Discussion Correspondence

Dear Don,

The promise that God would send Elijah to Israel to effect their repentance is left to the last book of the Old Testament.

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the chil­dren, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Mal. 4:5-6 RV).

There may be some who think that John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy. It is true that John came in the spirit and power of Elijah, but he had limited success. Those who did repent at his teaching, however, and accepted Jesus as their Messiah and were bap­tized will not need a future Elijah. This appears to be the meaning of Je­sus’ words when he spoke to Peter, James and John after they had seen him talking with Moses and Elijah at the time of his transfiguration.

“Elias (Elijah) truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist” (Matt. 17:11-13).

Jesus was saying that the scribes failed to see that John had come in Elijah’ s spirit and power. When Jesus said, “I say unto you, that Elijah is come already,” he meant, as far as the disciples were concerned, since they had accepted John’s message, there would be no need of a future Elijah for them, because John had fulfilled that role. For those like the scribes and Pharisees, however, there would be a definite need for Elijah.

For about 40 years after the crucifixion, an appeal was made to the Jews which is summed up in the words of Peter: “Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord; and that he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21 RV). This appeal had very limited success. As a result, the Jewish state was overturned by the Romans in 70 A.D. and the people were scattered into all nations.

In this century, the Jews returned to their land in sufficient numbers to establish their own state in 1948. Their relationship with God, however, has not changed. The conditions of reconciliation remain the same as in the first century. They must accept Jesus as their Messiah and Savior and be baptized for the remission of their sins.

It is very unlikely they will do this under their present circumstances, so a drastic change in their fortunes must occur for Elijah’ s preaching effort to be a success.

To shed some light on this change, there is another prophet who has an interesting connection with Elijah -­Joel. First, note the similarity in their names. Elijah (El-i-yah) means “God is the Lord.” Joel (Yah-el) with the two key syllables reversed means “the Lord is God.” Second, the message is the same. Consider that like Elijah, Joel initially failed to achieve the repentance of Israel by his first preaching effort. But his second effort was a success. Joel chapter one describes four successive attacks by locusts. It is only in chapter two, however, that a far greater onslaught achieves the desired result of repentance.

How interesting that four times the Arabs have fought with Israel (1948, 1956, 1967, 1973 // the four waves of locusts) but this has, to date, produced no repentance. Perhaps it will be the fifth invasion (as foreshadowed in Joel 2) which, being successful, brings about the true repentance of a remnant left in Israel.

There is a pointed connection between Joel 2 and Psalm 79. Joel 2:17 has: “Wherefore should they say among the nations, Where is their God?” This same question is asked in Psalm 79:10, inviting comparison between the two chapters. The Lord responds to this repentance of Israel by removing their locust-like invaders and restoring their fortunes.. .Since Elijah’ s first preaching ministry lasted 3 1/2 years and ended in failure, it is suggested his second ministry will last 3 1/2 years ending in success (Dan. 7:25; 12:7; Rev. 11:2,3; 12:6,14).

This success is recorded in Daniel 12:1-2: “At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stan­deth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” To have any meaning, the “book” must be the book of life. Considering the time period, baptism is the only way to have one’s name written there. Thus Elijah’s work will be successful and as a result Jesus will return and raise the dead, for we read, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

Your brother in Christ,
Harry Perks, Stayner, ONT

We agree with our brother’s under­standing of the sense in which John the baptist was Elijah. We also agree that Joel provides insight into Elijah’s message as Israel is brought to a point of repentance.

We do not agree, however, that Joel is describing several (up to five according to Bro. Harry) invasions of the land. Throughout, the prophet speaks of one invader and one invasion. Note the singular, not plural, is used of “a nation,” “he,” “a people,” “my army” (1:6,7; 2:2,25). Furthermore, note that chapter two is about the same invasion as chaptef one. In both, destruction is by means of “fire” (1:19-20; 2:3). And 2:22-27 provides blessings which reverse the destruction of 1:7-12, 16-20.

[Specifically compare:

2:22 — beasts of field reassured (1:20); pastures of wilderness restored (1:19); trees bear fruit (1:12); fig tree, vines yield abundantly (1:12).

2:23 abundant rain reverses the drought of (1:1:17-20).

2:24 plenty of supplies for meal and drink offerings cp. (1:13).

2:25 locust destruction reversed (1:4).

Joel 2 is not referring to a fifth invasion but is a further elaboration of the very one described in Joel 1.1

In addition, we feel that, as Bro. Banta outlined in the December ’93 “Tidings,” the saints accompany Elijah in his work. The strongest evidence in this regard is in the interweaving of Elijah’s work with great judgments upon Gentile nations (Joel 2-3 is clear evidence in this regard). The conquest of Gentile nations (whether or not they are Arabic) involves the meek of this era who have been redeemed and immortalized (Psa. 149:4-9; Rev. 2:26-27). If we are correct, this would require that the return, resurrection and judgment precede Elijah’s work.

There is something in the psychology of writing a letter rather than an article which helps in getting a point down on paper. The letter creates a more relaxed atmosphere for writer and reader alike as it allows for spontaneity and conciseness.

As most readers will know, this magazine has a “Letters to the Editor” section which restricts submissions to 600 words in length. It has become apparent, however, that we need to provide for longer letters which deal with important areas of discussion. To that end, we are opening this new section which will appear from time to time and will contain lengthier letters to the editor.

The Involvement of Jesus With His Own Sacrifice

Dear Bro. Don,

I would like to comment on remarks made in your August ’93 editorial regarding the representative death of Christ. You speak of Christ being of our condemned nature, that he was redeemed by his own sacrifice and that he put away the law of condemnation for himself as well as for ourselves.

I would like to put forward the view that Jesus was saved by his own perfect life, his sacrifice having nothing to do with his own salvation. If it did, his sacrifice would not have been a sacrifice for us but a necessity for himself

Sacrifice is something you do voluntarily for someone else. In Galatians 1:4, Paul says Christ gave himself for our sins. Using an even stronger Greek word, Paul makes the point again in Galatians 2 :20 : “[Christ] loved me and gave himself for me.” If Christ’s death was a necessity for himself, Paul would not have spoken in such a manner. He would have said something like, “In dying for himself, Jesus saved me.” In fact, if that were true, it would not be Jesus saving us but God graciously passing on the benefits of Christ’s death to Paul and ourselves.

Yet scripture never speaks of Jesus being redeemed by his own sacrifice. Consider, for example, Ephesians 5:2: “Walk in love as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.” The point is repeated in v. 25: “Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.” The language is direct and unambiguous -­Jesus went to the cross for us. There were no side issues involved and God received his offering on our behalf as “a sweet smelling savor.”

It was sin, our sins, that sent Jesus to the cross, not our natures. Being of our nature gave him the right to make the sacrifice; having overcome the flesh and achieving perfection perhaps imposed on him the responsibility. Yet his sacrifice was none the less voluntary: “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself’ (John 10:17-18). This was voluntary, nobody forced him; it was the only way he could save us (the authority was from God) but the choice was his. This raised sacrifice to new heights.

If the cross were for the benefit of Jesus himself and if he had to be saved from his own nature, why were not those lawless men congratulated for having had the courage to save Jesus by crucifying him? Jesus was not saving him­self; he was saving them and us: “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (I Tim. 1:15). The point is further confirmed by Psalm 22. Here a vivid portrayal is presented of the crucified Jesus and those wicked men as they jeered and tormented him. Jesus’ poignant appeal in this Psalm is hardly the language of a man reveling in self redemption.

The sacrifice that Jesus made is used by Paul to exhort the saints to voluntarily give of their resources to the poor brethren in Judea: “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor (a beggar, indigent), that ye through his poverty might be rich” (II Cor. 8:9). Christ’s grace toward us lay in his putting his riches on hold in order to reach out to us.

Philippians 2 makes this clear. Although he was God manifest (v.6), he did not grasp at what could have been his but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant. He humbled himself and became obedient unto death. His obedience consisted of making himself a slave, a voluntary act on his part. The language here would be completely inappropriate, indeed fallacious, if he needed to do this on his own behalf

Was Jesus being less than genuine when he said, “Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Was he really the good shepherd laying down “his life for the sheep” or was there a self-serving motive involved like dying for himself or benefiting from his own sacrifice?

Personally, I believe that a brave man risked everything in laying down his life because of me and for me. Scrip­ture expresses it simply and beautifully, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

Yours in Christ,
Jim Scott, Dundalk, ONT

There are two primary issues raised in the above:

1. If Jesus was required to die on the cross, was his death really voluntary?
2. Is a sacrificial death necessary for the redemption of human nature?

Lord willing, these, and related matters, will be given fuller consideration in future issues of the Tidings. Only the outline of a response follows:

Voluntary death of Christ

Christ’s death was voluntary in that he could have thwarted the power of evil men against him. He could use the spirit power for wrong ends (cf. Mt. 4:3-4 turning stones to bread); he could summon 12 legions of angels (26:53); he could prove his own innocence (Mt. 27:12-14) but he did none of these as he voluntarily endured the cross.

His death was not voluntary in that he must obey God’s will for himself. For him, fulfilling God’s will meant going to the cross: “Not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Mt. 26:39); he was “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him…” (Phil. 2:8). His exaltation was, in fact, dependent upon obedience to this specific aspect of the will of God (cf. Isa. 53:12).

We must remember that Jesus was conceived by God specifically for the purpose of providing the way of salvation from sin: “The angel of the Lord appeared unto [Joseph] saying…that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit…he shall save his people from their sins:” “God sent his only begotten Son into the world…to be the propitiation for our sins:” “For I came down from heaven [i.e. was conceived by God in the womb of a virgin], not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me [which will was that he should be the true bread from heaven, giving opportunity of life to the world]” (Mt. 1:20-21; I John 4:9-10; John 6:38,33). This was not a decision made by the Father or the Son when the Son was 30 years old. It was the very reason Jesus Christ was born. If Jesus had not complied with the will of the Father for him, he would have sinned.

The wonder of the character of the Lord Jesus is that, upon realizing the purpose of God through him, he loved what he saw. He did not reluctantly give himself to the work of salvation, he did so willingly and joyously: “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places…I delight to do thy will…O how love I thy law” (Psa. 16:6; 40:8; 119:97).

In our own case, we have the choice of serving God in confidence of eternal life or of serving ourselves and seeking temporal pleasures. We do not have the option of serving ourselves and receiving eternal life. While mankind deludes itself in this regard, that option simply does not exist So is our obedience voluntary or involuntary? Willing or compulsory? It is willing and voluntary in the sense that we have a free-will choice. The same was true of Christ. He could give his life as God desired and save it. Or he could save his life for himself and lose it in the end.

Christ redeemed by his sacrifice

As a human being, Jesus suffered from the fact that, “By the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation” (Rom. 5:18). We commonly refer to this as “Adamic condemnation.” By this phrase, we mean that God’ s punishment of Adam affected not only him but also all of the race that has descended from him. While not guilty of Adam’s sin, we nevertheless suffer consequences because of it.

Accordingly, even though Jesus did not require deliverance from the consequences of personal sins, he did require to be saved from mortality. For this reason, scripture applies the ideas of salvation and redemption to Jesus (Heb. 5:8; 9:12).

Deliverance from mortality is not brought about by the absence of personal sin. That is clear from the fact that an infant who dies sinless perishes as completely as if he had never been born (Job. 3:16).

Deliverance from mortality comes through association with the promise of God. That promise was in the form of a covenant which is ratified by the death of the covenant victim (Gal. 3:16-19; Heb. 9:16,17). Accordingly, scripture speaks of Christ being redeemed by his own blood (Heb. 9:12). He thus was a participant in and beneficiary of his own sacrificial death.

The matter is taken still further. Mortality is a result of sin. Sin is figuratively described as making one dirty or unclean. Since our nature is a result of Adam’s transgression, our nature is regarded as “unclean” in scripture. Thus the Lord Jesus was “purified” by his participation in his own sacrifice (Heb. 9:23).

Keeping things clear

Over the years, much strife has revolved around these concepts. The language of symbol and ritual has been carried so far that, in some cases, the clear principles of God’s plan of redemption have been obscured.

What we need to keep clearly in mind at all times is that God is the savior. We are saved by Him, not from Him. We are saved from sin. Furthermore, we need to realize that God’s method of salvation is designed to teach great spiritual lessons to those who would serve Him. It is not a device to satisfy theological legalisms.

We plan to elaborate some of these points in future articles.