Thinking on Scripture with Dr. Steven R. Cook

     The word Sabbath (שָׁבַת shabath) means to cease or rest. It is recorded in Genesis that God “rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done” (Gen. 2:2). That is, God ceased His creative activity of the universe, the earth and mankind. God did not obligate anyone to keep the Sabbath as a special day of rest until He formed the nation of Israel after they were delivered from Egyptian bondage (Ex. 16:23-30). The keeping of the Sabbath was a part of the Mosaic Law given to Israel and was to give them rest from their labor (Ex. 20:8-11; cf. Deut. 5:12-14). The Sabbath was a sign of the Mosaic Covenant (Ex. 31:12-17). God pronounced the death penalty upon all who profaned the Sabbath (Ex. 31:14-15; Num. 15:32-36). Biblical violations of the Sabbath included gathering manna (Ex. 16:23-30), kindling a fire in one’s home (Ex. 35:1-3), gathering wood (Num. 15:32-35), carrying a load (Jer. 17:21-22), or engaging in business (Amos 8:4-6; cf. Neh. 13:15-21). Jesus declared “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27); however, over time, Jewish religious leaders invented additional commands for the Sabbath, and it was these additions that made the Sabbath a burden rather than a blessing. As Lord of the Sabbath Jesus declared that acts of necessity and compassion were permitted on the Sabbath (see Matt. 12:10-14; Luke 13:10-17; 14:1-6; John 7:19-24). Jesus kept the Sabbath as the Mosaic Law prescribed, but not according to rabbinic tradition, for which He and His disciples were wrongly attacked (Matt. 12:1-8; John 5:1-9, 16; 9:14-16; Mark 3:1-5; Luke 13:10-17; 14:1-6). The Sabbath was obligatory for Israel alone, and only for the duration of the Mosaic Covenant, which has been replaced with the New Covenant (Heb. 8:6-7, 13).

The Sabbath in the Present Church Age

     Christians are not under the Mosaic Law (Rom. 6:14), but under the Law of Christ (1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2). God’s commands for Christians living in church age do not obligate us to keep the Sabbath. Christians are warned against setting aside certain days, especially if they think that doing so will merit God’s favor (Gal. 4:9-10).

• "Following the resurrection of Christ, there is no record in the New Testament that the Sabbath was observed by any believer, even in error. Doubtless the multitude of Judaized Christians did observe the Sabbath; but no record of such observance was permitted to appear in the Word of God. In like manner, following the resurrection of Christ, there is no injunction given to Jew, Gentile, or Christian to observe the Sabbath, nor is Sabbath-breaking once mentioned among the numerous lists of possible sins."[1]

Worship on Sunday

     We know from Scripture that Christians met on Sunday, the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2), and it’s possible they did this because it marked the day of the Lord’s resurrection. However, there is no divine command found in Scripture that requires us to gather on Sunday; rather, the Christian is free to observe all days alike, as every day is an opportunity to love and serve the Lord (Rom. 14:5-9).

[1] Lewis Sperry Chafer; John F. Walvoord; Major Bible Themes (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 2010), 290.

• "They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." (Luke 21:24)

     The word Gentile translates the Hebrew גּוֹי goy and the Greek ἔθνος ethnos. The Hebrew word goy is used in a general sense of any ethnic group of people who reside in a known territory, and so it used to refer the descendants of Abraham (Gen. 12:2; 17:4-6; 21:18), the nation Israel (Ex. 19:6; Ps. 83:4), and others, such as the “Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites” (Deut. 7:1; cf. Josh. 23:13; Judg. 2:21, 23). However, over time, the word Gentile—both in Hebrew and Greek—came to be used in a technical manner of any people group who were not sharers of the covenant promises God made with Israel (Eph. 2:11-12).[1] Biblically, the Gentiles were generally marked by wickedness (Deut. 9:4-5), idolatry (2 Ki. 17:29), and detestable practices such as child sacrifice, divination, and sorcery (Deut. 18:9-10).

     The nation of Israel, under the Mosaic Covenant, was promised blessing by God if they obeyed His commands (Deut. 28:1-15), and divine punishment if they did not (Deut. 28:16-68). Over the centuries since their deliverance from Egyptian captivity, Israel repeatedly disobeyed God and accepted the values and practices of the nations around them (Ps. 106:33-40). Eventually, God disciplined His people, using Gentile nations (Ps. 106:41-43), and sent Israel into Babylonian captivity for seventy years (Jer. 25:8-12; cf. Ezek. 12:9-13; 17:20). During the time of the Babylonian captivity God revealed to Daniel that there would be great Gentile kingdoms that would follow Israel’s fall and which would dominate world history (Dan. 2:29-45; cf. 7:1-28). These kingdoms were the Babylonians, Medes & Persians, Greeks, and Romans. However, God would eventually establish His own kingdom on earth, and this was revealed to Daniel as well (Dan. 2:34-35; 44-45).

     The Babylonian captivity that occurred in 586 B.C. marks the beginning of what Scripture refers to as “the times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24; cf. Rom. 11:25), a period of time in which Israel—particularly Jerusalem—will be under Gentile dominance until the Second Coming of Jesus at the end of the seven year Tribulation. “The Times of the Gentiles can best be defined as that long period of time from the Babylonian Empire to the Second Coming of the Messiah during which time the Gentiles have dominance over the City of Jerusalem.”[2] Though God is currently accomplishing His plans in the world through Gentiles, He still has future plans for His people, Israel. This is made clear in several places in Scripture (Rom. 9:1-5; 11:1-2, 5, 25). Jesus stated, “Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). The use of the word until means the dominance of the Gentiles will eventually come to an end, and when it does, God will once again work through the Jews to accomplish His plans in the world.

[1] Though many aspects of God’s covenants refer to Israel alone, the Lord promised that Gentiles would be blessed through Abraham (Gen. 12:3), and this blessing came through Abraham’s descendant, Jesus. The result is that Gentiles who have believed in Jesus as Savior are partakers of the spiritual blessings of God; for Scripture reveals, “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off [from covenantal blessings] have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13; cf. 19-22).

Figures of Christ and His Church

     The New Testament sets forth several figures of Christ as He relates to the church. These include: Christ as the Shepherd and the church as His sheep (John 10:11-16). Christ as the Vine and believers as the branches (John 15:1-5). Christ as the Cornerstone and the church as the living building (Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Pet. 2:4-6). Christ as High Priest and Christians as believer-priests (Heb. 3:1-2; 4:14-15; Rev. 1:6). Christ as the Head and the church as the body (Eph. 1:22-23). Christ as the Bridegroom and the church as the bride (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:25-27).[1]

Christ as the Bridegroom and the Church as His Bride

     In the Old Testament, God entered into a covenant relationship with Israel (Ex. 19:5; 34:27; Deut. 5:1-3), which figuratively portrays her as the wife of Jehovah (Ezek. 16:8).[2] God had rescued Israel from slavery and blessed her, but the people became unfaithful to Him and committed spiritual adultery by worshipping other gods (Jer. 3:1-5; cf. Ezek. 16:15-34). Later, God is pictured as separating from Israel, issuing a certificate of divorce (Jer. 3:6-10; cf. Isa. 50:1), which is a picture of judgment upon the nation. Scripture also reveals that God will restore Israel to Himself in a new covenant relationship (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 16:60-63), and Israel will be reestablished as the wife of Jehovah (Isa. 54:1-8; Hos. 2:14-20), which is a picture of future restoration and blessing (Rom. 11:25-29). In the New Testament, Christ is prophetically portrayed as the Bridegroom and the church as His engaged bride (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:25-27). At a future time, Jesus will call His bride to heaven (1 Thess. 4:13-18) and receive her with a great banquet and celebration (Rev. 19:6-9). Afterward, the church will live forever in the eternal state as the wife of the Lamb (Rev. 21:9).

The Bride Adorned and Rewarded

     As members of the body of Christ, Christians are given spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:28-30; Eph. 4:11) by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:11) for the edification and spiritual benefit of the church (Eph. 4:12-16). We are to use our spiritual gifts to glorify God and edify others, whether saved or lost (Rom. 14:19; Eph. 4:29; Gal. 6:10).

     The Bible teaches that Christians will face a future time of judgment in heaven. This is not a judgment concerning the Christian’s right to enter heaven as the place of eternal residence, for Christ has secured our salvation and there is no fear of condemnation before God (John 3:18; 5:24; Rom. 8:1; 1 Cor. 11:32). Rather, it is a judgment concerning eternal rewards for the life we’ve lived in service to Christ (Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:9-10; Eph. 6:7-8). This judgment will occur after Christ has called His church to heaven (1 Cor. 4:5; 2 Tim. 4:7-8; Rev. 22:12).

     The apostle Paul likens the Christian life to an athletic race, or a boxing match, in which we compete for a prize (1 Cor. 9:24-27). The Christian will be judged for his/her stewardship of resources that God has provided during his/her time on earth (Rom. 14:10-12). This includes spiritual gifts and natural abilities and resources that the believer possesses, and which God expects him/her to use to advance God’s purposes in this world. When the Christian is judged, it will be for rewards, concerning whether we lived for God or self (1 Cor. 3:9-15).

[1] The following list is taken from Major Bible Themes, pages 274-276.

[2] In another place Israel is figu

     As an organization, the local church has historically adopted three forms of government. 1) Episcopalian - which recognizes bishops who organize the local functions of the church (Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist). 2) Congregational - where major decisions are voted by the church members (Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Baptist). 3) Elder led - which is a representative form of church government with appointed persons to lead the church (Bible churches, Reformed, Presbyterian).

Church Leadership

     The elder led model best represents the biblical teaching. Concerning the qualifications for church elders, Paul lists 15 qualifications in his letter to Timothy (1 Tim. 3:1-7), and 17 qualifications in his letter to Titus (Tit. 1:5-9). Though similar in most ways, the two lists differ, both in number and type of qualities mentioned. It would seem Paul was providing a general list of characteristics that one would like to see when considering a person as an elder in the church. The consideration of an elder in the church is something that requires time and observation.  Certainly he must be “able to teach” (1 Tim. 3:2); however, much of what is set forth in Scripture relates to his character, home and public life.  Biblically, it appears only God selects elders to serve in His church (Acts 20:28). The Bible does not specify how many elders may serve in a church, or even what process is to be followed concerning their appointment to office. The church has the liberty to follow a relaxed or formal policy depending on its membership. Below is a list of observations about elders:

1. The terms elder, bishop, overseer, and pastor appear to be synonymous (Acts 20:17, 28; Tit. 1:5-7; 1 Pet. 5:1-5).

     Most often prayer is an appeal to God to change a difficult or helpless situation. Sometimes God changes our situations as we request (i.e., concerning employment, health, finances, family matters, etc.), and sometimes He leaves the difficult situation and seeks to change our attitude (2 Cor. 12:7-10). When God does not remove a difficult situation as we request, then He intends for us to deal with it by faith (Jam. 1:2-4). God uses difficult situations to remove pride (Dan. 4:37; 2 Cor. 12:7-10), and to develop our Christian character (Rom. 5:3-5). It’s almost always the case that we prefer God change our circumstances rather than our attitude; and yet, it seems both biblically and experientially that God prefers to do the opposite. Though the Lord is concerned about our difficult situations, He’s more concerned with developing our Christian character than relieving our discomfort. However God chooses to answer, He has His reasons and they always glorify Him. A challenge to us is to trust that His plan is better than ours, wherever it happens to lead us, or however difficult the journey becomes.

     Prayer is discussion with God. It is motivated by different causes and takes different forms. Most often prayer is an appeal to God to change a difficult or helpless situation. Sometimes God changes our situations as we request (i.e., concerning employment, health, finances, family matters, etc.), and sometimes He leaves the difficult situation and seeks to change our attitude (2 Cor. 12:7-10). When God does not remove a difficult situation as we request, then He intends for us to deal with it by faith (Jam. 1:2-4). God uses difficult situations to remove pride (Dan. 4:37; 2 Cor. 12:7-10), and to develop our Christian character (Rom. 5:3-5). It’s almost always the case that we prefer God change our circumstances rather than our attitude; and yet, it seems both biblically and experientially that God prefers to do the opposite. Though the Lord is concerned about our difficult situations, He’s more concerned with developing our Christian character than relieving our discomfort. However God chooses to answer, He has His reasons and they always glorify Him. A challenge to us is to trust that His plan is better than ours, wherever it happens to lead us, or however difficult the journey becomes.

1. Basically, one can address God as Father only as a member of the family of God (Matt. 6:9; John 1:12; Gal. 3:26; 1 Pet. 3:12).

Types of Prayer

1. Submission (Matthew 26:39-44)

Basic Parts of Prayer

1. Confession of personal sin (Ps. 32:3-5; 66:18; 1 John 1:9).

Reasons Why Some Prayers Are Not Answered

1. Lack of faith (Jam. 1:5-8).

     In the church age, Christian spiritual service is connected with the priesthood of every believer (Rom. 12:1; 1 Pet. 2:5; Rev. 1:6). A priest offers worship to God and service to others. In the OT—before the Mosaic Law—few priests are mentioned. Melchizedek functioned as the king/priest of Salem (Gen. 14:18-20; cf. Heb. 7:1), and Reuel/Jethro (Moses’ father-in-law) as the priest of Midian (Ex. 2:16-21; 3:1). Job served as the priest over his household, offering sacrifices for the sins of his family (Job. 1:5). Most people worshipped and served God as non-priests. Men such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob built temporary stone altars and worshipped God directly (Gen. 8:20-21; Gen. 12:7; 13:18; 26:24-25; 35:1-7). Before the Mosaic Law, it appears that sacrifice and worship was personal, simple, did not require special attire, and was not tied to a specific geographic location or facility.

     After Israel was delivered from the bondage of Egypt, God established the Hebrews as a theocratic nation among the Gentile nations of the world. God originally intended the whole nation to be a kingdom of priests, saying, “and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6). However, because of the sin of worshipping the golden calf (Ex. 32:1-35), God took that privilege from the nation and gave it solely to the tribe of Levi (Num. 3:6-10). God required that Levitical priests could not have any physical defects (Lev. 21:17-23), and restricted the age of service to twenty-five to fifty (Num. 8:24-25). The Levitical priests were originally tied to the tabernacle for their service (and later to the temple), and special clothing was required both for the priests and the high priest. Throughout the years of their priestly service they were required to be holy in their behavior (Ex. 19:6), teach God’s Law to others (Lev. 10:11; Deut. 33:10), preserve the tabernacle and temple (Num. 18:1-4), perform official duties in the Holy of Holies once a year (Ex. 30:6-10; Lev. 16), receive the tithes (Num. 18:21, 26; cf. Heb. 7:5), and offer sacrifices for sin to God (Lev. chapters 4, 9, 16).

     The death of Christ on the cross fulfilled the Mosaic Law and ended the OT animal sacrificial system and the Levitical priesthood (John 1:17; Rom. 6:14; 8:3-4; 10:4; 2 Cor. 3:1-13; Heb. 8:13; 10:1-14). Now, in the church age, every Christian is a priest to God (1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6), and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19). The functions of the Christian priesthood include giving our body for service to the Lord (Rom. 12:1-2), the sacrifice of praise for worship (Heb. 13:15), doing good works and sharing our material resources with others (Heb. 13:16; cf. Phil. 4:18), sacrificing our personal life for the benefit of others (Phil. 2:17; cf. Phil. 1:21-26; 2:3-4), the walk of sacrificial love (Eph. 5:1-2; cf. 1 Pet. 1:22), confessing our sin to God for restoration of fellowship (1 John 1:6-9), and being filled with, and walking by means of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18; Gal. 5:16, 25).

     The practice of the Christian priesthood begins when the believer surrenders his own body as a “living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Rom. 12:1). Unlike the OT sacrifices which surrendered their life once, the Christian life is a moment by moment, continual surrender to God. Rather than offer the sacrifice of animals, the Christian is called to offer spiritual sacrifices. Spiritual sacrifice involves Christian service within the body of Christ as we exercise our spiritual gifts to meet the needs of other believers. This is love set in motion for the benefit of others. It is taking what God has given to us, spiritually or materially, and giving it freely, with an open hand, for others to be blessed. This is in accord with bibl

The Church: Her Purpose and Commission

     “The present divine purpose of this age is not the conversion of the world, but rather the calling out from the world those who will believe in Christ to form the body of Christ which is the church.”[1] The church is to promote the gospel message into the entire world (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 15:3-4). This is not a call to change the world and make it a better place; but rather, to call out a people who will be part of the church, the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). Christians promote the gospel through direct verbal communication (Rom. 10:11-15; 1 Cor. 15:3-4), praying for the lost (1 Tim. 2:1-4), and financial gifts that support ministers (1 Cor. 9:13-14; Gal. 6:6).

The Internal Purposes of the Church

     As Christians, we are to “do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal. 6:10). Doing good—as God defines it—presupposes a knowledge of Scripture, for knowing God’s Word necessarily precedes doing His will. As Christians, we study the Bible that we might know God, learn His plan for our lives, and advance to spiritual maturity (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet. 2:2). As we learn Scripture, we realize we are called to commit ourselves to Christ (Rom. 12:1), be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18), walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16), grow in grace (2 Pet. 3:18), be gracious to others (Col. 4:6), seek the interests of others over self (Phil. 2:3-4), love one another (1 Cor. 13:4-8a; 1 Thess. 3:11-12; 4:9; 1 Jo. 4:7-11), be humble, gentle and patient (Eph. 4:1-2), be kind and forgiving (Eph. 4:32), pray for one another (Jam. 5:16), be encouraging (1 Thess. 5:11), build others up (Rom. 15:1-2; Eph. 4:29), serve one another (Gal. 5:13; 1 Pet. 4:10), do good works (Eph. 2:10; Tit. 2:11-14), and pursue righteousness and holiness (Tit. 2:11-12; 1 Pet. 1:14-16).

     The Bible reveals there are immature Christians who behave no differently than unbelievers who do not know God or the love and grace that characterizes Him. As worldly-minded Christians they exhibit jealousy and strife (1 Cor. 3:1-3), sexual immorality (1 Cor. 5:1-2), selfishness (1 Cor. 11:21), relationship conflicts (Phil. 4:2), legalism (Gal. 5:1-12), sinful partiality (Jam. 2:1-4), worldly ambition (Jam. 3:14), and idolatry (Rev. 2:14, 20). But God wants more from us. He wants us to mature and manifest the qualities that make the Christian beautiful. Spiritual growth is intentional and requires discipline of the mind and will. It is a life of faith in which we constantly learn and live God’s will. Of course there are failures and setbacks; however, relapse does not have to mean collapse, as the Christian can confess his/her sin, receive forgiveness (1 John 1:9), and continue the advance toward spiritual maturity.

[1] Lewis S. Chafer; John F. Walvoord; Major Bible Themes (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 2010), 242-243.

The Church: Her Members

     The word church is a translation of the Greek word ἐκκλησία ekklesia, which means called out ones, assembly, congregation, or community of Christians.[1] The word ἐκκλησία ekklesia is applied in a general sense to any assembly, such as an assembly of residents of a city (Acts 19:32, 39, 41). The word is also applied to Israel as a general assembly or congregation (Matt. 18:17; Acts 7:38). When applied to Christians, ἐκκλησία ekklesia takes on a technical meaning and refers to those who have been joined to “the body of Christ” (Eph. 1:22-23). Though both are the people of God, the NT church is distinct from the nation of Israel (1 Cor. 10:32). Though God’s current plan in human history is being worked out through His church, He has not abrogated His covenants to Israel, which covenants point to a future regathering of the nation of Israel in the Promised Land, a King and kingdom, and a righteous rule for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-6).

     The first reference to the Christian church occurs in Matthew 16:18 after Peter had confessed that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16), and based on the rock-solid truth of that statement, Jesus said, “I will build [future tense] My church [ἐκκλησία ekklesia]; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matt. 16:18). Jesus’ future tense statement reveals a church that was not in existence when He spoke. The Christian church began on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit began His baptizing ministry of placing believers into union with the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 1:4-5; 2:1-4; 11:15-17; 1 Cor. 12:13).

     The NT church is understood both in a universal and local sense, as an organism and organization. The universal church refers to the global existence of the body of Christ (Acts 9:31; Eph. 1:22-23), and the local church of those who regularly meet at a specific location (1 Cor. 1:2; Col. 1:2; Rev. 2-3). The Christian church consists of believing Jews and Gentiles, who have been spiritually united with Christ by means of the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 2:11-16). The church, as the body of Christ, was fully revealed to the apostles in the New Testament (Eph. 1:22-23; 3:1-12; 5:32; Col. 1:24-27).

     In the first century, local churches were small, as believers met in people’s homes (Acts 20:20; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15). The members of the local church consisted of Jews and Gentiles (Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 2:11-16; 3:6), men and women (Eph. 5:22-23), parents and children (Eph. 6:1-4), slave and free (Eph. 6:5-9), rich and poor (1 Tim. 6:17-19; Jam. 2:2-5), spiritual and carnal (1 Cor. 3:1-3; Gal. 6:1). Home churches were generally small because of the size of the homes (probably not exceeding 50 people) and the fellowship probably tended to be personal, with an emphasis on learning God’s Word and enjoying Christian fellowship (Acts 2:42).

[1] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, rev. and ed. Frederick W. Danker, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 303-304.

     Election is a biblical teaching that every serious student of the Bible must address at some time. It addresses issues related to sovereignty and free will, sin and salvation, justice and mercy, foreknowledge and faith. Election (ἐκλέγω eklego) is that free choice of God from eternity past in which He chose to save and bless those who are the objects of His love and grace. The elect are the ones chosen. God elects based on His sovereign good pleasure and not because of any foreseen goodness in people (John 1:11-13; 6:37, 44, 65-66; 10:27-28; Acts 13:48; 16:14; Rom. 8:29-30; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:1-2). God elects groups (Luke 6:13-16; John 6:70) and individuals (1 Chron. 28:5; Acts 9:15); and His selection is based on sovereign choice (Rom. 9:10-18), not any foresight of good or worth (Deut. 7:7-8; 1 Cor. 1:26-31; Rom. 9:11). Election is to salvation (Acts 13:48; Eph. 1:4-6), spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3), holy and righteous living (Col. 3:12; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Pet. 2:9), and service for the Lord (Jer. 1:4-5; Gal. 1:15-16; cf. Acts 9:15).