Thinking on Scripture with Dr. Steven R. Cook

Culture represents the values, traditions and behaviors of a society, and though culture is improvable, it is not perfectible. And even where positive change occurs, it’s difficult to perpetuate, largely because the people needed to sustain the change are few, flawed and temporary. A society’s culture is no better or worse than its leaders and the citizenry who support them; and at the heart of every problem is the problem of the heart. Apart from regeneration and a transformed mind and will, people will default to selfishness and sin, therefore, social problems continue. Furthermore, if we did make great improvements, we cannot guarantee succeeding generations will follow the good pattern set for them. Below is an OT example from 2 Kings of how the nation of Judah was improved from the top down by King Josiah, a strong leader who obeyed the Lord and led his people to do the same.

     The historical account in 2 Kings informs us “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath” (2 Ki 22:1). The record of Josiah’s reign was that “He did right in the sight of the LORD and walked in all the way of his father David, nor did he turn aside to the right or to the left” (2 Ki 22:1-2). When Josiah began his reign as a young boy, both he and his advisors were ignorant of God’s Word because it had been lost to the nation and no one knew its content. In his eighteenth year (2 Ki 22:3), Josiah sent Shaphan the scribe to the temple, saying, “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest that he may count the money brought in to the house of the LORD which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people” (2 Ki 22:4). Apparently, there was money collected “from the people” of Judah to fund a renovation project at the temple (2 Ki 22:5-7). That there were citizens in Judah who did this thing would imply some positive volition toward God. It was during this renovation project that a copy of the Mosaic Law was found in the temple (2 Ki 22:8-9), and the book was brought to the king and read in his presence (2 Ki 22:10), and “When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes” (2 Ki 22:11). The Word of God that he heard touched his sensitive heart and he responded properly. Then the king commanded some of his servants to inquire of the Lord (2 Ki 22:12), saying, “Go, inquire of the LORD for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the LORD that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us” (2 Ki 22:13). Josiah understood that Judah was experiencing God’s judgment because they had been unfaithful to abide by the terms of the Mosaic contract. Josiah’s servants consulted with Huldah the prophetess (2 Ki 22:14-15), who said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched’” (2 Ki 22:16-17). But then she had words for Josiah, the king, saying, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Regarding the words which you have heard, because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,’ declares the LORD. ‘Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place’” (2 Ki 22:18-20). Here we observe the axiom that “God is opposed to the

Spirituality is the life the Christian enjoys when properly living in dependence upon the Holy Spirit and walking according to Scripture.

In Scripture, we learn that the Holy Spirit is God (Gen 1:2; Acts 5:3-4), and He always directs believers to think and act in a manner consistent with His holy character. Under the Mosaic Law, only a select few persons received the Holy Spirit (Ex 31:1-5; Num 11:25; 27:18; 1 Sam 16:13), and that was conditioned on God’s sovereign purposes. Merrill F. Unger states:

"In Old Testament times the Spirit sovereignly came upon a few. Warriors, kings, prophets, and mighty men were temporarily filled to perform some special task, such as Gideon (Judg 6:34), Amasai (1 Ch 12:18), Samson (Judg 14:6), and Saul (1 Sam 16:13). Pentecost, however, marked a new era in which every believer, no matter how poor, humble, or obscure, might be constantly “filled with the Spirit.” This is the reason for the stress upon the infilling (Acts 2:4). What warriors, kings, prophets and mighty men then enjoyed only temporarily can now be enjoyed by every believer constantly (Acts 2:17–18)."[1]

     Under the Mosaic Law, the ministry of the Holy Spirit was conditioned upon holiness and could be forfeited due to heinous sin (Judg 16:20; 1 Sam 16:14-16; Psa 51:11); however, the removal of the Holy Spirit as an act of discipline did not mean forfeiture of salvation (Judg 16:28-30; 1 Sam 24:6, 10; 2 Sam 1:14-16; cf. Heb 11:32). During the Church age, the Holy Spirit convicts the unsaved about sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11). The specific sin mentioned by Jesus is that of unbelief that He is the Savior.

     The indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit for every believer was an innovation that was future from the time of Jesus’ ministry on earth (John 14:16-17; 16:7, 13). In the church age, all three Persons of the Godhead indwell every believer (John 14:16-17, 20, 23); however, the Holy Spirit has a special ministry which began on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:4-5; 2:1-4; 11:15-16; 1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:26-28), and will continue until the church is raptured to heaven (2 Th 2:7; cf. John 14:1-3; 1 Th 4:13-18; Tit 2:13). According to Thomas Constable:

"The Holy Spirit of God is the only Person with sufficient (supernatural) power to do this restraining…How does He do it? Through Christians, whom He indwells and through whom He works in society to hold back the swelling tide of lawless living. How will He be taken out of the way? When the church leaves the earth in the Rapture, the Holy Spirit will be taken out of the way in the sense that His unique lawlessness-restraining ministry through God’s people will be removed (cf. Gen 6:3)."[2]

     The Holy Spirit brings about our spiritual birth (John 3:3, 6-7; cf. 1 Pet 1:2-3, 23), baptizes us into union with Christ (1 Cor 12:13), indwells us (1 Cor 3:16; 6:19), and is Himself the seal (σφραγίζω sphragizo – a mark of ownership) that guarantees our future redemption and glory (Eph 1:13-14; 4:30). These blessings are completely the work of the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the Christian and occur at the moment of faith in Christ. These are facts based on objective statements in Scripture and are accepted by faith, not our subjective feelings. As Christians, we can grieve and/or quench the Holy Spirit with personal sin (Eph 4:30; 1 Th 5:19), and though we may suffer divine discipline because of personal sin (Heb 12:5-11), we cannot grieve Him away. The Holy Spirit works in the life of every Christian to glorify Jesus (John 16:14), to reveal Scripture directly and through gifted teachers (John 16:13-15; Eph 4:11-16), to illuminate Scripture and make it understandable/acceptable (1 Cor 2:11-13), and to promote the use of the believer’s spiritual gift for the edification of others (Rom 12:6-8; 1 Cor 12:4-10, 28-30; Eph 4:11; 1 Pet 4:10).

 

 

[1] Merrill F. Unger, “The Significance of Pentecost” Bibliotheca Sacra (1965): 174.

[2] Thomas L. Constable, “2 Thessalonians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor B

The more I understand God’s Word and the further I advance in my walk with the Lord, the more I realize the Christian life is a disciplined life. Discipline is doing what I ought to do, whether I want to do it or not, because it’s right. Christian discipline is living as God wants me to live, as an obedient-to-the-Word believer who walks by faith and not feelings. The proper Christian life glorifies the Lord, edifies others, and creates in me a personal sense of destiny that is connected with the God who called me into service.

     Paul, when writing to his young friend, Timothy, said, “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Tim 4:7).[1] Paul does not deny the benefit of bodily discipline, but, when compared to godly discipline, says it “is only of little profit” (1 Tim 4:8a). Godliness (εὐσέβεια eusebeia) denotes devotion to God and a life that is pleasing to Him. Paul prioritizes godliness, declaring it “is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim 4:8b). The word discipline in 1 Timothy 4:7 translates the Greek verb γυμνάζω gumnazo, which we bring into the English as gymnasium. In secular use, the word originally meant “gymnastic exercises in the nude: to exercise naked, train.”[2] It referred to how athletes trained in the ancient world. However, in the New Testament, the word was used figuratively “of mental and spiritual powers: to train, undergo discipline.”[3] The focus is on inward development of mind and character rather than the outward discipline of the body. And the discipline is to be ongoing (present tense), carried out by each believer (active voice), and executed as a directive by the Lord (imperative mood). The training is for godliness. According to Wiersbe, “Paul challenged Timothy to be as devoted to godliness as an athlete is to his sport. We are living and laboring for eternity.”[4] For Paul, godliness does not happen accidentally, but is connected with “the teaching that promotes godliness” (1 Tim 6:3 CSB). It is learned and lived on a daily basis.

     Disciplined Christians develop over time, as biblical thinking leads to wise actions, and wise actions develop into godly habits, and godly habits produce godly character. This brings Christians to the place of spiritual maturity, which is God’s desire for His children (Heb 6:1). The writer to the Hebrews references mature believers, saying, “solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (Heb 5:14). Maturity (τέλειος teleios) in this passage denotes one who has attained a level of spiritual growth, which glorifies God, edifies others, and is witnessed in the one who daily learns and lives God’s Word. Concerning maturity, Thomas Constables states, “A person becomes a mature Christian, not only by gaining information, though that is foundational, but by using that information to make decisions that are in harmony with God’s will.”[5] According to Wiersbe:

"As we grow in the Word, we learn to use it in daily life. As we apply the Word, we exercise our “spiritual senses” and develop spiritual discernment. It is a characteristic of little children that they lack discernment. A baby will put anything into its mouth. An immature believer will listen to any preacher on the radio or television and not be able to identify whether or not he is true to the Scriptures."[6]

     Baby believers can be spiritual because they are rightly related to the Holy Spirit and operating by God’s Word to the degree they know it. However, because of limited knowledge of God’s Word, they often default to human viewpoint in many situations and fall under the control of the sin nature, thus making them carnal Christians (1 Cor 3:1-4). In contrast, mature believers have a greater depth of knowledge concerning God’s Word and utilize it often as the Spirit leads. The word practice (ἕξις hexis) refers to “a repeated activity—practic

In his letter to the church at Ephesus, the apostle Paul set forth the Christian armor which, in many ways, is a picture of the healthy Christian life. It is something we intentionally put on and use to defend ourselves when we come under attack. The assaults ultimately come from Satan who has well developed strategies of warfare and demonic soldiers to command. Satan and his fallen angels knowingly and intentionally attack. They are behind every act of terror the world has ever known, they do not relent of their activities, and they are not reformable. In addition to these fallen angels, Satan also has useful idiots—unbelievers and carnal Christians—who assist him in his efforts. These people help make up Satan’s world-system that seeks to envelop and enslave everyone it can. Satan’s system is philosophical, social, political, economic, religious, and cultural. These are all things external to us, but which are intended to penetrate our thoughts and impact our values, speech and practices. Furthermore, Satan has an inside agent within every person, which is the sinful nature which naturally resonates with all that is sinful and prideful. To read in full, see Dr. Cook’s book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WXT7NL3

 

The Suicide Cliffs of Saipan: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/suicide-cliffs-saipan-harbinger-things-come-bryan-rigg/

 

Steve’s Blog: https://thinkingonscripture.com/

Steve’s Books: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B005FSY6XO

Steve’s Audio Lessons: https://thinkingonscripture.com/audio-video/

The purpose of this lesson is to understand what the Scriptures state about the reality of holy angels and to consider how God is using them to impact the world in which we live. Angels are basically classified as either righteous or evil. The former retain their holy state and service to God and are called elect angels (1 Tim 5:21), whereas the latter have defected from their original state and continue in constant rebellion against God. The existence and impact of angels is real, influencing individuals and groups in matters pertaining to social, political and moral life. Holy angels continue to serve God and advance His agenda for human history.

When individuals, groups, cities and nations turn away from God, He will judge them according to His righteous character and moral laws. We know from Scripture that “the LORD is righteous, [and] He loves righteousness” (Psa 11:7), and “Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments” (Psa 119:137). For God, righteousness is an attribute, an inherent quality, not the adherence to laws beyond Himself (of which there are none). The righteousness of God may be defined as the intrinsic, immutable, moral perfection of God, from which He commands all things, in heaven and earth, and declares as good that which conforms to His righteousness and as evil that which deviates. Righteousness and justice are related words. The former speaks of God’s moral character, whereas the latter speaks of the actions that flow out of His character. Whatever God’s righteousness requires, His justice executes; either to approve or reject, to bless or condemn. God is “the Judge of all the earth” (Gen 18:25), and He “is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day” (Psa 7:11). It’s unimaginable to serve a God who cannot or will not judge sin. To read in full, see Dr. Cook’s book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WXT7NL3

Other recommended sources referenced in this lesson:

Yahweh’s Holy War: https://thinkingonscripture.com/2020/11/25/yahwehs-holy-war/

Christian’s Under the Law of Christ: https://thinkingonscripture.com/2022/09/04/christians-under-the-law-of-christ/

Divine Discipline for the Christian: https://thinkingonscripture.com/2022/09/17/divine-discipline-for-the-christian/

Advancing to Spiritual Maturity: https://thinkingonscripture.com/2022/03/19/advancing-to-spiritual-maturity/

A Biblical Look at Volition: https://thinkingonscripture.com/2022/05/26/a-biblical-look-at-volition/

When God Disrupts the World: https://thinkingonscripture.com/2022/05/01/when-god-disrupts-the-world/

 

Steve’s Blog: https://thinkingonscripture.com/

Steve’s Books: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B005FSY6XO

Steve’s Audio Lessons: https://thinkingonscripture.com/audio-video/

Scripture reveals God’s sovereignty and how He governs His universe, creating and controlling circumstances, and directing the lives of His people, allowing them to partner with Him to accomplish His good in the world. By learning about God’s sovereignty and studying His past providential acts, believers can create a rational filter through which circumstances can be interpreted and classified within a mental framework. The growing believer takes great delight in knowing God is good, loving, wise, and in control of His creation and is directing all things according to His sovereign plan. Those who are positive to God and operate from the divine perspective know that He “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28).

In this chapter, Moses anticipates Israel’s rebellion against the Lord and the application of the curses upon the nation (Deut 30:1). However, Moses also anticipates their humbling in captivity, return to obedience, and God’s restoration of blessing in the land (Deut 30:2-5). Simultaneously, God promises to create in His people a new heart that will serve Him (Deut 30:6-8), which will bring blessing (Deut 30:9), but also conditions that blessing on their obedience (Deut 30:10). Moses then reveals that God’s will for them—as specified in the Mosaic Law—is not too difficult (Deut 30:11), nor out of their reach (Deut 30:12-13), but is as near as their own mouths and hearts (Deut 30:14). Lastly, Moses ties the people’s blessings and cursings to their own choices to obey or disobey the Lord (Deut 30:15-18), with a call for them to choose life that they might be blessed (Deut 30:19-20).

Introduction

     Moses had previously addressed God’s goodness to provide for His people since leaving Egypt (Deut 29:2-8), and called for them to commit themselves to the Lord for their own good (Deut 29:9-13) and the good of their children (Deut 29:14-15). Now Moses addresses the consequences of disobedience to the covenant if the people turn away from the Lord and adopt the idols and values of the pagan nations which surround them (Deut 29:16-29).

Context

     Moses opens this pericope by calling the people’s attention to those spiritually poor nations who did not know the Lord or His blessings, saying,  “For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed; 17 moreover, you have seen their abominations and their idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold, which they had with them” (Deut 29:16-17). Here, Israel’s relationship with God was contrasted with Egypt from which they came, as well as the pagans nations through which they’d recently passed. Israel’s spiritual health and blessings could be seen in comparison to the surrounding pagan cultures. According to Kalland:

"The statements “How we lived in Egypt” and “how we passed through the countries on the way here” (v.16) provide the locale and historic background for the people’s knowledge of the gods in those places and the nature of their worship. This is evident from the definite reference to the detestable images and idols that they saw among the people there (v.17).”[1]

     So that there would be no individual or national corruption, Moses said, “there will not be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations; that there will not be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood” (Deut 29:18). According to Radmacher, “Every individual man and woman was responsible to the community as a whole for his or her relationship to God. Since the entire community was covenanted to God Himself, every individual had to follow Him…Tolerance for idolatry and pagan practices would always corrupt the community, and therefore the covenant relationship with God.”[2] And Kalland states, “The source of ‘bitter poison’ (v.18) was the person who turned away from the Lord to worship the gods of Egypt and those of the other nations that the Israelites passed through on their journey from Egypt to the plains of Moab.”[3]Choices have consequences, and to worship idols is to sow the seeds of darkness and poison into one’s own heart, which not only corrupts the individual, but negatively impacts others.

     The arrogant person who chose idolatry was his own worst enemy and would bring God’s curses upon himself. Moses said, “It shall be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will boast, saying, ‘I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order to destroy the watered land with the dry’” (Deut 29:19). For that person who walks in the stubbornness of his pride and pursues idols without repentance, Moses said, “The LORD shall never be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and His jealousy will burn against that man, and every curse which is written in this book will rest on him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven” (Deut 29:20). God is always opposed to the proud, and as long as recalcitrance persists, there will be no forgiveness. God’s love reaches out to everyone, but when the prideful person rejects the Lord and His love, there is no other recourse to be saved or blessed. Rather, such a one will experience the Lord’s anger, and the curses mentioned in the law of Moses will fall upon him. To have one’s name blotted out from under heaven meant that he would die and not be remembered among his people, which was a grievous matter for those in the ancient world. If Israelites acted like pagans and devoted themselves to idols, they would, by their own decision