She Travels Outside of Karma: 5 Thoughts on Grace

“For the law was given through Moses; 

grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17

What is grace? It is difficult to define grace and all that it encompasses. It is a theological term for how God views us and treats us. In its simplest form it means “unmerited favour”; in other words, receiving something we never earned and quite frankly don’t deserve. The 19th century writer, Andrew Murray, defined grace this way:

“The redeeming work of Christ and the righteousness He won for us, equally with the work of the Spirit in us and the power of the new life He brings, are spoken of as “grace”.  

However, to get from a head knowledge of grace to a heart knowledge of this unique and beautiful concept can take years - if it happens at all. Oh but the journey is worth it. God’s grace is the most unexpected, breath taking thing I have ever experienced.

Grace, She Travels Outside of Karma

Like him or not, Bono, the leader singer of Irish band U2, seems to have an uncanny understanding of grace. He shows this in the gentle but profound song aptly named “Grace”. Here is one sample of the lyrics: 

“She travels outside of karma

When she goes to work

You can hear her strings

Grace finds beauty

In everything”

While grace is something humans find perplexing, karma is all too relatable. People are eager for someone who has wronged them to get their karma or “payback”. Karma is an ancient belief in the spiritual form of “Cause and Effect”, that there are consequences for your actions. And, of course, there is truth in this idea. Even the Bible talks about the concept:

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, 

that will he also reap.” Galatians 6:7

However, when one inspects Karma further, we realize how brutal it can be - even to the point of believing people were born into certain societal “castes” because of a misguided previous life. But the Gospel of Christ interrupts this whole cycle of cause and effect with a radically different idea – Grace. 



What Grace Is Not

It often helps us to understand something by examining what it is not. For example, many people, Christians included, fear that grace will only lead to lawlessness. If we do not receive punishment for bad behavior how will we ever learn? How will the world keep on spinning? But grace is not the lack of law or justice (sometimes referred to as antinomianism). If anything God’s grace motivates and empowers us to keep law and seek justice. God’s grace is meant to enable us to obey God. If we’re not obeying God then something has gone wrong. Either we have failed to fully embrace and rely on God’s grace or we are simply abusing it.   

Others will undoubtedly bristle at the thought of “receiving something we never earned” – especially in this day and age of participation trophies and the like. But what we have to understand about God’s grace is that although we did not earn it, Jesus did. Grace is a lot like a gift card. We did not earn the money on the card but the giver of that card did and they want to bless us with it because they love and appreciate us. 

In the same way, Jesus paid the penalty of sin on the cross and now the redemption of our souls is offered to each and every one as a free gift of grace by faith as we turn towards God in repentance. It’s not simply that we are too lazy to earn God’s grace, it is that we are simply incapable of it. It must be a gift or we could never obtain it and in order to enjoy it we must personally receive it. As Philip Yancey put it: “Guilt exposes our longing for grace.”

Just a reminder though -  Our initial salvation (Justification) is by grace alone. However, relying on grace to become more holy (Sanctification) does not mean that we never make an effort. As Dallas Willard reminds us – “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action.”

Grace Is Unique

In his book “What’s So Amazing about Grace?” Philip Yancey describes the following:

“During a British conference on comparative religions, experts debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith… the debate went on for some time until C.S. Lewis wandered into the room. “What’s the rumpus about?” he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among the world religions. Lewis replied, “Oh, That’s easy. It’s grace.” After some discussion, the conferees had to agree.”

Most people, if they believe in God, have the notion that when they die their good deeds will be weighed against their bad deeds. Depending on the life they lived (and their own version of events) they will be admitted entrance into Heaven or they won’t. The vast majority of world religions boil down to this formula but Christ preached grace – a novel idea if there ever was one. Now not all Christ’s follower’s exhibit that grace but, nonetheless, Him whom they profess to follow did. 


Imperatives and Indicatives 

Not long ago I read about the difference between an indicative and an imperative and how it applies to the Christian life (and life in general). 

An imperative means “Authority or command; urgent, necessary” (Webster’s). An imperative is a statement of what one must do (like a commandment). 

An indicative on the other hand is defined as “Designating that mood of a verb used to express an act” (Webster’s). An indicative is not a command but expresses the rationale behind the command. In other words, it provides an explanation of why it’s true and, in the case of grace, it also provides the motivation and empowerment to keep the commandment. At Church, we often hear about the imperatives (what we must do) but we do not always hear about the indicatives (why and how we do it).  

To quote Murray again: "It is not only at conversion… but throughout all our life, at each step of the way, and amidst the highest attainments of the most advanced saint; we owe everything to grace and grace alone.”  

  

As John 1:17 states, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. If we look at truth as an imperative and grace as an indicative, it soon begins to makes sense. We can only live up to the “truth” because we have understood and received the “grace”. Too often Christians view grace and truth as two competing ideas and only one can win. In reality, they are meant to be blended together in a beautiful mixture that should be irresistible to both the believer and the unbeliever. Jesus Christ is the perfect embodiment of this blend. 


My Story of Grace

Now let’s make all of this personal. I was blessed to have become a Christian at a very young age. I seemed to understand that I was saved or forgiven by grace as an initial entrance into Christianity (what some call Justification) but somehow I had no idea that the same grace applied to me trying to live out my Christian life (what some call Sanctification). It took me a very long time to understand at the heart level that grace was not only the vehicle by which I came through the gate but also the vehicle by which I would navigate the road ahead of me. 

After a very ugly mental and spiritual breakdown, the details of which I will not get into here, a profound and spiritually powerful thing happened to me. I remember, very clearly, sitting on my bed in my apartment on Spruce Street in Prince George, BC struggling to understand God. I was reading a book by Andrew Murray, the same beloved Christian author I quoted earlier. I don’t even remember which book it was or the chapter –but he was talking about the difference between the “Old Covenant” (i.e. the Law of Moses) and the New Covenant (i.e. the Gospel of Grace) and how important it was for the believer to understand the difference.

The concept of grace slowly began to sink into my heart. Not just for my justification but also for my sanctification (i.e. becoming more like Jesus, striving for holiness, evangelism and living the Christian life more and more effectively). I kid you not, as this truth slowly saturated into my heart and mind, I felt a powerful force was lifted off of me… chains of bondage were shattered and I was free. I understood (or at least began to understand) grace. 

Although I continue to struggle in daily grasping the concept of grace, that day changed my life forever. Someone once described what I call legalism as “The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” That may sound a bit harsh but it certainly described me. When I did not allow God’s grace to penetrate my life I became bitter and proud. I was not just hard on myself but on those I loved as well. Grace changed everything for me…

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18

A Psalm of Dark and Light (Hope in Depression)

A Psalm of Dark and Light

(Hope in Depression)

Every corner of my mind hurts 

Every thought wages a war

Every feeling groans in pain 

You understand my thought from afar off 

All my tears are in your bottle, written in your book

Confusion begins to overwhelm

Clarity slips away

O God I am but dust

Your thoughts are not my mine

Your ways are higher, above the hurricane

God you are both my source and my outlet

What is the darkness but a shadow?

The shadow proves the light. 

The Kenosis Hymn: 5 Fascinating Facts about Philippians 2:6-11

“Kenosis” is a Greek word that literally means “the act of emptying”. The verb form is used in Philippians 2:7 to describe Jesus Christ’s awesome act of humility in remaining God but becoming a human as well. This is a beautiful passage of Scripture (And you can review it at the end of this page). 

Unfortunately some have abused it, teaching that Jesus gave up part or all of His Divine nature when He became human or that He didn’t become “God” until after His death and Resurrection. However, the Bible in its whole context – and even the context of this passage in particular – does not teach this. Let’s have a look...

1) An Ancient Hymn

Some scholars believe this portion of the Philippian Epistle to actually be an ancient hymn used by the early Christians to praise their Saviour. They think this because in the original Greek the passage stands out from the rest of the book with its poetic language. 

If true then the Kenosis Hymn would date even earlier than A.D. 61-62 (the date that Paul is believed to have written Philippians). Whether this was an original hymn borrowed by Paul or whether the Apostle was inspired to write it himself, it is a glorious ode to both the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ and His wondrous condescension to this earth. 

2) Jesus Was Fully God 

Before the Kenosis

John’s Gospel chapter 1 clearly teaches that Jesus (“The Word”) was and has always been the second Person of the Trinity and thus fully God. We see in Philippians 2:6 that Paul reaffirms this. 

“Paul, by the use of the Greek word (‘huparchein’) translated ‘being (or ‘was’),’ informs his Greek readers that our Lord’s possession of the divine essence did not cease to be a fact when He came to earth to assume human form.... This word alone is enough to refute the claim of Modernism that our Lord emptied Himself of His Deity when He became Man.” (Wuest)

The latter part of the verse does not mean that Jesus couldn’t mentally or spiritually “grasp” equality with God. A better translation is found in the footnote of the ESV:  Equality with God was not a thing “to be held onto for advantage”.  The King James Version put it this way: “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” Though He was Creator, Jesus humbled Himself to become like one of His creations.

3) Jesus Was Fully God 

After the Kenosis

So what exactly did Jesus “empty” Himself of in this great passage? There is admittedly some mystery to this question. However, we know from the context of the New Testament that it was not His Divine nature He emptied Himself of but rather His Divine rights; not His Divine attributes but rather His Divine privileges. 

In times of war, a king may have a royal right to stay in the safety of his palace. However, should he choose to relinquish that right and become a soldier on the field that does not mean that he is no longer king. It means that he is now both king and soldier. 

Colossians 2:9 reasserts this truth: “For in him (Jesus Christ) the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…”

It is also significant that in verses 9 and 10 of Philippians 2, Paul refers to Isaiah 45:23:

“Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.” 

It is clear in the Isaiah passage that this prophecy is referring to Yahweh, the Almighty God, and now Paul is boldly applying it to the Lord Jesus. 

4) Jesus Also Became Human 

After the Kenosis

So we see that nothing was subtracted from Jesus’ Divine nature during the Kenosis – but something was added! The term “incarnation” literally means “in the flesh” and refers to God the Son being born as an infant human. 

As the old theologians used to say about Jesus’ Incarnation: “Remaining what He was (God); He became what He was not (human).” In theological terms this is referred to as the Hypostatic Union and is defined as Jesus having two complete but distinct natures simultaneously - one Divine, one human. This is a beautiful paradox.

The two different facial expressions on either side emphasize Christ's dual nature as both divine and human

“And the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

5) The Example of Jesus’ Humility 

We have examined this passage in its doctrinal or theological sense but now let’s get to the heart of it. Paul was using the grand condescension of Jesus Christ as an example for all of us believers to follow in how we view ourselves and in how we treat each other. Not only would Jesus step down from his throne in Heaven to take part in our humanity in this broken world; He would go on to suffer the most humiliating and shameful death that a Roman or Jew could think of – crucifixion. 

Commentator, Lynn H. Cohick, writes: “The imperial family, including Augustus, his wife Livia, and her grandson Claudius were all worshiped in the imperial cult in Philippi when Paul wrote this letter. Each member of the imperial family mentioned was granted an apotheosis; that is, they were understood at their death to be changed into a god… But the hymn of Christ speaks of kenosis (emptying), not apotheosis; the hymn declares humiliation/death rather than earthly glorification/divination.”

If Jesus Christ can take on this humiliation, how much more can I?







Philippians 2:5-11 (ESV):

2:5 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,[fn] 
2:6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 
2:7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,[fn] being born in the likeness of men. 
2:8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 
2:9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Two Types of Guilt: Conviction vs Condemnation

“As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

Here Paul, in his letter to the Corinthian Church, makes an extremely important distinction for us all – that is the difference between “worldly grief” and “godly grief”. The former produces death, he says, but the latter leads to salvation!

In this blog we want to look at these types of sorrow or as I’ve put it, “Guilt”. For the sake of this blog we will talk about godly sorrow/ guilt as “Conviction” and we will refer to worldly sorrow/ guilt as “Condemnation”*. 

Condemnation (Worldly Grief)

“Act of pronouncing someone guilty after weighing the evidence.” (Holman’s Bible Dictionary)

Greek - Katakrima:  “damnatory sentence”

Condemnation results in despair not hope. It loudly and obnoxiously tells us about the problem but gives no solution or tries to make you forget that there is a solution. This is not the type of guilt that comes from the cross: 

“For God so loved the world,[fn] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:16-17

Jesus and the two criminals on the crosses at Calvary were condemned by the Romans. The second criminal recognized that he was worthy of the condemnation but that Jesus was innocent: 

“One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him,[fn] saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Luke 23:39-42

Once we have repented as a result of our godly sorrow/ guilt it is covered by the blood of Jesus and washed away. We need never think of it again. Yet it is clear that we have an Enemy that loves nothing more than to condemn or “accuse” us for things that are already under the blood of Jesus. He wants us to live in this negative, toxic and tormenting world of condemnation which will hinder our joy in Christ and our effectiveness for Him. 

“And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 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[fn] 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 12:9-11

Conviction (Godly Grief)

“A sense of guilt and shame leading to repentance.” (Holman’s Bible Dictionary) 

Greek - Elencho:  "to convict, confute, refute"

Conviction results in hope not despair. It calmly but consistently and firmly reminds us that we have unrepentant sin in our lives and continually offers the solution – the cross of Christ:

 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:7-9

Jesus reminded his disciples that the Helper (that is the Holy Spirit) would come and “convict” the world:

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment…” 

John 16:7-8

Jesus Himself convicts us. The greek word “elencho” is here translated as “reprove”:

“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” Revelation 3:19

It is so very important to distinguish between these two types of guilt – these two very different “voices” in our hearts. Whereas the devil is angry and accusatory and wants to lead you to misery, the Holy Spirit has a “still small voice” and wants to lead you to abundant life!

“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.” 

Romans 8:1-2

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*The words “convict” and “condemn” are used in various ways in the Bible but the principle of distinguishing godly sorrow from worldly sorrow is clearly taught throughout Scripture. 

The Old and New Covenants: What Are They and What Is the Difference?

First of all, what is a covenant in the Bible?

Wayne Grudem, in his Systematic Theology defines it as: “An unchangeable, divinely imposed legal agreement between God and man that stipulates the conditions of their relationship.” 

The Hebrew word for covenant means “to bind”. The Greek translators of the Old Testament made sure to use the word “diatheke” which refers to a promise given by one party (God) rather than the word “syntheke” which would indicate that God and humankind were on the same level in making up the terms of the agreement.  

So what is the “Old Covenant” and the “New Covenant”?

In short, the Old Covenant is The Law of Moses and 

the New Covenant is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth

 came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17

Martin Luther once said that:

“Distinguishing between the law and the gospel is the highest art in Christendom, one who every person who values the name Christian ought to recognize, know, and possess. Where this is lacking, it is not possible to tell who is a Christian and who is a pagan or Jew. That much is at stake in this distinction.”*

The New Covenant is first prophesied of in Jeremiah 31 but can really be traced back to right after Adam and Eve’s rebellion in the Garden of Eden when God promises a Saviour to come (Genesis 3:15). Paul also reminds us:  “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” (Galatians 3:8). These, and all God/man covenants in the Bible, are references to the coming incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ – the Gospel. 

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. 

And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” 

 Jeremiah 31:31-34

At the Last Supper Jesus reminds His disciples that the time for the New Covenant is about to come through the events of the cross at Calvary: 

“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” Luke 22:19-20

A distinguishing mark of the true Gospel of Jesus is grace. Grace means God’s unmerited favour – in other words, it means we get what we do not deserve. Grace is, in fact, in direct opposition to the Law of Moses. 

In his “On the Grace of Christ”, Augustine of Hippo says:

“Thus the law and grace are so different that the law is not only useless but actually an obstacle in many ways unless grace assists. This shows, moreover, the function of the law: it makes people guilty of transgression and forces them to take refuge in grace in order to be liberated and helped to overcome evil desires.

It (the Law) commands more than liberates; it diagnoses illness but does not cure. Indeed, far from healing the infirmity, the law actually makes it worse in order to move a person to seek the medicine of grace more anxiously and insistently, because “the letter kills but the spirit gives life” [2 Cor. 3:6]”

Or as another put it:

“The law demands strength from one who has none and curses him if he can’t display it. Grace gives strength to one who has none and blesses him in the exhibition of it.” **

The Law of Moses is not a bad thing by the way. It is actually just a reality check that we cannot please God on our own efforts. It is meant, as Paul put it, to be a tutor or teacher to bring us to Christ and His Gospel. 

Like myself though and, I fear, many other Christians, the Galatian Church had forgotten what the Gospel and grace meant to the life of the believer and had returned to their own efforts of trying to earn God’s favour through the laws, ceremonies and feast days etc of the Old Covenant. Paul admonishes them:

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore,

and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

Another way that the Greek word “freedom” is translated is “liberty”. It is the goal of every Christian to avoid the legalism of the Galatians on one extreme and the licentiousness (lacking legal or moral restraints) of the Corinthians on the other extreme and to focus rather on the liberty found in Jesus Christ, His grace and His Gospel – in the New Covenant. 

Let us understand the difference between the Old and the New Covenant (not just in our heads but also in our hearts) and let us stand firm in the New Covenant – the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

“The law is something to be kept. Grace is something that keeps.” 

William MacDonald 

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*Martin Luther, The Distinction between the Law and Gospel,” January 1, 1532, Willard Burce, translator, Concordia Journal 18 (April 1992), 153.

**Quoted in “Here’s the Difference” by William MacDonald, p116

The Spirit Vs. the Flesh: How A Mixed Martial Arts Analogy Could Help Us In Our Christian Walk

The Bible teaches that we once we are “born again” (John 3) we receive a new “nature” in addition to our old “nature”. Our old nature is our sinful human condition – something that belongs to every human being – and the Bible often refers to it as our “flesh” (Not our body per se, but the sinful nature within it). Our sinful nature (or “flesh”) is something that we are both born with (because of the curse brought upon all humanity after the rebellion in the Garden of Eden) and also something we individually choose each and every day. 

“Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you,

 ‘You must be born again.’” John 3:5-7

The new nature on the other hand is what the Bible often refers to as our “spirit” – people’s spirits are dead until they have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit (i.e. being “born again” as Jesus put it). Note that in the Bible a lower case “s” helps us differentiate between our spirit and God’s Holy Spirit (The Third Person of the Trinity).

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which 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.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:1-6

So the unbeliever does not have a “new nature” yet or the true power of the Holy Spirit working in him and through him. We cannot expect the same type of moral results from an unbeliever as we should of a believer who has both of these things. 

Now Jesus warned us about the battle between the flesh and the spirit: “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

And Paul confirmed it: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” Galatians 5:16-17

A friend recently gave me a very helpful analogy on the spirit vs. the flesh. It goes like this – Let’s say that you have been tasked with entering the octagon each day with the fiercest MMA heavy weight of all time (I’ll let you debate who that is) and you must defeat him each and every day. How is that possible?

Well, let’s face it – it’s not possible. But what if we were allowed to control our training, sleep and diet each day? Well we would get stronger and better at MMA but unless we were somehow born with the raw talent and massive size of our opponent, defeat would be inevitable every time. But let’s say we were allowed to control the training, sleep and diet of our opponent! With this ability we can deprive him of exercise and nutrition… and guess what? Before long he would be so weak that we could defeat him easily.

This is the point - if we “starve” our flesh and nourish our spirit we are on a road to daily victory. We starve our flesh by not taking that second look at that attractive person, not watching that soft porn movie on Netflix or not hanging out with those friends who drag us down. We nourish the spirit by walking in step with the Holy Spirit – reading God’s Word, praying and fellowshipping with other believers.

Let us be very clear – there can be no victory over sin or the flesh without the continual grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. And if you read Romans 7 you’ll realize we all fall sometimes. But of course, we must be willing to deny the flesh and allow the Spirit to work in us and through us. 

Christ in Gethsemane, Heinrich Hofmann, 1886

“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:12-13

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:13-14

Interpreting the Gospels and Acts by the Epistles: A Basic Rule of Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics is the art and science of interpreting the Bible. It consists of certain principles and methods of interpreting that prevent us from believing things about the Bible that the Bible, as whole, does not teach. The Bible must interpret the Bible and it must include the whole context. As one writer put it: “The purpose of biblical hermeneutics is to protect us from misapplying Scripture or allowing bias to color our understanding of truth.”

The Bible itself commands all believers to take part in this process:

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

As the topic of Hermeneutics is vast, this blog will focus on just one of the principles:  

“Interpreting the historical narratives (such as the Gospels and Acts) 

by the didactic (such as the Epistles)”

The blog will also start off with the assumption that we all agree that the Old Testament must be interpreted through the lens of the New Testament as they are different covenants. If we did not do this we would end up with all kinds of grave errors like those of the prosperity gospel preachers or the idea that the Holy Spirit can be taken away from New Testament believers.

Just as the OT should be interpreted through the lens of the NT, so – as a general rule – the Gospels and the Book of Acts should be interpreted through the lens of the Epistles. Let’s look at two reasons why and then two examples of why:

1) First of all we must recognize that it was the same group of Apostles who wrote the historical narratives (The Gospels and Acts) as those who wrote the didactic books (The Epistles) and, more importantly, the same Holy Spirit who inspired them! As the late theologian, R.C. Sproul, said: “The Gospels (*and Acts) and the Epistles have equal authority, though there may be a difference in the order of interpretation.” 

2) Sproul also had these wise words to say: “Building doctrine from (*historical) narrative alone is dangerous business.” The point being that historical books of the Bible are recording history and usually a portion of history that is full of change – a time of flux – in the overall Biblical story of redemption. Although there is doctrine to be found in them, their main purpose is to tell a story not teach a doctrine. The Reformers, as well, always held that the Epistles should enlighten the Gospels and Acts. 

> Here is an example from the Gospels as explained by Sproul:

“Jesus lived under a different period of redemptive history than I do. He was required to fulfill all the laws of the Old Covenant, including dietary and ceremonial laws. Jesus was being perfectly obedient to the Father when He was circumcised as a religious rite. If I become circumcised, not for reasons of health or hygiene but as a formal religious rite, I am, by that rite, repudiating the finished work of Christ and bringing myself back under the curse of the Old Testament (Galatians 5:1-3)."   

Christ on the Road To Emmaus
"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." Luke 24:17

> Here is an example from the Book of Acts as explained by Stephen Voorwinde (who himself said: “It’s always dangerous to base a doctrine on isolated proof-texts from Acts.”):

“As Paul tells the Corinthians, “For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Cor 12:13). So whether it’s Jesus or the Corinthians or ourselves – we have all been baptised with the Holy Spirit. This is for everybody. It is not a “second blessing” experience for some, but an initial experience for all. It happens to all Christians at the beginning of the Christian life. It doesn’t just happen to elite Christians at some later time in the Christian life. 

This is precisely the pattern that we see in Acts. At Pentecost in Jerusalem, Jews became believers in Jesus and they were baptised with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 8 we have an extension of Pentecost in Samaria. Samaritans had come to believe in Jesus and they were baptised with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 10 we have a further extension of Pentecost, this time to the house of Cornelius in Caesarea. There Gentiles believed in Jesus and they were baptised with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 19 we have yet a further extension of Pentecost. This time former disciples of John the Baptist believe in Jesus and they are baptised with the Holy Spirit.

For each group we would have to insist that this was an initial experience. The baptism of the Holy Spirit did not come at some later point in their Christian lives but when they first believed in Jesus. Prior to that, they had been Jews, Samaritans, Gentile God-fearers or disciples of John the Baptist. In each case it was an integral part of their conversion experience. Through the baptism of the Spirit they were incorporated into the church. They became members of the body of Christ. This was a corporate experience for all, not an individual experience for some… So when it comes to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the fact that it happens is primary, the way that it happens is secondary.”

Conclusion:

My hope and prayer is that this blog will help sincere students of the Bible and followers of Jesus to correctly understand what the Bible teaches about various issues by taking the Bible as it is meant to be taken – a whole – and not in little parts that suit our biases. May God bless and guide as we seek His truth – and His Word is Truth.

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” Jesus in John 17:17

Sources:

“Knowing Scripture” by R.C. Sproul, IVP Books 2009

“How Normative Is Acts?” by Stephen Voorwinde (his full article here) 

C.S. Lewis on the Problem of Evil (from Mere Christianity)

The following are excerpts I have chosen from “Mere Christianity” (Book Two) by C.S. Lewis:

“My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show, find myself in such violent reaction against it?...

C.S. Lewis 1898-1963

Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too – for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my fancies.

Thus in the very act of trying to prove God did not exist – in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless – I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality – namely my idea of justice – was full sense… If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. “Dark” would be a word without meaning.” 

“Goodness is, so to speak, itself: badness is only spoiled goodness…

And do you now begin to see why Christianity has always said that the devil is a fallen angel? That is not a mere story for the children. It is a real recognition of the fact that evil is a parasite, not an original thing…

I know someone will ask me, ‘Do you really mean, at this time of day, to re-introduce our old friend the devil – hoofs and horns and all?’ Well, what the time of day has to do with it I do not know. And I am not particular about the hoofs and horns. But in other respects my answer is “Yes, I do”…



“God created things which had free will. That means creatures which can go either wrong or right… and free will is what has made evil possible. Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having…

Of course God knew what would happen if they used their freedom the wrong way: apparently He thought it worth the risk. Perhaps we feel inclined to disagree with Him. But there is difficulty about disagreeing with God. He is the source from which all of your reasoning power comes: you could not be right and He wrong any more than a stream could rise higher that its own source. When you are arguing against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all: it is like cutting off the branch you are sitting on.”

Christ on the Cross by Rembrandt

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, 

God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, 

by triumphing over them in him.” Colossians 2:13-15