…”

(Ephesians 3:14–20, ESV)

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.
And be thankful.”

(Colossians 3:15, ESV)

What does the Bible say about Christ’s second coming and our reigning with him forever?

and hasten the time of his second coming, and our reigning with him forever:

“He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”
Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus!”

(Revelation 22:20, ESV)

“if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;”

(2 Timothy 2:12, ESV)

“waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!”

(2 Peter 3:12, ESV)

What does the Bible say about Christ exercising his kingdom power in all the world?

and that he would be pleased so to exercise the kingdom of his power in all the world, as may best conduce to these ends.

“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence— as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence!”

(Isaiah 64:1–2, ESV)

“And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever.
They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.””

(Revelation 4:8–11, ESV)

What do we pray for in the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer according to the Heidelberg Catechism?

Lord’s Day 48: Q & A 123

Q. What does the second petition mean?

A. “Your kingdom come” means:
Rule us by your Word and Spirit in such a way that more and more we submit to you.
Preserve your church and make it grow.
Destroy the devil’s work; destroy every force which revolts against you and every conspiracy against your holy Word.
Do this until your kingdom fully comes, when you will be all in all.

Heidelberg Catechism

What does the Bible say about God ruling us by his word and Spirit – and our submission to him?

What does the second petition mean? “Your kingdom come” means:

Rule us by your Word and Spirit in such a way that more and more we submit to you.

“Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!”

(Psalm 119:5, ESV)

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

(Psalm 119:105, ESV)

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”

(Psalm 143:10, ESV)

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you.”

(Matthew 6:33, ESV)

What does the Bible say about God preserving his Church and making it grow?

Preserve your church and make it grow.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May they be secure who love you!
Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!
For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.

(Psalm 122:6–9, ESV)

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

(Matthew 16:18, ESV)

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.
And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

(Acts 2:42–47, ESV)

What does the Bible say about destroying the devil’s work?

Destroy the devil’s work; destroy every force which revolts against you and every conspiracy against your holy Word.

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

(Romans 16:20, ESV)

“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

(1 John 3:8, ESV)

What does the Bible say about Christ’s kingdom fully coming?

Do this until your kingdom fully comes, when you will be all in all.

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

(Romans 8:22–23, ESV)

“When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.”

(1 Corinthians 15:28, ESV)

“The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.”
And let the one who hears say, “Come.”
And let the one who is thirsty come;
let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”

(Revelation 22:17, ESV)

“He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”
Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus!”

(Revelation 22:20, ESV)

Psalm 8 Meaning

Brothers and sisters, please turn with me in your Bibles to the eighth Psalm.

We’ll be considering Psalm 8 this evening.

So, please hear with me a reading of God’s word in Psalm 8.

TO THE CHOIRMASTER:
ACCORDING TO THE GITTITH.
A PSALM OF DAVID.

1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.

2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength
because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,

7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8:1-9 ESV

Thus far is the reading of God’s word.

Psalm 8 Meaning Structure

So, brothers and sisters, let’s begin by noticing the structure of this psalm.

From Heaven to Earth

This psalm begins and ends declaring God’s majestic character. And in between those two declarations, we have two movements from heaven to earth.

The first of these movements is in the last part of verse 1 and all of verse 2. We start in heaven when the psalmist says – “You have set your glory above the heavens.” And then we move in our minds to earth, where he says – “Out of the mouth of babies and infants…” So, our gaze starts in heaven (verse 1) and works its way down to earth (verse 2).

The second movement from heaven to earth is found in verses 3 through 8. It begins with heaven again – “When I look at your heavens…” And then the response to that “look” of the psalmist is focused once more on earth where he says – “what is man that you are mindful of him…” – man and everything else described in those verses of course being on earth.

And even the book end declarations of God’s majesty being seen in all the earth (vv 1, 9) – they too follow this pattern of moving from heaven to earth. We have the Lord in his heavenly majestic splendor. And that splendor is displayed not only in heaven – but also “in all the earth.”

So, we see in this psalm this threefold movement in the words and mind of the psalmist from heaven to earth…

And this reminds us of the “Son of Man” spoken of later in this psalm who descended from heaven to earth so that his name might be marveled at through all the earth as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Psalm 8 Meaning Verses 1a and 9

Well, let’s then consider in more depth the declarations of God’s majestic name that appear at the beginning and ending of this psalm…

O LORD, our Lord

As we read this psalm with understanding, we’re praising in song the covenant-making and covenant-keeping God – the LORD.

We are personally and directly related to him – he is our Lord, our Master.

And the way that we’re related to our Lord is through the gracious New Covenant. In that covenant we’ve been united to Christ in a spiritual and living and eternal union. In this union, our sins have been forgiven – having been transferred to and paid-for by Christ with his blood. And his perfect righteousness has been imputed to us – so that it’s as if we had never sinned nor been a sinner.

Now, David – the human author of this psalm – knew of this blessedness (Rom 4 / Psa 32) and so do we – who have entered into this New Covenant of grace.

This Lord truly then is our Lord.

how majestic is your name in all the earth

Now, through this psalm we extol the name of the Lord – his character and actions.

We confess that God’s character and action are majestic and marvelous.

We declare that this is the case – not in a geographically-isolated sense – but rather in all the earth…

So, how exactly is our Lord’s name majestic in all the earth?

Psalm 8 Meaning Outline

How is Our Lord’s Name Majestic in All the Earth?

That’s what the rest of this psalm guides us to consider and confess for ourselves.

To summarize it – the Lord’s name is majestic in these two ways (and these will be our two points).

1) God uses the weakest of human creatures to confound his enemies (that’s the first two verses of this psalm) and …

2) God especially favors and cares for man despite our relative insignificance (verses 3-8).

Or more succinctly, Point #1 is Confounding and Point #2 is Caring.

Psalm 8 Meaning Confounding Enemies (verses 1b-2)

So, let’s focus first on our Lord’s universally majestic name… in his using the weakest of human creatures in order to confound his enemies – in verses 1 and 2…

You have set your glory above the heavens

We’re told that our Lord has “set [his] glory above the heavens.”

set your glory

So, whatever we can see as we look up into the night sky – and whatever exists beyond that sky and into the heavens – beyond and above all of that is where God’s glory is set.

And beyond perhaps what David may have fully understood, we know now that God the Father has set his Son above the heavens when he raised him from the dead.

Jesus, the glory of the Father

Psalm 24 calls Jesus the “King of glory.” Isaiah 40 and 60 speak of him as “the glory of the Lord.”

James calls the Son of God “the Lord of glory.” Hebrews speaks of Jesus as “the radiance of the glory of God.”

John the evangelist tells us that the Old Testament prophet Isaiah saw Christ’s glory and spoke of him when he recorded the events of Isaiah 6. That’s where Isaiah sees YAHWEH sitting on a throne in the temple with seraphim praising him constantly. Those angelic beings declare that “the whole earth is full of [Christ’s] glory.”

above the heavens

And this glory – that is our Lord Jesus Christ – was set above the heavens when he – after his crucifixion and resurrection – was raised from the dead and at last ascended above the heavens.

Paul says in Ephesians 4 that Christ who descended has also ascended “far above all the heavens.”

Our Lord passed through the heavens and is now exalted above those heavens according to Hebrews (4 & 7).

And because that’s where Christ – our exalted head – is currently, so too have we been “raised … up with him and seated … with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:6)

Out of the mouth of babies and infants…

Now, it’s from that highly exalted position that our Lord exerts his power on earth in the sense of what we’ve read in verse 2.

Certainly, the Lord can and does silence his enemies through physical babies and infants. The intricate way that they’re formed in the womb and how they’re sustained in their earliest years all speaks volumes as a testimony to God’s awesome power as we see it in the development and care of the smallest and most insignificant human creatures.

Did Jesus quote Psalm 8?

But we’re also reminded that our Lord quoted this exact verse when he entered Jerusalem for the final time in his earthly ministry.

You recall that the chief priests and scribes reacted against the praise that was being given to the “Son of David” by little children. Those men actually saw what the psalmist is praising the Lord for here in Psalm 8. They saw the wonderful or marvelous or majestic things that the Lord did in cleansing the temple and healing the blind and lame. He was confounding his enemies and caring for man even then.

But the response of those hard-hearted men was not praise – but indignation.

And in response to their criticism of him, Jesus quoted this very verse (Mat 21).

You might remember how those chief priests and scribes responded to Jesus’ quoting this verse…

It was exactly what this psalm says – stillness. They didn’t answer a word.

babies and infants

And brothers and sisters, we are those little children.

Jesus thanked the Father that he has revealed the things of the kingdom of heaven to us little children and not to the “wise and understanding” of this world (Mat 11).

Not many of us were wise or powerful or noble when God called us through the Gospel. And yet he uses us weak feeble creatures to shame and confound those who are wise and strong in this world. (1Co 1)…

to still the enemy and the avenger

Now, what is the impact of us praising the Lord even in the presence of his enemies?

They are stilled ultimately. The word there is Sabbath. They are caused to rest or to cease.

So, as the Church proclaims God’s law in this world, the result is that “every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God” (Rom 3). God causes the majority of his enemies to “cease” in this way.

But as we also proclaim the glorious gospel, God sees fit to give his elect rest – spiritual Sabbath rest – as those who were once formerly Christ’s enemies – laboring and heavy-laden as we were – come to him and take his yoke upon us (Mat 11).

Isaiah even says that “Kings shall shut their mouths because of [him/my servant] for that which has not been told them [the gospel] they see, and that which they have not heard they understand” (Isa 52:15).

And so, brothers and sisters, let’s not be ashamed to open our mouths and proclaim law and gospel as God gives opportunity – even and especially in the presence of God’s enemies. God will use that proclamation according to his will – whether to condemn the reprobate who have no desire to pursue Christ – or to gloriously save his elect. And he’ll do all of that through the means of our stammering and stuttering tongues…

So, we’ve meditated on our Lord’s universally majestic name – first, in his using the weakest of human creatures to confound his enemies in verses 1 and 2.

Psalm 8 Meaning Caring for Man (verses 3-8)

And now secondly – and lastly – we’ll consider our Lord’s universally majestic name – in his special care for man despite our relative insignificance – in verses 3-8…

Verses 3-4

We see once more the movement from heaven to earth as the psalmist’s contemplation of the heavens leads him to consider man’s place in God’s earthly creation – as we saw in verses 3 and 4.

Compared to the awesome work of God in the creation of the vast expansive heavens – mankind seems so insignificant. Why would God care for man when he’s created other things that are so much larger and more impressive and glorious?

Verses 5-8

And yet our God is mindful of us, and he does care for us. He demonstrated that in how he originally created us – according to verses 5-8.

What is meant by a little lower than the angels?

Despite us being nothing compared to the glory of heavenly bodies, yet God has made mankind just below the heavenly beings.

dominion over the works of your hands

Mankind has been put in the position of ruling over all of God’s good creation. How glorious that is!

… And yet, man fell in Adam – our original covenant head – when he sinned against God and broke the covenant which God had made with him in the garden.

Is Psalm 8 talking about man or Jesus?

And so now concerning all of these things that God had originally put under our feet – we have to admit as the author of Hebrews does, “At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him” – to man (Heb 2).

In other words, if you’re looking at this part of Psalm 8 and then you turn your gaze to our current world, the two don’t perfectly match up.

But that’s because Psalm 8 isn’t just about us. It’s not just about the first Adam and his posterity. It actually was intended by God to point forward to the last Adam and those whom he represents.

Who is the son of man in Psalm 8?

This is one reason why the Lord Jesus in his earthly ministry took to himself this title “Son of Man” from this very psalm. He’s the one in whom this psalm finds ultimate fulfillment.

How does Jesus fulfill Psalm 8?

The first Adam was indeed created a little lower than the heavenly beings – like this psalm says.

So was our last Adam, according to his human nature in the incarnation.

What does it mean to be crowned with glory and honor?

Was Adam crowned with glory and honor? Indeed he was!

The first Adam was crowned by God with glory and honor… by being created as the pinnacle of the creation week. And he was given authority to rule over God’s first and earthly creation.

But our last Adam was also crowned with glory and honor… in his being raised from the dead after suffering for our sins to pay in full the penalty due our sins.

under his feet

The first Adam had all of God’s creation put under his feet… And he lost it all through his sin.

But our last Adam through his obedience is now sitting at God the Father’s right hand until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet – as he currently rules in the midst of those very enemies (Psa 110).

Our last Adam must continue to reign until he has finally put all of those enemies under his feet (1Co 15).

And the glorious reality is that we are those who once were God’s enemies. And now, God the Father has put even us in subjection to Christ and made him our new covenant head – the head of the Church (Eph 1) – replacing the covenant headship of the first Adam over us.

More and better to come!

And so, these realities are what God has done for us in our last Adam.

But there’s of course even more to come for God’s blood-bought saints. “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, … God has prepared for those who love him” (1Co 2).

You might think that Adam had it good when he was granted dominion over the works of God’s hands in this first and earthly creation. But what about what lies in store for us in the new creation? With no sin or death or Devil! All things made new! Every enemy subdued! No crying or pain!

What will that be like?!

Application

So, brothers and sisters, what’s troubling you about your present situation? What part of this first and earthly and fallen creation is causing you distress?

Be of good cheer – your sins are forgiven in Christ! Comfort one another with these words – the Lord is reigning right now and he’s sovereign over all of your afflictions. And he will return for you – as he comes to finally still all of his enemies and put them under his feet… and to give us eternal rest.

You and I now reign in this spiritual kingdom of Christ where all things are being made new – and will be finally and perfectly renewed when our Lord – the Son of Man – that last Adam – returns at last to fully restore his entire creation.

Conclusion

And so, we exclaim with the psalmist to end this psalm, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

Brothers and sisters, let’s together lift up our hearts in prayer and praise to our majestic Lord as we pray to him now.

Romans 11 Commentaries

I just finished adding commentaries for Romans 11 from a few Reformed theologians.

You can find the comments of John Calvin, David Dickson, and John Brown for all 36 verses of Romans 11 (and from Robert Haldane for the first 11 verses) on our Romans 11 Meaning page.

I intend to return to Haldane later, but for now I’m planning to start studying along with my pastor who’s preaching through Galatians. Stay tuned for that.